Kimberley placed 3rd in the second season of American Idol, behind Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken. Shortly after the show, Kim signed a recording contract with Curb Records and released her debut album, One Love, which debuted in the top 20 of the Billboard 200 album chart and included the hit singles 8th World Wonder, Wrong, and I Could. Her sophomore album Based On A True Story was released in the Spring of 2007, spawning the #1 Billboard dance hits Change and Band of Gold. She later landed several #1 hits on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart with her holiday singles Up On The Housetop and Jingle Bells in 2006 and Frosty the Snowman in 2007, all of which appeared on her full holiday album release Christmas in late 2007.

Kimberley has also become a popular plus-size model, signing a contract with Ford Modeling Agency. She has been a celebrity spokesperson for Lane Bryant, Seven7 jeans, and Jenny Craig.

In 2010, Kimberley returned to music being the first artist signed to Randy Jackson’s new dance label Dream Merchant 21.