For the past 20 years, "American Idol" has helped discover some of the biggest names in pop, country, R&B and beyond. As “Idol” winners and contestants have had success in the music industry, many have been awarded with GRAMMY wins and nominations.

Season 20 wraps up with the finale on May 22, when HunterGirl, Leah Marlene and Noah Thompson will compete to be the latest "American Idol" winner. This season has seen several contestants who play instruments or are also songwriters; the talent has been touted as some of the best Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan have seen in their five seasons as judges.

Will any of this year's finalists end up in the GRAMMY ranks with their "Idol" predecessors? Time will tell, but for now, see how many "American Idol" winners and contestants have scored GRAMMY Awards and GRAMMY nominations.

Season 1 winner Kelly Clarkson and Season 2 winner Ruben Studdard were the first "Idol" winners to be nominated for a GRAMMY, both receiving nominations in 2004. Clarkson became the first "Idol" winner to win a GRAMMY two years later, when she scooped up two awards: Best Pop Vocal Album for Breakaway, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for her smash "Since U Been Gone."**

Clarkson became the first "Idol" contestant to win a GRAMMY for an album twice in 2013, when she won the Best Pop Vocal Album GRAMMY for 2011's Stronger. To date, Kelly Clarkson has won three GRAMMYs and has received 15 nominations.

Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood has won eight GRAMMYs and has received a total of 16 nominations, making her the "Idol" contestant with the most GRAMMY wins and nominations. Her most recent win came in 2022, when she won Best Roots Gospel Album for her 2021 release, My Savior.

Underwood is the only "Idol" winner (and contestant) to win Best New Artist. Until 2022, she was the only "Idol" alum to even be nominated for the coveted award, but her fellow country star Jimmie Allen joined that rare rank.

Along with Underwood, Clarkson and Studdard, Season 3 winner Fantasia Barrino and Season 6 champion Jordin Sparks are the only other winners to be nominated for a GRAMMY. Though Season 5 winner Taylor Hicks hasn't technically received a nomination, he was featured on Jimmy Fallon's 2012 album Blow Your Pants Off (on the track "Friday"), which won Best Comedy Album in 2013.

Season 8's Adam Lambert is the only "Idol" runner-up to be nominated for a GRAMMY. He was nominated for a Best Male Pop Vocal Performance GRAMMY for "Whataya Want From Me" in 2011.

Perhaps two of the most remarkable GRAMMY-winning "Idol" alums are Jennifer Hudson and Tori Kelly. Each have two GRAMMYs to their name, but clearly "Idol" viewers and judges didn't see the star within: Hudson placed seventh on Season 3, and Kelly was cut before the top 24 on Season 9.

Another GRAMMY-nominated finalist who finished outside of the top 3 is Chris Daughtry, who placed fourth on Season 5. Daughtry has been nominated for four GRAMMYs, all of which came in 2008 thanks to his eponymous debut album and its hits "It's Not Over" and "Home." (Fellow Season 5 contestant Ace Young co-wrote "It's Not Over," making him another GRAMMY-nominated "Idol" star, as the single earned a Best Rock Song nomination.) 

Mandisa, who placed ninth on Daughtry's season, is also a GRAMMY-winning finalist, as her 2013 album, Overcomer, won a Best Contemporary Christian Music Album GRAMMY in 2014. (She has received five nominations overall.)

Season 8's third place contestant, Danny Gokey, has also had a successful career in Christian music. He has been nominated for three GRAMMYs, with two of his albums receiving Best Contemporary Christian Music Album nods and his song "Haven't Seen It Yet" earning a Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song nom.

A number of "Idol" alums have proven you don't have to win "American Idol" to win a GRAMMY or earn a GRAMMY nomination. Whatever the outcome of Season 20, be sure to keep watch on your favorite contestants — you might just see them on the GRAMMY stage one day.

Carrie Underwood On Creating Her First Gospel Album, 'My Savior,' Working With CeCe Winans, & Making "Legacy Music"

America has seen its fair share of shocking election results. Take, for example, one fateful night in 2004, when Jennifer Hudson was eliminated from the third season of "American Idol" after a rendition of "Weekend in New England" that, despite acclaim from the judges, landed her in seventh place. 

Over time, that placement has only felt more and more shocking, particularly given the monumental success she’s had in the 20 years since then. When it comes to Jennifer Hudson, multi-hyphenate doesn’t begin to cut it. There’s no corner of the entertainment industry she hasn’t been able to thrive in.  

