Heavy/Getty Season 16 "American Idol" winner Maddie Poppe
It’s been nearly six years since Iowa native Maddie Poppe won season 16 of “American Idol,” beating out her then-boyfriend and runner-up Caleb Lee Hutchinson, whom she met on the show.
Despite her early success, Poppe’s career has hit some speed bumps along the way, as has her love life. Now 26, she’s feeling optimistic about what’s ahead.
Here are five fast facts about Maddie Poppe you need to know…
1. After Early Success, Maddie Poppe Was Dropped By Record Label During the Pandemic
Following a failed audition for NBC’s “The Voice” in 2016, Poppe earned a golden ticket from “American Idol” judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie the following year. As the long-running show was revived on ABC in 2018, Poppe went from living in Clarksville, a town of 1,500, to competing in front of 10 million viewers a week, per the Deseret News.
As part of her prize for winning “Idol” that May, she signed a record deal with Hollywood Records and hit the ground running — touring, recording and making media appearances.
“I was kind of afraid of winning,” she told the Deseret News in 2019. “I wasn’t expecting it first off, and secondly, I was kind of afraid of what was to come, because you hear stories about these people winning and then getting tied down in all these contracts and not having any freedom.”
“I was worried they were going to try and make me into this pop princess,” Poppe continued. “But everyone’s given me so much freedom, and it’s not been anything like I thought.”
At first, things went smoothly for Poppe, who released her first album in 2019, called “Whirlwind.” The record delivered two Top 25 hit singles — “Made You Miss” and “Not Losing You,” according to the Sioux City Journal.
But then, in March 2020, the pandemic hit and changed everything. As the world shut down and Poppe struggled to build buzz for her music, Hollywood Records dropped her from the label in May 2020.
“That really kind of shook me,” Poppe said on The Brett Allan Show in 2021. “I had this whole plan, had this whole EP ready to release and everything seemed to be going great, and it hit me out of nowhere. I didn’t see it coming. It really shook me for a while.”
2. Maddie Poppe Says She Had to Rebuild Her Career & Sound After Losing Record Deal
Thrown into the unknown, Poppe began feeling uneasy about her sound, later telling People that she “didn’t even know who I wanted to be and what I wanted my sound to be.” To stay afloat, she released a Christmas album later that year, “Christmas From Home,” and scheduled her own mini-tour at venues in Iowa.
To figure out what she wanted to do next, Poppe began studying her favorite artists, writing new music with other songwriters, and forming a new support team. She wanted to change things up in her sound, her career, and even her appearance, shifting from her signature blond bob to long, jet-black locks, she told People.
“I dyed my hair black,” she said. “I just kept on thinking to myself that if I was really going to start over, I better start over completely.”
But starting over wasn’t easy, she told Broadway World, admitting there were “so many times I felt I had the rug pulled out from under me.”
“Like, the minute any momentum had built up, it came crumbling back down,” she said. “From losing team members to seeing crucial opportunities fall through, I found myself feeling so helpless and thinking, ‘How am I going to do this on my own?’ It felt like I was standing at the bottom of a mountain I was too afraid to climb.”
“It took some time, but I finally realized I didn’t have a choice, my fate was in my own hands,” she continued. “I had to face my fears, rise above.”
3. A Move to Nashville Helped Maddie Poppe Pave Her Own Path as an Artist
Poppe moved to Nashville in 2022, she told the Iowa Gazette, where she could collaborate with other music makers much easier than she could in Iowa.
“I’m where I have to be,” she said. “I’ve made connections and friends out here, and the cool thing is that I’m not so far from Iowa. I come back to visit pretty often.”
In May 2022, Poppe independently released her first single in over two years, “One That Got Away.” She was still dating Hutchinson, who also lives in Nashville, and he co-starred in the music video.
In her spare time, Poppe began renovating the home she bought, learning as she went and updating fans on social media. In fact, during a pre-recorded bit on “American Idol” in 2023, Poppe showcased all the projects she’d accomplished, from installing an electric fireplace to installing plumbing.
