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 written specifically for the last two contestants, O'Neil and Rex Goudie, who competed on the third season of Canadian Idol. Both performed different versions of the song. Following O'Neil's victory, Sony BMG released "Alive" as her debut single in October 2005.