Before his run in ‘America’s Got Talent,’ Drake Milligan joined ‘American Idol’ in 2018. Following his audition, he didn’t go further in the competition, and an Instagram post clarified his reasons.
After kicking off his music career as an Elvis Presley impersonator and taking part in 2017’s ‘Sun Records,’ Milligan auditioned for ‘American Idol’ with George Strait’s ‘You Look So Good In Love.’
Although the judges gave him a golden ticket, taking him to the Hollywood rounds, he didn’t show up for the rest of the show. As people questioned his absence, the singer explained his decision to leave the show by saying:
“Been getting a lot of questions about no longer appearing on ‘American Idol’ after my audition, just thought I’d let y’all know what’s goin’ on! After my audition, I decided that I wasn’t quite ready for that platform yet and that it would be a better step for me to move to Nashville and focus on my music first!”
Sending good wishes, he went on:
“It was a very tough decision, and it in no way reflects my experience during the audition process … Everyone on the show was very kind, and I feel absolutely blessed and gracious to have been a part of it! Wishing the best of luck to all the talented folks competing on the show. I will be tuning in all season, and I hope y’all do the same!”
Three years after his ‘American Idol’ stint, Milligan released an EP and a single named ‘Cowgirl for Christmas.’ Later, he took part in ‘America’s Got Talent’ with his band and auditioned with an original song, ‘Sounds Like Something I’d Do.’
While he lost the competition and ended up in third place, the singer talked about the results on Instagram and said:
“Alright, we did it — third place, baby! Thank you to everybody who voted. This has been the journey of a lifetime. It changed my life, and new record ‘Dallas/Fort Worth’ is coming out tonight! Keep an eye out for it. Thank y’all so much.”
Milligan’s album came out the same night as the show’s finale. It contained fourteen tracks co-written by him, including the one he performed during the auditions.
You can take a look at ‘Dallas/Fort Worth’ below.