Just a little over a year after that elimination, Hudson was cast as Effie White in Dreamgirls — a role that earned her an Academy Award and helped launch her career to new heights. That trophy was just the first piece of hardware in her eventual EGOT. She won her first of two GRAMMYs for her debut self-titled album in 2009, an Emmy in 2021 for producing the animated short Baba Yaga, and rounded out the rare achievement with a Tony for producing the musical "A Strange Loop" in 2022. That same year she also launched her own syndicated talk show, "The Jennifer Hudson Show," which has racked up 10 Daytime Emmy nominations so far. That’s not to mention the dozens of iconic roles in film, television, and Broadway she’s picked up along the way.  

Read more: How Many "American Idol" Winners Have Won GRAMMYs? A Rundown Of Wins And Nominations For Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood & More

Now, after signing a new deal with Interscope Records, she’s returning to music for the first time since 2014 with the Christmas album The Gift of Love, out Oct. 18. And while technically this does mark Hudson’s first studio album in 10 years, she agrees that it doesn’t feel like she ever stopped making music.

"Music is the blueprint in everything I do, so I don’t see a difference. Like, come on, there’s the Respect soundtrack, the Color Purple cast recording, if I’m attached to a project, I’m always singing," she tells GRAMMY.com. "Even the talk show, I sing the theme song!"

As a self-described "holiday fanatic," Hudson says a Christmas album has been on her to-do list for a long time. "The fun thing about Christmas music, there is no such thing as cheesy or going too far with it. You can have fun with it. You can be a kid again and express yourself," she says. 

GRAMMY.com caught up with Hudson ahead of the holiday season to look back at the many chapters of her storied career, and talk about why this album is her most personal yet.  

I was excited to hear what this album would sound like, because a Christmas album can be so many different things. You’ve spoken before about how there are different types or sub-genres of holiday albums. How would you classify The Gift of Love amongst those different categories and how did you land there?

It's hard. That's part of why I've never come up with one, I'm a holiday freak. How do I even narrow it down? Because there are different types of Christmases — like a North Pole Christmas, or a “Winter Wonderland” Christmas with frost and candles, or “O Holy Night” and “Auld Lange Syne” where it’s a more mature, cozy Christmas. And I love celebrating them all, so The Gift of Love reflects that. Everyone has something. 

Despite the majority of the album being covers, it feels extremely personal. For example, you mention singing "Little Drummer Boy" like your grandmother used to. Does this album feel connected to your childhood or family in ways other albums haven’t?

I feel the most connected to this album out of all my albums, and very much for those reasons. It reflects me in some way. Obviously with covers, we don’t write them, we sing them, but they’re connected to my family traditions. My grandmother used to love "The Christmas Song" and I remember her saying, ‘The man with the satin voice,’ about Nat King Cole, so that inspired me to do that song. And "Drummer Boy," the way we approached it I’m showing you my roots of where I came from musically.

So in this album, whether it’s musically or lyrically, my story shows up. Even with "O Holy Night," I would make a different arrangement every year and pass it out to my family, so that had to be on there. But this year, I get to give my family a whole album instead of just one song.  

People mention your "American Idol" elimination a lot, but I want to talk about what Barry Manilow, who was the mentor and guest judge that week, did right after that by bringing you with him to perform on "Ryan Seacrest Live." How do you think that changed both your experience getting voted off, as well as your subsequent trajectory?

Barry Manilow is one of the greats, and for him to take me under his wing like that, you can’t help but be inspired. You’re taking me back, wow — but yeah, it was Ryan Seacrest’s radio show and it was actually Barry Manilow’s slot to perform and he was, I guess, inspired or touched by my performance and elimination.

I also wanna give him credit for being a part of me getting Dreamgirls as well, because when he came to the show, he restructured "Weekend in New England" with the musical breakdown and structure of "And I Am Telling You" because I reminded him of Effie. To this day, people think I did "And I Am Telling You" on Idol and I’m like no, that was "Weekend in New England." And that partly led to me getting Dreamgirls. 

Speaking of, what was the biggest gift that came from playing Effie in Dreamgirls, and specifically playing her so early in your career?

I mean, shoot, what's the scripture? Two fish and five loads of bread? It’s like he said, "I'm going to give you this one role, and watch how far it's gonna take you." And to think of all the things I've gotten to do, and the lane that I've carved for myself in this industry, from that one experience. Even going back to American Idol, I said, I wanna do this for the experience. So by the time Dreamgirls rolled around, that was my second chance. And I learned from the first time around, like ok, if I get another opportunity, I'm taking it and I'm running with it. And I've been running ever since. 

More recently, you took on the role of Aretha Franklin in Respect — which feels very full circle given that you auditioned with "Share Your Love With Me" on "Idol."

