EXCLUSIVE: Chayce Beckham Opens Up About Success Post American Idol & Friendship With Luke Bryan
Chase Beckham has had quite the 2023. Between his breakout hit 23 climbing the charts and racking up crazy streaming numbers, the American idol alum has a lot to be excited about. While he’s currently touring with American idol mentor at Luke Bryan, the relationship started in the most unlikely way. The country riser sat down with All Country News to chat all about his journey to the top and the friendships he has made along the way.
Via Chayce Beckgam Instagram
"I scratch my head every time I see those streaming numbers," the crooner says of his massive breakout hit 23. Now climbing the charts at Country radio, “23” resonated so deeply with fans that it has continuously banked over 1 million on-demand streams per week since its 2021 release, amassing over 278 million thus far. The Idol winner also opened up about how sharing his personal story through song.
"I have been trying to figure that out for the last two and a half years," Chayce laughs. "It didn't take me a long time to write that song. It maybe took me fifteen or twenty minutes. I jotted it down and recorded it on my phone. There is no hook in the song, it is just an honest story about who I am, what I've done, what I've been through and who I am afraid of being." Perhaps it that vulnerable approach that has allowed fans to latch on to the groovy track since he first teased the song on American Idol.
The Apple Valley, California, native won the 19th season of the hit reality show American Idol, but do to Covid restrictions had little contact with mentor and country music superstar Luke Bryan.
"We didn't really have a live audience. It was maybe fifty people spread out in plastic boxes. You couldn't be within five feet of another person. So that made it kind of hard to really get to know Luke. I didn't really get to know him till post season."
After flying out to Nashville a week after winning Idol, Chayce sat down with Kerri Edwards to chat next steps for his budding career. Post meeting Chayce got a text from Kerri that changed the trajectory of his career in country music.
"Kerri texted me asking what I was up to that day," Chayce told All Country News. "She then told me Luke Bryan was wondering if I wanted to go fishing with him. I was with my Mom when I got the text so I asked my mom to continue house hunting for me while I went and fished at Luke's. We ended up fishing for a day and a half. Having his friendship early on and him being so lenient on whenever I wanted to come finishing really meant a lot! I have been terrorizing him ever since."
Now the California native find himself continuing that relationship on Luke's Country On and Farm Tours. Despite being good friends, the invite to join Luke still took the country riser by surprise.
"I've been on the road all over and opened up for so many other people. It is a big deal as an up and coming artist to land a great tour. It could be Luke or another artist, whenever I get asked to join a tour I am always taken by surprise, but it is a pretty awesome feeling."
Perhaps the most full circle moment for Chayce was when he played Nashville's Bridgestone Arena with Luke earlier this year. "It is kind of a right of passage to be a country artist and get to play in front of a Nashville crowd."
Chayce, Jackson Dean and Ashley Cooke Side Stage At Bridgestone Arena.
Despite all his success, Chayce remains painfully humble. Thanking his team, his friends and family for all their help along the way. But perhaps that his the magic behind the 27 year old crooner. Unafraid to share his authentic self with fans and lean on others proves that Chayce Beckham is a full blown country music phenom that you need to have on your radar.