As she renovated her home, Poppe also slowly built a support team that helped her develop her new sound, build buzz and stage independent tours, including concerts with 2022 “Idol” finalists Leah Marlene and Fritz Hager, and 2023 runner-up Megan Danielle.
“When you’re on ‘American Idol,’ you don’t have to worry about a social media team, a top-notch hair and makeup team as well as a nice, top-rated weekly showcase on national TV,” Poppe told the Sioux City Journal in July.
“Obviously, it was easier to be a part of my team five years ago than it is today,” she added. “But the people who are currently with me really believe in my talent.”
Thanks in part to her new team and to the work she put into paving her new path, Poppe was on a roll again in 2023 — but on her terms. In March, she released the first of several singles — “Screw You (a Little Bit)” — featuring a grittier sound infused with R&B. That was followed by “Good Enough to Let You Go,” released in May, and “SOS I’m in Love” in August.
Poppe was on the road from August through October, including opening up for Backstreet Boy Nick Carter on his solo tour and popular folk-pop artist Joshua Radin.
4. Maddie Poppe Has Found New Love After Split From Caleb Lee Hutchinson
Though many fans fondly remember Poppe and Hutchinson falling in love on “American Idol” and hoped they’d last, the couple quietly broke up after four years together.
The duo appeared together on “American Idol” in May 2022, singing “Islands in the Stream” for the 20th anniversary reunion show. And on August 31 of that year, they appeared on Hutchinson’s Green Couch podcast, insisting that while they had no plans to marry, their relationship was going strong.
“Neither one of us are going anywhere,” Hutchinson said, addressing fans’ continual questions about their relationship status. “We’ve had the conversation. I think there’s an idea that if I don’t marry you, then you are actively searching for someone else and so am I. Like you’re either off the market or you’re on it. And I think it can be true that we are dating monogamously and not looking for anyone else.”
But by March 2023, Poppe and Hutchinson had stopped following each other on social media and, after being repeatedly asked whether her song, “One That Got Away,” was about Hutchinson, she alluded to their relationship being over in an interview with Iowa radio station KWAY.
“This is not about who everyone thinks it’s about,” she said. “That relationship, I still have a place in my heart, and I have nothing but love and respect on that side of things. So this is not about that person because I don’t have negative things to say about that particular person. If you are out there and if you are wondering. There you go.”
In July, Poppe officially revealed she’d moved on when she posted a Polaroid photo of herself with her new beau, Nashville musician Gabe Burdulis, and the caption “Happy♥️.”
Burdulis has accompanied Poppe on the road as a member of her band, and she’s periodically shared photos and Instagram Stories featuring their adventures. In December, she made it clear their relationship was still going strong when she posted a photo of them together.
She wrote, “That’s a wrap on the 2023 touring year!! Couldn’t and wouldn’t have ever done it without this guy by my side. There’s nobody else I’d rather share the stage with. Grateful for you @gabeburdulis ♥️ and grateful for everyone who came out to the shows that made 2023 so memorable!”
5. Maddie Poppe Says She’s Excited for 2024
Despite the twists and turns along the way, Poppe seems to have landed on her feet as she looks forward to a busy 2024. Not only is she feeling good about her personal life, but she also has a new team at WilsPro Music backing her.
“I was self-managing for a few years, but I finally have new management and that frees me up to focus on the music,” she told the Iowa Gazette. “I’m hoping for better quality and quantity in 2024.”
Poppe has already announced that she’ll soon hit the road again for Radin’s spring tour and that Burdulis will be part of her band again.
In a recent Instagram reel featuring Radin and Poppe talking about touring together, the singer-songwriter said that while he likes to go to bed early and eat healthy, Poppe is the opposite, “eating cupcakes all day.”
“You stay up all night on the bus with Gabe eating, like, Chinese food at four in the morning and I’ll be asleep,” he said, to which Poppe deadpanned, “True.”