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'Idol' Finalist Locke Signs with Curb


By Fred Bronson

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - Kimberley Locke, who finished in third place behind Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken on the second season of "American Idol," has been signed to Curb Records, home of such acts as LeAnn Rimes (news) and Tim McGraw (news).


"I was pulling for her to win," Mike Curb, chairman of the Curb Group, told Billboard.com. "When she didn't, I thought she's the one I wish I had, then I didn't think any more about it."


When Curb learned through Bryan Stewart of his A&R department that Locke was available to sign, he flew to Memphis to see her in concert with the "American Idols Live" show and offered her a contract on the spot. The deal was finalized on Saturday.


"On 'American Idol' we watched her sing everything from Neil Sedaka (news)'s 'Where the Boys Are' to Billy Joel (news)'s "New York State of Mind" to 'I Heard It Through the Grapevine' to 'Over the Rainbow,"' said Curb. "She put her own stamp on these classic songs. She's a true pop artist who can sing in all genres."



Locke, 25, will begin recording her debut album for Curb Monday in her hometown of Nashville. Her first meeting with Curb and Stewart was captured on video in Memphis and will be seen in a Fox TV special featuring behind-the-scenes footage from the "American Idols Live" tour. The special will be telecast on Sept. 24.



In other "American Idol" news, RCA Records has confirmed that "Invisible" will be the follow-up to Clay Aiken's platinum single, "This Is the Night" /"Bridge Over Troubled Water." There will be no commercial single, but a promo single is going to radio and the song will be included on Aiken's self-titled debut album, scheduled for release on Oct. 14.