David Cook

From his rock-star swagger, unexpected song arrangements, and unflappable cool, there was no question that "American Idol" season 7 winner David Cook was destined for superstardom. Born on Dec. 20, 1982 in Houston, TX and raised in Blue Springs, MO, Cook had musical aspirations from an early age. He began singing in public when he was in second grade, learned to play the violin and guitar, and began entering talent competitions. At 15, he formed a band, Axium, which produced three independent, locally released albums. After graduating from high school, Cook attended Central Missouri State University. After receiving his graphic design degree, he relocated to Tulsa, OK to pursue a music career. On his own, he released an independent album, Analog Heart (2006), the sales of which skyrocketed during Cook's appearance on "American Idol" the following year. In 2007, Cook traveled to Omaha, NE for the "American Idol" (Fox, 2002-16) auditions to provide moral support for his older brother, Andrew, who did not make it past the auditions. Asked by producers to try singing himself, Cook belted out a snippet of Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer," impressing the judges enough to send him to Hollywood, where he made it to the semifinals round.

Cook easily made his mark in the competition with his modern take on songs like Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" and Lionel Richie's "Hello," while accompanying himself on electric guitar. He even reworked on his own a rock version of Mariah Carey's hit R&B song "Always Be My Baby" (1996), which roused the judges and the audience, including his brother, Adam, who was undergoing chemotherapy at the time for brain cancer (He passed away on May 2, 2009) and was flown out to watch him compete. Cook delivered one strong performance after another, showcasing his impressive range and powerhouse vocals, while at the same time being progressively groomed to look more and more the rock star as the competition went on. Unsurprisingly, he made it to the show's finale, dubbed the "Battle of the Davids" because he was up against David Archuleta, a young balladeer many deemed to be the frontrunner throughout the entire competition. During the finale, Cook owned the stage with his powerful renditions of U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," Collective Soul's "The World I Know," and an original song, "Dream Big," written for the "American Idol" Songwriting Contest 2008. Ultimately, the tight race between the two Davids ended with Cook winning 56 percent of the total votes. After the much-anticipated finale, Cook immediately went to work on his 2008 self-titled debut album, which shattered several Billboard chart records for having 11 songs - including the hit singles "The Time of My Life" and "Come Back to Me" - debut on the Hot 100 list. In 2009, Cook launched the widely successful "The Declaration Tour" with his band, renamed The Anthemic, and performed on a number of awards shows and sold-out concerts across Asia.