That's how my life is, full circle after full circle. We would be dizzy if I went around every full circle in my life. But I guess it's the track of destiny in a way. I was just telling my friends the other day, when I was a kid I used to walk around the house saying, "Mama, my name is a famous sounding name. Listen to this, Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight, Jennifer Hudson, Mariah Carey…it just fits right in, mama" So to fast forward and be in the midst of all these greats…I've always been taken under their wing. Before I was on Idol, I was on a Disney cruise ship singing "Circle of Life" and then fast forward, I’m on American Idol singing it with Elton John himself. It’s like full circle after full circle, I’m still trying to put it together.

You’re in your third year of the talk show now, and the theme of this season is "Choose Joy" — what about doing this show has brought you the most joy?

Well, most of all, being able to see people come together in positivity on one accord. That's one of my favorite things to do. That's what I've always done musically, that's what I've always done within my family. And as I tell the guests and the audience, which I consider family, when you come in, I just wanna celebrate you. It’s such good energy, like imagine having a party everyday where everybody is just in good spirits. I call it the happy place.

I can only imagine the show will be going all out for Christmas this year, is there anything exciting planned that you can share?

This is gonna be the biggest Christmas ever. I can't wait, I'm so excited. I’m planning a special episode dedicated to the album as we speak. We're gonna do some of the music from it, kind of like a listening party, but it’ll be like coming to my house for the holidays. Same goes for my holiday tour this year as well, it'll be a very intimate experience. We're gonna have a holiday, musical good time.

You of course starred on Broadway in "The Color Purple" before going on to become a producer on "A Strange Loop" and now "SMASH" — what did your experience on stage teach you that’s now an asset as a producer?

Great material is great material. And I’m a sponge, I like to be as present as I can through every experience, and being able to do 290 shows for "The Color Purple" — not missing a single one — taught me a lot. But if it’s great material it will last. Being on the production end now, I hope to continue to bring fresher, newer shows to the theater, to keep it current. Keeping the traditional base, but being able to add to that pot. And having a talk show gives it even more of a platform for it to be seen. There’s nothing like live theater.

I saw you ran into your "Sex and the City" co-star Sarah Jessica Parker at the Olympics this summer — any chance of Louise from St. Louis making an appearance on And Just Like That?

I'm all for it. Louise from St. Louis is ready, she stays ready. Roll the camera. I just find it so odd that we reunited in Paris, the fashion capital — what are the odds of that? 

You said you’ve wanted to make a Christmas album for a long time. Why was now the right time?

The timing is everything. I'm glad it's happening now, because I feel like I had full authority. And then also the place I am in life, you know, with the talk show and the family element of that. It gave me a platform to be able to bring everyone together in a way that I love to do, and the space to be able to do it. I was like, I don’t wanna do a Christmas album where we do it in a week and put it out. No, I want to do it like a home cooked holiday meal, where we take our time in the kitchen, ingredient by ingredient, you know? 

The industry likes to box people in — either you're a singer, or an actor, or a host — you’ve managed to avoid that. Has that been a challenge to keep that balance and continually break out of the mold?

Well, sometimes it can be because it's different markets. Someone who may watch talk shows may not be into music. A market who watches film may not be into television, you know? The beautiful thing for me is it’s all a part of me. I'm just simply existing and doing what I love. And thankfully that resonates, but it can be hard. But nobody knows your potential the way you do, and if you continue to do what you love for the love of it, it will make room for you.

Hope you're ready for a little musical time travel, because this week's New Music Friday is filled with music old, new and everything in between.

Luke Bryan finally unveils his latest album "Mind of a Country Boy" after teasing it with two years' worth of singles, and Moneybagg Yo adds seven new tracks to SPEAK NOW OR…, the deluxe edition of his fifth album Speak Now. Plus, Michael Bublé compiles the greatest hits collection Best of Bublé as he takes his seat in one of the spinning chairs on "The Voice"; Gavin DeGraw celebrates the 20th anniversary of his debut album with a re-recorded version, Chariot 20; and Christina Aguilera honors the 25th anniversary of her self-titled debut with live versions of classic singles.

Elsewhere, Rosalía is still riding high from the Sept. 24 release of her new single "Omega," Miranda Lambert teams up with Jake Worthington on new single "Hello S—ty Day," and Kygo recruits Imagine Dragons for "Stars Will Align." There's even two intriguing covers to enjoy: Sierra Hull's roots-laced rendition of the Grateful Dead's "Black Muddy River," and Nile Rodgers and Cedric Gervais's revved-up dance remix of the Sister Sledge classic "We Are Family." 

