When Drake Milligan auditioned for America’s Got Talent, it was to expand the dream he held to make his own mark in country music. The Texas native’s biggest goal was to introduce his music to more people, never imagining he would be one of the lucky — and very, very talented — few who make it all the way to the finale.
“I’m totally surprised,” Milligan admits to Everything Nash. “I didn’t think it was gonna happen on the scale it’s happened. The shows being planned are crazy. People are showing up. They’re singing along to all the songs. It’s changed my career completely.”
Indeed it has. When Milligan first auditioned, it was with his original “Sounds Like Something I’d Do” song. Milligan earned the praise of all four judges, including the often-critical Simon Cowell. For someone who had already been performing for several years, even Milligan admits the experience of stepping onto the AGT stage the first time was daunting.
“You try not to think about it too much,” Milligan says. “You try to focus on the last live show we did, it was so much fun because you have that great audience. You have that wonderful audience in Pasadena [California], who are on their feet going wild. You try not to think about the eight million people behind that camera right there. You try not to think about it, but it is exhilarating. And it’s kind of addictive to be on that stage and just know that you’re reaching that many people at one time. So it just makes you want to go back and do it again.”
Do it again he did. Milligan returned to sing another original song, “Kiss Goodbye All Night,” earning him one of 11 spots in the America’s Got Talent finale.
“It was so much fun to do that live show that I just wanted to go back and do that again,” Milligan says. “So I was just so happy that I could go and be on this stage again, because really that was really what I was focused on.”
If Milligan wins, he earns his own show in Las Vegas, and a cool $1 million. It’s a grand prize he is trying hard not to think about too much, while he focuses on giving the performance of a lifetime.
“We’re in the midst of preparing for this performance,” Milligan reflects. “So I’m just focused on doing what I need to do. I’m focused on getting out there, and having as much fun as possible out on that stage.”
Whether or not Mililgan hears his name called as the America’s Got Talent winner, the 24-year-old already feels like he has won.
“I feel like I gained a lot of confidence with the last live show, on AGT,” Milligan maintains. “To be able to sing an original song on live television for millions of people, and to get a great response like that, just fills you with confidence. I feel like hopefully, I’ll walk away with even more of that confidence, since that’s the final round, and be able to take that into my career, and try to go a long ways.”
The America’s Got Talent finale airs on September 13 and 14 at 8:00 PM ET on NBC. Milligan’s Dallas/Fort Worth album will be released on September 15. Find music and concert dates at DrakeMilligan.com.
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