“American Idol” tween David Archuleta signed a record deal with 19 Recordings/Jive Records on Thursday and is expected to release an album later this year.

The 17-year-old now joins the list of singers who became famous after participating in “American Idol” such as Chris Daughtry, Jennifer Hudson and Clay Aiken. In a statement, he expressed his enthusiasm concerning the release of his major-label debut and his admiration for the other American Idol alumni.

"Signing a record contract with 19 Recordings/ Jive Records is truly a dream come true," he said. "Being a fan of 'American Idol' since season one and admiring the alumni, I am honored and humbled to be a part of that group. I'm really excited to start working on everything."

The whole list of songs on the coming album is not yet known, but three of teen’s tracks already landed on Billboard’s Hot 100 and Hot Digital Songs single sales charts: his covers of John Lennon's "Imagine" and Elton John's "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" and the "Idol" finale ballad, "In This Moment." The first came in at No.36 on the Hot 100, the second at No.58, while the third one occupied the 60^th position.

Archuleta’s recording contract comes two weeks after he finished second on the American Idol show, which was won by rocker David Cook.

Cook also signed a contract with 19 Recordings/RCA Records last week and announced he was working on his own debut album, which is scheduled to be released this fall. He already said that he planned to include some of his own writing on the album and make it a rock record.

The Idols tour is also approaching, starting July 1 and running through Sept. 13. It will feature this season’s top 10 finalists.