Below, press play on nine more new releases, including a surprise side project from Lady Gaga to celebrate her starring turn in Joker: Folie á Deux, a powerhouse duet from country powerhouses Cody Johnson and Carrie Underwood, a solo career kick-off from Måneskin frontman Damiano David and more.

One week before the curtain rises on Lady Gaga's latest acting role in Joker: Folie à Deux, Little Monsters got something else they've long been waiting for: a brand new album from their queen.

Gaga's Harlequin serves as a companion album to the upcoming Joker, filled with thrillingly genre-defying reinterpretations of the Great American Songbook that give insight into the lush soundtrack playing inside the mind of Lee Quinzel — the pop star's take on Harley Quinn opposite Joaquin Phoenix's clown-faced Arthur Fleck.

Songs like the free-wheeling "Get Happy" and "That's Life" (made famous by Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra, respectively) land stylistically in the realm of Gaga's GRAMMY-winning jazz albums with late friend Tony Bennett, and the album also contains a pair of original tracks — the waltzing "Folie á Deux" and vulnerable centerpiece "Happy Mistake." All of it should keep Little Monsters everywhere temporarily sated as they anxiously await LG7.

Stevie Nicks pens a powerful rallying cry for women's rights in the form of new single "The Lighthouse." Spurred to action following the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, the legendary singer/songwriter said in a statement that she's been working on the anthem "ever since."

Nicks continued: "I have often said to myself, 'This may be the most important thing I ever do. To stand up for the women of the United States and their daughters and granddaughters — and the men that love them."

The iconic Fleetwood Mac frontwoman refuses to pull any punches on the timely protest anthem, warning, "Don't close your eyes and hope for the best/ The dark is out there, the light is going fast/ Until the final hours/ Your life's forever changed/ And all the rights that you had yesterday/ Are taken away/ And now you're afraid/ You should be afraid."

Cody Johnson teams up with Carrie Underwood for "I'm Gonna Love You," the first bonus track off the deluxe edition of his 2023 album Leather and the "American Idol" champ's first release since news broke she'd be replacing Katy Perry on the judging panel of the reality show's ABC reboot.

On the stunning ballad, the two country stars weave together an all-encompassing love story that lasts a lifetime. "So good that it almost hurts/ Steady and true as a Bible verse/ My heart skips just thinking of you/ Go on and bet it all, baby we can't lose," they sing in harmony as herds of wild horses thunder across the screen in the Dustin Haney-helmed music video.

SOPHIE's posthumous, self-titled album is equal parts love letter to the late producer (whose life was cut devastatingly short after falling from a rooftop in Athens, Greece in January 2021) and an enduring testament to her influence as an avant garde pioneer of hyperpop, electronica and underground dance music.

Completed by her family, SOPHIE's 16-song project is filled with the producer's trusted collaborators and friends, including Kim Petras (lead single "Reason Why"), LIZ (one-two punch "Live in My Truth" and "Why Lies"), Hannah Diamond ("Always and Forever") and more.

"Sophie didn't often speak publicly about her private life, preferring to put everything she wanted to articulate into her music," SOPHIE's family shared on social media ahead of the album's unveiling. "It feels only right to share with the world the music she hoped to release, in the belief that we can all connect with her in this, the form she loved most. Sophie gave all of herself to her music. It's here that she can always be found."

After nearly 10 meteoric years fronting Måneskin, Damiano David launches his solo career with the unveiling of his debut single "Silverlines."

Produced by Labrinth, the intimate track is a surprising departure from the Italian rock god's signature, high-energy stylings. Instead, David shows off a more vulnerable and emotional side of himself as he sings, "I feel sorrow no more/ The calm after the storm/ And peace belongs to me/ Until my tears run dry/ And clouds fall from the sky / And all my fears, they disappear/ And I see silverlines."

Rahim Redcar — 'HOPECORE'

Just 15 months after releasing the transcendent concept album PARANOÏA, ANGELS, TRUE LOVE, the artist formerly known as Christine and the Queens officially retires his stage name and reintroduces himself to the world as Rahim C Redcar with the new LP HOPECORE.

Though just seven tracks compared to its predecessor's sprawling triptych of angelic visitations in 20 songs, HOPECORE is equally prodigious in its ambition. Redcar shifts his gaze from the heavens to the club, describing pulsating highlights like "ELEVATE" and "DEEP HOLES" as "a call of the flesh, a prayer for justice and freedom" and "a healing, metatronic purple grid."

To support the latest chapter in his artistic vision, the French auteur will embark on a club tour of Europe and the U.S. this November, with stops in London, Amsterdam, Paris, Berlin, New York, and more.

