If not for Colin Stough‘s mom, he could still be fresh out of high school, and working in HVAC. But the Mississippi native’s mother saw something in him, something maybe he didn’t even see, and convinced him to try out for American Idol.
“My mom signed me up for it,” Stough tells Music Mayhem. “I didn’t know how far I could go on it, and I ended up about damn near going all the way. So, I was pretty pleased with the outcome. It was pretty awesome.”
Stough came in third, behind winner Iam Tongi and runner-up Megan Danielle. His new life, which involves a lot of time in Nashville, taking meetings and writing songs, is a lot different than the one he once envisioned for himself.
“It was definitely a little wild,” Stough concedes, adding that his life now feels like a “new kind of full-time job.” “I graduated last year and then went to work and now I’m doing this and it’s a different job, man. It really is. But it’s fun. I love it.”
Stough might not have imagined being in the Top 5 on one of the biggest reality TV talent shows in the world, but he always had a hankering for music. The 18-year-old had an early inclination for music, buying his first guitar when he was just ten years old, one he still uses today.
“It’s actually in the back seat of the truck right now,” Stough says. “I got it from a pawn shop and I put like $20 on it. I pawned games, knives and stuff like that. And my mom went by later that day and paid that $20 off that I owed.
“So it’s her guitar, really,” he quips. “I still got it. I still play it. It’s a little beat up, you know, it’s got some age to it, but it’s got a lot of memory on it.”
Stough is thrilled about his warm welcome into the music industry, especially with his unique style of music.
“I’m kind of a dying breed,” Stough acknowledges. “I like the Southern rock and the classic country music and just being another guy in the world that’s just trying to bring that back to life.”
Stough’s “I Still Talk to Jesus” is out now. The song is likely from a new EP, although the rising star has yet to reveal any details about his debut project.
“The main point of the song is to not give up,” Stough says. “Especially in this generation, and in this world, it is really hard to keep going. It’s hard to find people that you can talk to. This song is a reminder that you will always have that one source that is always with you.”
Stough admits he has trouble explaining what “I Still Talk to Jesus” means, he does know what he wants his fans to take away from the song.
“I want my listeners, whenever they listen to this song, I want them to feel that they’re not alone,” Stough says. “There are more people in the world out there that feel the same way you do, if not the exact same way you do, or even worse than you do.”
Find “I Still Talk To Jesus” here.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of ABC
