On May 24th, American Idol season 2 alum Kimberley Locke launched a Facebook campaign which allowed fans to vote on the next single. After two weeks the votes were counted and Locke announced the new single on June 14th. The single, “Finally Free,” is an up-tempo club track along the same lines of Locke’s last single, 2010’s “Strobelight,” which was a top 5 hit on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart.
Of the options, “Finally Free” was absolutely a top contender for for me, so I’m beyond thrilled with the outcome. While we don’t have a release date just yet for “Finally Free,” Locke went straight to work as soon as the results of the vote were in. Given the obvious dance style of the song, and given her past success on the dance charts, I think it’s pretty clear that “Finally Free” is going to be served to the clubs with a hot remix package. Can’t wait to get my hands on that! Take a listen to the song in the teaser below, as well as the other contenders for Locke’s new single. Locke will release the song through her own entertainment company, I Am Entertainment, and will be partnering with industry veterans Bob Catania and Jimmy Fay of Right Way Music Group to promote the single. Do you think “Finally Free” was the best choice?
Kimberley Locke first came into the spotlight as a contestant on season two of American Idol, auditioning in Nashville and making it to the final three, where she ultimately lost out to Clay Aiken (Runner Up) and Ruben Studdard (Winner). Following Idol, Locke signed with Curb Records and released her 2003 debut album, One Love, which featured hit single “8th World Wonder” which peaked at #49 on the Billboard 100. While the album went on to be a top twenty hit for Locke, follow up singles “Wrong,” “Coulda Been” and “I Could” were less successful.
In 2007, Locke released her sophomore album, Based On A True Story, which was decidedly more R&B than it’s predecessor, which was a little more pop. The album featured the singles “Change,” “Band Of Gold,” and “Fall,” each of which failed to chart on the Hot 100 but did manage to top the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart. In addition to her second album, Locke also released a Christmas album in 2007. Called Christmas, the album spawned three #1 Adult Contemporary Chart hits (“Up on the House Top,” “Jingle Bells,” “Frosty The Snowman“). Pretty good for a third runner up on American Idol, right?
In addition to her music, Locke can be seen this upcoming winter on a new ABC lifestyle show (tentatively) called The Revolution. This new show, executive produced by JD Roth and 3Ball Productions, will air daily be all about living a healthy lifestyle. The will be hosted by a panel of experts and feature a rotating team of guest contributors, all of whom come together to help viewers transform all areas of their lives including family, food, style, home design, finance and more. Look for The Revolution this upcoming January. Listen to a clip of “Finally Free” below and get ready for new K-Lo, baby!