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Constantine Splits from Pre-”American Idol” Band

Let us join hands and pray for the soul of Constantine’s band.

American Idol alum Constantine Maroulis is leaving his pre-Idol hard-rock band, Pray for the Soul of Betty, the rocker told People magazine.

“With all of my solo projects speeding up, we just felt it was time to move on,” Maroulis, 30, said. The onetime Idoler is currently moving in the fast lane, with a solo album and an ABC sitcom pilot and indie film in the works.

It was presumably Maroulis’ American Idol appearance that boosted sales of Pray for the Soul of Betty’s self-titled debut album, which was recorded before the long-haired singer took the stage for Idol’s fourth season. Maroulis’ decision to try out for Fox’s ratings juggernaut reportedly didn’t sit well with his fellow band mates, becoming fodder for the heart-tugging montages the show offers up before each contestant performs.

After Koch Record execs got a glimpse of Maroulis’ Idol popularity, however, a contract for Pray for the Soul of Betty was the next obvious step, and the previously peeved band members–guitarist Joao Joya, bassist Taylor, C.R. and drummer Hamboussi–had no problem with that. The group’s album was released May 10.

Maroulis, who was in the audience Tuesday night to cheer on the fifth-season contenders, ended up finishing sixth on American Idol, inciting viewers’ wrath in the process. More than 15,000 fan signed an online petition demanding a recount. Fox didn’t comply, but Maroulis is evidently following in the footsteps of also-rans Clay Aiken and Bo Bice, who got busy using their fan-favorite status to the best of their musical ability.

In fact, Maroulis told People last year that not winning was the best thing that ever happened to him.

“I’m not cursed with that stigma of being the American Idol,” he said.

Meanwhile, 11 contestants are still battling it out to be the one to bear that stigma at the end of this season and ratings have gone through the roof, with the show averaging more than 30 million viewers per week. Starry-eyed hopefuls will keep getting the boot in front of a live studio audience until the winner is announced May 24.

by Natalie Finn

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