Continuing the momentum from his 2022 single "SLUT ME OUT" featuring Sexyy Redd, NLE Choppa doubles — and triples — down on the raunch factor with his new project SLUT SZN.

The eight-track collection contains both "SLUT ME OUT 2" and "SLUT ME OUT 3" featuring Whethan and Carey Washington as well as "SLUT ME OUT 2 — COUNTRY ME OUT" with J.P. Other tracks include opener "Gang Baby," recently released single "Or What" and Yausel LM collaboration "Catalina."

Mickey Guyton delivers the heat with her sophomore album, House on Fire. On pre-release single "Make It Me," the four-time GRAMMY nominee splashes her country sound with a dose of flirtatious dance-pop while album cut "My Kind of The Country" finds her happily eschewing Nashville elitism in favor of inclusivity ("Go on make yourself at home/ On my side of the country") as she leads a do-see-do-ing line dance and proudly declares, "Yeah, we got country coast to coast!"

Elsewhere, the LP includes "Nothing Compares To You," a resplendent duet with Kane Brown and "Scary Love," a tribute to her three-year-old son Grayson in the wake of a recent near-death experience.

A decade after their last release, The Fray returns with a new EP, appropriately titled The Fray Is Back.

Now a trio following the departure of frontman Isaac Slade in 2022, the four-time GRAMMY nominees behind 2000s hits like "How to Save a Life" and "Over My Head (Cable Car)" deliver more reliable pop-rock anthems like the wistful "Time Well Wasted" and the crescendoing "Don't Look Down." To mark the new era of the band, The Fray have also embarked on a headlining tour across the U.S., with sold-out stops in Washington, D.C.; New York City; Chicago and more.

As summer slips away into September, the soundtrack to the fall is beginning to emerge with major releases from A-list stars across genres, along with promising rising talents from the worlds of pop, pop-punk, R&B, and international music scenes.

This week's new full-lengths include Miranda Lambert’s Postcards from Texas, The Wild Things’ concept album Afterglow (produced by Pete Townshend of The Who), COIN’s I’m Not Afraid of Music Anymore and Babyface Ray’s The Kid That Did.

Also out this week, Maddie & Tae drop their new EP What A Woman Can Do, BOYNEXTDOOR share the 7-track mini-album 19.99 and The All-American Rejects deliver a cover of Harvey Danger’s classic 1998 debut single “Flagpole Sitta.” Kendrick Lamar surprised fans with an exclusive release on Instagram following last weekend's announcement that he will headline the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show. Eminem and 2Chainz pay tribute to Kyrie Irving and Luka Dančić of the Dallas Mavericks with the single "Kyrie & Luka," while FKA Twigs dropped the single "Eusexua" alongside the announcement of her new album of the same name arriving January 2025. FINNEAS also released his second single, "Cleats" from his upcoming album, For Cryin' Out Loud. 

Below, dive into 10 more releases worth checking out for New Music Friday, including new singles by Charli XCX and Troye Sivan, The Weeknd, Tate McRae, as1one and more.

Read more:15 Must-Hear Albums In September: Paris Hilton, Katy Perry, Luke Bryan & More

“Talk talk” and it’s completely different but also still “Talk talk.” Charli XCX puts an earworm of a period on "Brat summer" by tapping bestie Troye Sivan to help totally reinvent the Brat fan favorite.

The new version is a tale of two flirtations, with Charli teasing a new fling to “talk to me in French/ Talk to me in Spanish/ Talk to me in your own made-up language” while Troye offers up an extravagant — and rather explicit — invitation to someone who’s about to have quite a good time with him in an Amsterdam hotel room.

Following Charli’s recent buzzy collabs with Lorde (“The girl, so confusing version with lorde”) and Billie Eilish (“Guess”), the latest remix off the pop star’s smash, zeitgeist-defining LP is a pitch-perfect amuse-bouche to her and Troye’s upcoming Sweat Tour, which kicks off Sept. 14 in Detroit. 

GRAMMY U Members will have an exclusive opportunity to catch Charli XCX and Troye Sivan together at the 2024 GRAMMY U Fall Summit on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 in Nashville, sponsored by Mastercard and Amazon Music. 

Read More: Charli XCX's Road To Brat: How Her New Album Celebrates Unabashed Confidence & Eccentricity

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Just days after revealing the title of his highly anticipated sixth studio album, Hurry Up Tomorrow, The Weeknd offers the first taste of it with the lead single, “Dancing In The Flames.”

