Kris Allen

He married his high school sweetheart Katy O'Connell in 2008. They are expecting their first child

He actively participates in philanthropic activities that support missionary work, music education, and charity. His fans organize charitable efforts on his birthdays as a gesture to honour him.

Kris was born as the elder son of Kimberly and Neil Allen in Arkansas. He has one younger brother.

He attended the Mills University Studies High School and played viola in the school orchestra and won a spot in the Arkansas all-state orchestra. He also played piano and guitar as a teenager.

After graduating from high school he enrolled at the University of Central Arkansas to pursue a degree in business management. During his stint at the college, he participated in Christian missionary work in various developing countries.

He realized during his junior year that his true interest was music and dropped out to pursue music professionally.

He began his music career by performing gigs at local bars. He also started working as a shoe salesman to earn money and considered returning to college if he could not make it as a musician.

In 2007, he wrote some songs and self-produced an album titled, ‘Brand New Shoes’ along with his college friends. The title of the album was a reference towards his work as a shoe salesman. He produced only 600 copies of the album which he distributed to family and friends.

He auditioned for the eighth season of American Idol in 2009 and cleared the preliminary rounds. In the initial stages of the competition, he received very little screen time and his solo performances were also not shown.

He played several instruments like the acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and piano during his performances. He was much appreciated for his folk inspired interpretations of modern pop songs.

In the American Idol finals, he performed ‘Ain't No Sunshine’, ‘What's Going On’ and ‘No Boundaries.’ During the final results show, he performed a duet with Keith Urban, singing Urban’s single ‘Kiss a Girl.’ He was declared the winner of the eighth season of American Idol (2009), beating co-finalist Adam Lambert.

Kris’s biggest achievement which brought him to the public eye is the winning of the eight season of American Idol in 2009. His win was somewhat of a shock to many—including himself—as his opponent Adam Lambert was considered the favorite.

His Christmas album, ‘Waiting for Christmas’ was a much awaited holiday album in the Christmas season 2012. Even though none of the songs in the album were originally written by him, the album sent on to become the favorite holiday album of the year.