September is a popular month for American Idol alumni birthdays. Ruben Studdard, Jennifer Hudson, and Carly Smithson all celebrated their birthdays on Monday. Here are some other Idol alumni who are turning another year older this week.
Yesterday, September 13, was Season 1 finalist Ejay Day's 30th birthday. Ejay was able to join the semifinals after one contestant was disqualified. The Georgia native has performed for Muhammad Ali on a number of occasions, sang at the 2003 Tournament of Roses parade, and belted the National Anthem for many professional sports teams in Georgia.
Today is Melissa McGhee's 27th birthday. The Season 5 contestant made it to 12th place on the show and never fell into the bottom three until her elimination during Stevie Wonder week. Despite forgetting a few lyrics to her Stevie Wonder song, the judges thought it was her best performance yet.
September 15 is Charles Grigsby's birthday. This Season 2 contestant sang his way to 11th place on the show, but he got to join the Season 2 Top 10 on tour when he replaced Corey Clark. In 2005, Charles released his self-titled EP. Last week, Charles released a new single called “Headliner.”September 16 is Season 3’s Matthew Rogers' birthday. This University of Washington football player won the Rose Bowl in 2001. He experienced another victory as he advanced to the Top 11 of Season 3.
Matt was back on Idol during Season 7 when he hosted David Archuleta's hometown finale event in Utah. Since his time on American Idol, Matt has hosted and appeared on several sports television shows. He also hosted the TV series "There Goes The Neighborhood," "Really Big Things," and "Coming Home."
Happy Birthday, Ejay, Melissa, Charles, and Matt!