Crystal Bowersox follows Lee DeWyze, again: 'AI' star dropped by RCA

Crystal Bowersox

Credit: AP Photo

It was only earlier this month that it was reported Lee DeWyze was dropped from his first post-"American Idol" home, RCA. Now, DeWyze's season nine AI cohort Crystal Bowersox follows suit.

The dreadlocked singer has also exited RCA Records, according to a rep who first reported the move to TVLine. Bowersox released her RCA/Jive album "Farmer's Daughter" just under a year ago, in December 2010. It moved 58,000 copies its first week. DeWyze's RCA debut "Live It Up" sold only 20,000 in its first week in November 2010.

Bowersox said of the split: "I’m not worried about where I’m gonna be. I’m gonna be making music if it’s on my own label or if it’s with somebody else. I’d love to work with ATO, Dave Matthews’ label. We’ll see what happens.

“I’ve got a bunch of songs on a list, and I’m gonna sit and sift through them and see what I think is right for the next album,” Bowersox said during a press conference for her appearance on ABC's "Body of Proof" this week. “I’m hoping for a late spring or early summer [2012] release. I’ll start recording over the winter and we’ll go from there.”

DeWyze and Bowersox's departures may be part of a larger blood-letting effort by RCA, which folded its Jive, J and Arista label divisions this month. Artists belonging to those imprints are now under the larger RCA umbrella, though some artists (and many label-side employees) have been let go.

Katie Hasty
Managing Editor

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After five years as a columnist and editor at Billboard, Katie Hasty joined HitFix in 2009 for music and film reporting out of New York. The Midwest native has worked as a writer, music promoter and in A&R since 1999 and performs with her band Numbers And Letters.