Kris Allen is best known as the winner for the eighth season of American Idol. In 2007, he released his first album titled Brand New Shoes. He has described his decision to audition for American Idol as a "last hurrah" before giving up his pursuit of a music career. Allen played publicly for several years before trying out for Idol. Allen also became the first winner to accept a trophy shaped like a microphone. Nearly 100 million votes were cast during the finale, setting a new world record for a televised singing competition.

After winning Idol, Allen made his Billboard Hot 100 debut with five songs charting within the top 100. His coronation single "No Boundaries" debuted at number 11, followed by "Heartless" at number 16, "Ain't No Sunshine" at number 37, "Apologize" at number 66, and "Falling Slowly" at number 94. "No Boundaries" also topped the iTunes singles chart following the Idol season finale.