It was written for the final two contestants—O'Neil and Rex Goudie—of the third season of Canadian Idol, and both performed a different version of the song. When O'Neil won the competition, Sony BMG released "Alive" as her debut single in October 2005 (see 2005 in music).
A song was crafted especially for the final two competitors, O'Neil and Rex Goudie, who participated on the third season of Canadian Idol. Each performed a unique version of the song. Following O'Neil's success, Sony BMG released "Alive" as her debut single in October 2005.