The pulsating track lands right in the 4-time GRAMMY winner’s sweet spot of synth-drenched, blissed out R&B while revving up the tempo as he catapults toward loves destruction, singing, “I can’t wait to see your face / Crash when we’re switching lanes / My love’s beyond the pain/ But if I miss the brake / We’re dancing in the flames / It’s indescribable.”

The cinematic music video sends the singer into a kinetic, head-on collision, and the entire rain-soaked, colorful saga was shot on the new iPhone 16 Pro.

Still riding high off the success of her 2023 sophomore album Think Later, Tate McRae enters a new era with her latest single, “it’s ok i’m ok.” Building on the momentum of hits like “Greedy” and “Exes,” the song (released on Sept. 12) finds the Canadian pop star's ability to balance an unbothered attitude in the spoken word chorus with floaty, sensual falsetto verses.

The music video is a risqué romp through the chaos of New York City, complete with showstopping choreography from the 21-year-old Calgary native. The visuals pay homage to Britney Spears — a style McRae also referenced at Wednesday night’s MTV Video Music Awards, where she wore a sheer lace dress reminiscent of Spears’ iconic look from the 2001 VMAs. 

Read More: How Tate McRae Turned A "Full Identity Crisis" Into Her Debut Album, I Used To Think I Could Fly

Brantley Gilbert inks another portrait of small-town country life on his seventh album, Tattoos. Lead single “Over When We’re Sober,” featuring Ashley Cooke, is among several collaborations on the LP. Other stand out duets include the whistling opener “Dirty Money” with Justin Moore; the patriotic country-rap hybrid  “Me and My House” featuring Struggle Jennings and Demun Jones; and the soaring “God Isn’t Country” with Rascal Flatts' Gary LeVox. 

Taylor Acorn gets bright and brash on her debut album Survival In Motion. The rising pop-punk singer confronts a range of personal struggles, from battling mental illness and imposter syndrome on the energetic title track to brushing off the haters in “High Horse” and escaping a controlling relationship in “Greener.” All of this unfolds against a backdrop of hard-charging guitars, crashing drums and refreshingly candid songwriting. 

Read more: ​​11 Pop-Punk Artists To Watch: Taylor Acorn, American Teeth & More

Nearly four years after her last full-length, 2020’s holiday-themed Cider & Hennessy, Jordin Sparks returns with her new album, No Restrictions. 

The "American Idol" champ remains true to her R&B roots on her fifth studio album. Tracks like the surprise pre-release single “Remember,” along with standouts like “Forever” featuring T-Pain, “Where There’s Smoke…,” the Stonebwoy-assisted “No Cry” and the bumping “YCFWM,” show off her luminous voice with a surprising amount of swagger.

Related: How Many "American Idol" Winners Have Won GRAMMYs? A Rundown Of Wins And Nominations For Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood & More

JVKE and Nick Jonas have been teasing their new collaboration to eager fans for what feels like forever, but the wait was well worth it for the swooningly romantic track. Each singer takes a turn daydreaming about a love that will stand the test of time, lasting “until [they’re] 70.”

After JVKE, the “golden hour” crooner, recounts his first heartbreak at 17, Jonas steps in with a sweet and sultry verse that’s clearly dedicated to his wife of nearly six years, Priyanka Chopra, singing, “Baby, I’m so into you / I’ve lived a thousand lives/ can’t go a single night / Without you.”

Related: Inside Jonas Brothers' The Album: How Leaning Into Joy, Fatherhood & Dad Rock Spawned Their Most Definitive Music Yet

Fresh off walking the red carpet at the MTV VMAs, multicultural boy band as1one launch their bid for pop stardom with debut single, “All Eyes On Us.” The Israeli-Jewish and Palestinian-Arab sextet get an assist from Nile Rodgers on the funky dance floor anthem, which finds the group soaking up the spotlight as they sing, “It’s like the whole world’s watching / We gonna dance like we’re all on an mission / All eyes on us!”

Later this year, prospective fans will get a deeper look into as1one's formation, artistry, and message of unity through a four-episode docuseries on Paramount+. 

“This isn’t Fashion Week!” an enraged director screams early in the music video for Suki Waterhouse’s latest single, “Model, Actress, Whatever.” From that moment on, the English It Girl and indie pop darling proves yet again that walking the runway is just one of her many talents as she sings, “All of my dreams came true / The bigger the ocean, the deeper the blue / Call me a model, an actress, whatever / Other half of my baby, we stay together.”

The deeply personal track arrived just days before Waterhouse unveiled her sophomore studio album, Memoir of a Sparklemuffin, which also includes previously released singles “To Love,” “OMG,” “My Fun,” “Faded,” “Supersad,” and “Blackout Drunk.”

