Chris Daughtry is back!
The beloved American Idolalum announced via social media on Friday, July 10, that he has re-recorded 11 of his biggest hits.
“We decided that it would be fun to go back into the studio and re-record some of our older hits, and recreate them note-for-note,” Daughtry shared in a message to his fans. “It was a lot of fun. So much so that I think we’ll probably eventually go back and finish the first album and the second album at least.”
The “It’s Not Over” artist explained that the songs — which are set to release at midnight on Tuesday, July 14 — are identical to their original versions.
“They are not reimagined,” he continued. “We tried to recreate them note for note.”
@daughtryofficial Oops! “There and Back Again” THIS TUESDAY everywhere.
♬ original sound – Daughtry
While he did not reveal which songs will be part of the initial release, some fans got an exclusive early preview when the tracks leaked online ahead of the release date.
“For any of you who got to hear it early, the rug has been pulled from under you,” he joked. “We will be putting it out on Tuesday. It prematurely went out to the world, and it was the wrong track order. It wasn’t supposed to come out today.”
Fans were first introduced to Daughtry during season 5 of American Idol in 2006. While he ended up coming in fourth place behind Elliott Yamin, Katharine McPhee, and Taylor Hicks, the show catapulted him to stardom.
His self-titled debut album, released just six months after the season finale, reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts. Daughtry is the third most successful American Idol contestant in terms of record sales of all time, landing only behind Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson.