It was five years ago when Chayce Beckham saw his life change forever after American Idol. The Season 19 winner has been boots to the ground ever since and found success including seeing “23” rocket up to number one on the Billboard  Country Airplay chart in 2024. The last song written solely by the artist who recorded it to achieve this feat was Taylor Swift’s “Ours” in 2012. It was the lead single off his first album “Bad for Me.” Beckham continues to release new tracks like “Dirt Floor,” released on July 10 and described as a “neon-desert noir.”

The country star has also been busy on the road performing. Beckham’s “Old Fashioned Tour” sees him take the stage at festivals, fairs, and his own headlining concert dates. On the personal front, the 29-year-old married his longtime love Ashley last September. Not bad for a former heavy machine operator and forklift driver with big dreams to make it in the music industry.

Here Beckham reflects on his journey since Idol.

Daniel Knighton/Getty Images

How has the tour been going? I know you also did CMA Fest recently. What was that like?

Chayce Beckham: It has been good. I’ve been just running around and playing shows. We did a bunch of acoustic shows out west. We did some promoting with some new music we have coming out. The shows have been great. I took some time off for the first time in a while during the first half of the year. So, it’s nice to get out and run again. CMA Fest was good this year. It’s usually so hot. We had some good weather this year. It’s always so much fun to go and meet fans at the meet-and-greets and getting to perform at the Riverfront is always an honor.

“Dirt Floor” just came out. What do you hope people take from your music today? 

I want to keep pushing out music that I really connect with and love and hopefully the fans can get on board with too. The music we’ve been doing lately I think is a lot more zoned in on the sounds I want to create and much more the lane of not traditionally  country music, but more real and stuff that is not so fabricated. It has been a fun process. We cut a lot of these songs last December and got them mixed and mastered. We’re finally able to get them rolling out, and we’re looking at putting out an EP later this year and releasing a couple of more songs and hopefully leading into an album. Hopefully, everyone likes these new songs.

 Where would you say you are finding inspiration and pulling from these days? 

It’s hard to say. There are so many different things and artists I look up to and legends that inspire my music. Really, it’s about my life where I always try to write about the things I experience and go through. Going all the way back to “23.” When I wrote that song it was really just me trying to write something that made me feel good and something that was more for me than anything else. I think I was looking to tap into that more than anything else and write music that scratches an itch for me. That’s the kind of stuff fans can connect with where when I put it out, they can kind of tell it’s true and real instead of trying to chase down number ones and big hit songs.

ABC/Eric McCandless

It has been five years since American Idol. How do you look back on that experience and how it prepared you for the next chapter of your career? 

It’s crazy it has been that long. It has been a whirlwind. All the things I’ve gotten to do and accomplish since being there. It definitely prepped me for all the things I was set out to do. I miss it in the sense it was such a cool part of my life. It didn’t feel like that long ago. At the same time, it feels like a lifetime ago. I always look back at that and think about how far we’ve come since then and are always super grateful to everyone on that team and the opportunities and platform they gave me to put my  music out to the world.

Do you stay in touch with many from your season? Have you bonded with other alumni even from past seasons? 

There is a camaraderie with everyone I was with. I keep in touch and talk to the folks I was on with. Even the kids from the seasons after. HunterGirl is on my record label. She is a phenomenal songwriter and performer. Noah Thompson, all those people that came out after my seasons. I got to spend a lot of time with them in Nashville doing guitar or songwriting sessions. It is definitely a big family environment as far as that goes.

Hannah Harper won this year. Given she is heading down a similar road, do you have any advice for her? 

It’s tough. I would say it’s one of those things you can’t let your foot off the gas pedal. You just have to go, go, go. I spent the last five years touring pretty much nonstop and trying to put out music and write music. It’s kind of a weird thing because you also have to take a break and take care of yourself and look out for your health, your mental health and spend time with your family. Stuff like that is a hard balance to find. I think the sooner you find it the better. That would be my advice.

American Idol Top 20 – Luke Bryan, Chayce Beckham, Katy Perry, Lionel Richie (ABC/Eric McCandless)

You really connected with Luke Bryan during your season and even went fishing with him. How would you describe your bond today? 

I think Luke is stuck with me. We have the same manager, so I’m always in his world, and he is always in mine. He is one of the best guys in  country music. Aside from country music, he is just one of the best guys. I’m very grateful for him. He has taken me on the road, and I’ve toured places and done tons of shows with him. He has been a great mentor, even off the show and in my actual career.

Do you find coming from Idol a double-edge sword due to the perception of reality TV and singing competitions can have? 

I think there is definitely the stigma that comes from it, especially when you’re trying to get your song on the radio and running around meeting people and trying to promote your music. It’s one of those things where it’s really cool you got to do it, but also some people might think you have things handed to you. I think for me the last few years, not putting distance between myself and American Idol, but just showing people what I was capable of and all I wanted to accomplish. I have a lot more goals set in my mind I want to get out there and do.

Is there one or two biggest pinch-me moments post-Idol like I made it to the next level? 

I think getting “23” to go number one was a big moment for me because it happened about two years after we actually released the song. To get that song on country radio was a huge accomplishment. That was something I didn’t know was going to happen. I was hoping and praying for it. That was a pinch-me moment. The first time I got to play at the Grand Ole Opry was a huge moment for me and my family. I got my first platinum plaque on stage at the Opry. My mom came out with my manager and gave it to me. It was just a really special moment that I’ll look back on and cherish.

What’s on your bucket list? Any dream collaborations or venues you want to perform at? 

I have a ton of dream collaborations.  I’ve always wanted to work with Lainey Wilson. I would love to sing a song with Luke Combs, Chris Stapleton. Maybe one day I’d get to sing a song with Cody Johnson. There are a lot of guys and female artists out there I would love to get in a recording studio with and work on some  music. I’d say a venue I’ve always wanted to play that I haven’t is Red Rocks [Amphitheater]. Hopefully, one day we’ll get to do a headline show at Red Rocks. I’ve never even been there. I’ve only seen videos and pictures, and I think it’s at the top of my bucket list. We just saw Kenny Chesney at The Sphere. That was on my bucket list, too. I just wanted to watch a show too at The Sphere. I got to see him out there, and it was phenomenal.

Ashley Beckham and Chayce Beckham attend the BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville Pre-CMA Awards Party at Brooklyn Bowl Nashville on November 18, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville)

Getting married almost a year ago, do you look at your career differently when it comes to priorities or having kids? 

That goes back to the balancing thing we were talking about. Like is there ever a right time to have kids? It’s something that is weighing heavy on not only me but my wife’s mind. We want to start a family. I want to obviously provide and take care of my family with my work. That’s something we are leaning into and trying to figure out when the right time to make that happen. It has been great. My wife is amazing and supports me and my music and my dreams. She is just a phenomenal woman who has been there for me for the better part of 13 years now. She is somebody I can’t really imagine doing this without.

You’re close to turning 30. How are you celebrating? How do you take that milestone in? 

It’s crazy. I don’t feel 30, but I’m definitely going to be 30. It’s cool looking back at the things I’ve gotten to do in my life and the places I’ve got to go and people I’ve gotten to meet and work with. It makes me excited for the next 30 years. I’ve been listening to that Tim McGraw song [“My Next Thirty Years”] quite a bit recently because I was like, “ Man, I can really relate to the song right now.” I just hope my next 30 are more impactful and bigger and better than the first 30 I’ve had. We’re going to do a little river float. We’re going to hang out at the river, take a cooler of beers, and go back to the house and barbecue and swim. That’s the perfect birthday for me.