Chayce Beckham didn’t just walk away from American Idol as a winner — he also managed to form a long lasting friendship with Luke Bryan.
While speaking exclusively with Us Weekly at CMA Fest on Saturday, June 8, Beckham, 27, discussed staying in touch with Bryan since his season 19 victory.
“He’s got a lot of advice, but he’s always been just so supportive,” Beckham noted. “And any questions I have — even if I get sick or whatever — if I call him, he’s always going to answer.”
The country singer appreciated the bond he managed to form with Bryan, 47, adding, “It’s nice to have him and his advice in my corner.”
American Idol paved the way for reality competition shows to help everyday people achieve their dreams of music stardom. The series premiered in 2002 on Fox with a star-studded judging panel consisting of Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson. American Idol‘s freshman season introduced Kelly Clarkson, who would become the show’s first breakout star. […]
Beckham was crowned the winner of American Idol in 2021 after he reached the top three alongside Grace Kinstler and Willie Spence. Beckham originally surprised viewers when he sang “What Brings Life Also Kills” by Kolton Moore and The Clever Few, which earned him a “yes” from Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie. He moved on to Hollywood rounds before continuing to advance in the competition.
While attending CMA Fest in Nashville, Beckham opened up about sharing the stage with fellow American Idol contestants.
“[There are] really just jaw-dropping singers and some of the most amazing performers. It’s really cool just to share the stage with them and hear their stories and listen to them talk about their experience on American Idol,” he noted to Us. “Just incredible voices and it’s so cool to sing with them.”
Beckham was thrilled to perform at the music event, saying, “It’s awesome. Just come out and you play your songs and there’s people there who wanna hear them. It’s just the coolest feeling ever as an artist to have that audience.”
A revolving door! When American Idol debuted on Fox in 2002, music manager Randy Jackson, choreographer Paula Abdul and music executive Simon Cowell made up the panel of judges. For the first seven seasons of the show, the trio remained the faces of the series, along with host Ryan Seacrest. (Comedian Brian Dunkleman cohosted the […]
The musician got the chance to sing his hit track “23,” which changed Beckham’s life since its release.
“It’s my first No. 1 record and my first platinum record. This song has done so much for me in my career,” he told Us. “Still right now it’s changing so much for me. So, [I’m] just grateful that I wrote it down one day.”
Despite feeling the love from the crowd in Nashville, Beckham said there was nothing like playing in his hometown.
“The crowd that we get at home, it’s so awesome any time we play in California. But honestly, there’s a lot of places out on the East Coast where I have some of the best fans in the world,” he continued. “I think anytime we get to ‘23’ in the set, once we get to ‘23’ and you see the crowd react and have a good time with it — it is super special.”
With reporting by Jeremy Parsons