Ronnie Dunn and Ira Dean assemble an all-star cast of collaborators for their new single “Tele-Man” featuring Vince Gill, John Osborne and Brent Mason. Together, the five musicians create a modern-day homage to The Traveling Wilburys as they unravel an ode to one of country music’s most iconic instruments: the Telecaster guitar. 

With Mason playing the titular role of “Tele-Man” on the instrument, his collaborators string out an energetic, deliriously tongue-twisting yarn that name drops everyone from Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings to Johnny Cash, Jerry Reed and Patsy Cline before giving illustrious credit to the “finger-lickin’, chicken pickin’ Tele-Man” behind all the greats.

Fifteen years into his career, Adam Lambert is primed for the after-party. In fact, the pop star has made an entire EP for the occasion — fittingly titled Afters.

The six-track project, which drops July 19 via More Is More Records, finds the big-voiced singer trading the expansive covers of his last LP, 2023's High Drama, for a no-holds-barred romp that takes listeners from the club to the after-party to the bedroom and beyond.

"It's my love letter to our nightlife culture," Lambert tells GRAMMY.com on a phone call from New York City. And though he admits to recording the bulk of Afters in L.A., the project is imbued with the club kid spirit of New York's queer community — from the primal sexuality dripping off dual lead singles "LUBE" and "WET DREAM" to the strutting, ballroom-ready kiss-off (and nearly NSFW title) of follow-up track "CVNTY."

Ahead of the EP's release, the queer GRAMMY nominee (and frequent Queen collaborator) celebrated his new musical chapter with a special party at The Standard High Line's nightclub Le Bain. Organized by legendary NYC nightlife impresario Susanne Bartsch as part of her famous On Top! event series, the soiree felt like a full-circle moment for Lambert as he watched drag artists like God Complex and ShowPonii slay the house down boots to his new music. 

"I've always really been drawn to that kind of world," Lambert says of the thriving LGBTQIA+ party scene. "I think even way back before '[American] Idol,' I remember being in L.A., when I was in my early twenties and trying to find the parties. They were pretty underground at the time, where people would dress up and wear crazy makeup. And of course, I was there in my platform boots, stompin' in. So I've always sort of sought out that community. I love it."

Below, Lambert takes GRAMMY.com through the colorful and unapologetically queer inspirations that led to Afters, from the '90s house sounds of Crystal Waters to finding freedom in radical creative expression — and, of course, plenty of sex.  

Feeling Free — And Sexy

I've always loved electronic dance music, I've always loved house. And it's interesting because, for a long time, it was considered sort of "niche" for a gay person to make dance music. And now it just feels like it makes sense. [Laughs.] It's so obvious, you know?

I was working so hard for so long and on tour for so long, and I did a lot of tours with Queen and on my own stuff. I was so focused on my career for so many years, and then as the pandemic kind of faded and we were getting into that next chapter, I made some time for a social life. Which was much needed. That's what kind of inspired me to want to make this music. 

I just wanted to make something that felt like my actual social life — that felt like my life. I'm in a relationship, we've made lots of friends in L.A., we have lots of after-parties. We socialize, we go out, we go to clubs, we go to bars. I wanted to make music for that.

My private life is...exciting is how I would probably put it, and passionate. So it's definitely fueled from that. The music is written in first person, but it's also sort of meant to inspire the listener to want to feel that type of freedom as well. You listen to something about sex and hopefully it makes you go, "Yeah! I feel sexy!"

Overcoming Post-'American Idol' PTSD

When I first came out the gate after Idol, I did a big old performance [at the 2009 American Music Awards]. I got in trouble for kissing the guy and having sexy dance moves and stuff, and that gave me a little dash of almost a PTSD of, like, "Oh, OK, there's a line that I can't cross. And if I do, I could risk losing everything." And that fear drove me down a certain path where I felt like I had to hold back a certain amount. 

That was very much a reflection of where we were at as a society at the time, and what the mainstream was able to digest. The music industry was a different game back then. There were a lot more gatekeepers, a lot more obstacles that I encountered. Now, the industry has shifted so much, just in terms of how people get music, how you can reach your listener, how you can make music, what kind of label situation you have set up. There's a lot less filtering going on. That's what also inspired me to want to make something that was more liberated. 

My perspective has shifted a lot. That fear early on came from a place of, "I don't want to lose this opportunity." There was a little dash of imposter syndrome in there. You know, coming off of "Idol," feeling like, "Oh my god, how did I get here?" It happened so fast. And I think just having stayed in the game over the last 14 years has given me a sense of confidence. It's given me a sense of belonging.

