'American Idol' Kris Allen and RCA Records Part Ways (Exclusive)

1:49 PM PDT 9/19/2012 by Shirley Halperin

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"I love what I do and I will never stop," says the season eight grad, who follows fellow winners David Cook and Lee DeWyze in splitting with the major label.

American Idol season eight winner Kris Allen is no longer with RCA Records, a label rep confirms to The Hollywood Reporter.

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Signed to the Sony Music subsidiary immediately after his 2009 victory over runner-up Adam Lambert, Allen released his self-titled debut album in November of that year. Moving over 80,000 units its first week out, it charted at No. 11 on the Billboard 200 and, buoyed by the single "Live Like We're Dying," went on to sell over 346,000 copies.

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His follow-up, Thank You Camellia, was released in May 2012 and debuted at No. 26 on the album chart with first-week sales of 15,622, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Although the first single, "The Vision of Love," failed to gain momentum, Allen maintained visibility via his always creative covers.

In September, Allen revealed that he and 19 Entertainment had parted ways and he signed with new management, Pearl Group Entertainment, which counts Chris Daughtry as a client. In fact, Daughtry remains among a small group of Idols still signed to RCA Records and other Sony labels. They include season one's Kelly Clarkson, season four's Carrie Underwood, season six's Jordin Sparks and season eight's Lambert.

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Season seven's David Cook and season nine's Lee DeWyze were dropped from the RCA roster in May 2012 and October 2011, respectively.

UPDATE: Addressing his fans, Allen would later say: "I wanted to let everyone know that RCA and I have decided to split ways. I thank them so much for everything that they did for me. There are so many people there that contributed to my becoming the artist that I am and I will miss them all. In saying that, I am really excited about what is ahead. The path has never been clearer to me. I love what I do and I will never stop. So, to my amazing fans, thank you so much for everything so far but things are only gonna get more fun. I promise."