¶¶Òõh

¶¶Òõh and "American Idol" share a lengthy history, starting with the singing competition series' third season and continuing to its current 23rd go-round.

Addis teen John Foster has reached "Idol's" top 10. Fans are hoping Foster, 18, will be ¶¶Òõh's next "Idol" winner. In 2019, Livingston's Laine Hardy became the state's first contestant to bring home the title.

Here's a glimpse at past "American Idol" finalists hailing from ¶¶Òõh:

Season 3 (2004): George Huff Jr., of New Orleans, finished in fifth place. Coincidentally, the final song he performed in the competition was fellow New Orleanian Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World." Huff, now a gospel and rhythm and blues singer-songwriter, has sung background vocals for fellow "Idol" alum Jennifer Hudson.  

Season 4 (2005): Lindsey Cardinale, of Ponchatoula, was the 12th-place finisher, while now-"Idol" judge Carrie Underwood won the title. Cardinale returned to the show last week for a brief spot featuring some of the contestants from her season. A wife and mother of two sons, she continues to perform, and some of her TikTok videos singing alongside one of her sons have gone viral.

Season 11 (2012): Westlake's Joshua Ledet was the third-place winner. The soulful singer continues to record and perform, including at the White House in 2013. He's also headlined the Java Jazz Festival in Indonesia, where he has a strong following.

Season 12 (2013): Burnell Taylor, another New Orleans native, sung his way into seventh place. He works as an independent singer-songwriter and was honored by the Essence Festival as one of the most impactful people in New Orleans. In 2013, Nicki Minaj brought Taylor on stage during a tour stop in his hometown.

Season 14 (2015): Quentin Alexander, also of New Orleans, reached sixth place in the competition. A rhythm-and-blues/soul recording artist, his four-song EP "SiGH" was released in January. 

Season 15 (2016): MacKenzie Bourg, of Lafayette, finished the show in fourth place. He continues working in the music field, releasing singles including "Little Moon," "Roses," "Heartbeat" and more recently, "Heavy." He performs often and has an often-humorous presence on Instagram.

Season 17 (2019): It was the year ¶¶Òõh's Laine Hardy put Livingston on the map, bringing home the "Idol" title. Since then, the country artist has toured the nation, performed for the troops overseas, been ¶¶Òõh's tourism ambassador, performed at the White House for PBS' "A Capitol Fourth" and released albums, EPs and singles — the latest being "Back of My Mind" in January. He's also engaged and recently became a father with the arrival of son Hollis James Hardy in February. 

Season 18 (2020): Jovin Webb, Gonzales, reached the top 12 before being eliminated in a batch of four finalists. Webb's time on "Idol" was unique in that the entire season was filmed remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now based in Baton Rouge, Webb signed to Blind Pig Records, which released his debut album, "Drifter," in October 2024. The album highlights his powerful blues, rock, gospel and old-fashioned rock 'n' roll sounds, and reached No. 2 on the iTunes charts. He still does live shows in the Baton Rouge area regularly.

'American Idol'

7 p.m. Sunday and Monday on ABC

Sunday: "Ladies' Night," performances celebrating iconic women of music; mentor, Miranda Lambert.

Monday: "Judges' Song Contest," the top 8 performing songs secretly selected by Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie or Carrie Underwood.