I've found more of who exactly I am over that time. Working with Queen has been a real boost in confidence as well, and has allowed me to sort of feel like I've earned something.

Setting The Mood

I love music that puts you in a mood, in a headspace. And that's what I wanted Afters to be. That's why I called it Afters. It was, yes, you could totally listen to these at a club, but it's also, like, lyrically, when you go to a club and then you go to an afterparty, the rules are out the window. You can do whatever you want, you know? And people feel that freedom. 

There's something to be said about growing up a bit and maturing as a performer. You feel less of a need to prove something [vocally]. I think I'm finding less of an impulse to be, like, "Look what I can do!" and more, "Look what I can make you feel." The "less is more" thing does start to become more obvious.

As I've gotten a little older, too, my voice has shifted a bit. And I have, like, lower parts of my voice that I haven't really dug into before that I definitely did on this project. Which is kind of a fun experiment. I just wanted to do something that was more vibey. 

'90s House & '20s Hyperpop

I like going into a project with, like, a reference and a direction. It gives you sort of a roadmap…I have a whole playlist of newer stuff that I kept adding. A lot of it's somewhat obscure, but then there's artists out there that I think are really cool, like Slayyyter [or] COBRAH. A lot of the DJs that I really like — Chris Lake is amazing. Even stuff like Disclosure… I really love them. I just wanted to make music that made me move.  

I found myself gravitating towards a similar sound over and over again — sort of a dirty house, kind of sexy tech-house sound. Certain textures and sonics that I started noticing as a pattern of the stuff that I liked. 

I love a good, soulful house vocal, always…Like Crystal Waters or any of those. I love that, like, '90s house vibe. And obviously "DEEP HOUSE" [on Afters] has a little bit of that. So does "WET DREAM," where you get into that soulful pocket. It's so fun to sing from that place.

Queer Voices In The Studio 

It was really important for me to make sure there were queer people in the room when I was writing these songs. Back when I was first starting, the major label writing setups that I was put into, there weren't many queer people. And that's changed so much — there's more and more queer people in the music space. Definitely top-line songwriters, and then even more and more, I'm finding producers that identify as queer, and that's really exciting. 'Cause it makes everybody less afraid and just willing to sort of go for it.

"WET DREAM," I did with Sarah Hudson and JHART and Ferras, who I've known for ages. Vincint and Parson James worked with me on "LUBE." Just people that I really admire. Vincint did some background vocals on "LUBE," actually, which is cute. Vincint and I did a collab on his project recently as well, so that was cool that we got to each kind of add to each other's project.

A lot of the songwriters are friends of mine who I've known for a long time. I was like, "Do you want to do a song?" Which makes the writing process so much fun.

Queer Rebellion & Sexual Healing

I think, right now, people want to find freedom. I think people want to find an escape. There is a lot of sociopolitical energy right now that's kind of dark and negative, that's coming at us from the right wing, super-conservative side of the world. Some of that can make us feel dark as well, and kind of discouraged. 

But I also think there's a lot of us, including myself, that feel like that lights a bit of a rebellious flame in us, and makes us want to shine brighter and be bolder and be wilder and crazier than we are. And [I] see that out and about: people are more and more expressive, emotionally, with their identity [and] how they want to explore [it].

There are members of our community that want to explore their gender identity; there are members of our community that want to explore their feminine side or their masculine side. There's, I think, more acceptance in that exploration and that expression right now than there's ever been. It's f—ing great. It's always been there in the [LGBTQIA+] community, but you're just seeing it on display a little bit more. People are more comfortable going there and exploring it, and I love that. 

There's less and less shame around sex than there's ever been. We're more mainstream than we've ever been — there's more with social media and [pauses] other types of media on the internet. And that's really exciting. 'Cause sex is f—ing great. And healing, and wonderful, and exciting. It's our human right to explore our sexuality, and I see more people feeling freer in that. 

Finishing With A Climax

One of the Afters songs, "FACE," was actually created a while ago. I wrote that with Pete Nappi, like…four-ish years ago? During the pandemic, I think. But it sounded very different. And once I started getting more house tunes together, I kinda was like, "OK, can we take this idea and evolve it into a higher BPM and a dancier kind of direction?" 

We sped it up, we added a bigger beat to it, more of a four-on-the-floor feel to make it feel "club." But it's definitely the last track on the EP for a reason. 'Cause it slows down compared to the other songs a bit. If the rest of the EP is foreplay, it's sort of like the home run. [Laughs.] It's like once you get that person that you've been into all night into the bed, what happens?