Taylor Hicks signs record deal

01-06-2006 14:20

'American Idol' winner Taylor Hicks has signed a multi-million dollar record deal.The singer - who polled 36.4 million votes in last week's final - is now on the same label, Arista, as 2005 finalist Carrie Underwood.Hicks, 29, said: "I want to get a quick turnaround on my album. Get it on the shelves within the next five or six months, by the end of the year, something like that." A two track CD featuring his show stopping finale, 'Do I Make You Proud', and a cover of the Doobie Brothers classic, 'Takin' It to the Streets' has already become Amazon.com's fifth-biggest music seller - two weeks before its official release on June 13.Previous 'American Idol' winners and runners-up have sold over 33 million albums - 'Since You've Been Gone' singer Kelly Clarkson has shifted the most with sales of over 7 million.However, fellow season one winner Justin Guarini - who also starred alongside Clarkson in the movie flop, 'From Justin To Kelly' - only sold around 100,000 units.Meanwhile, 'American Idol' runner-up Katharine McPhee, 22, is already being wooed by some of Hollywood's biggest names.

She has reportedly already been offered roles by Steven Spielberg and 'Serenity' filmmaker Joss Whedon - who is currently working on the big screen version of 'Wonder Woman'.