Meet Chayce Beckham, ‘American Idol’s Top 10 Heartthrob
ABC / YouTube, @chaycebeckhammusic / Instagram Reading Time: 3 minutes
We’ve been loving Chayce Beckham on American Idol Season 19. The singer recently made it into the Top 10 after a great performance during Oscars Night.
Judge Katy Perry has gushed about what a heartthrob Chayce is, in addition to his incredible voice. The 24-year-old singer has also had quite a difficult journey over the past year.
5 Facts About Chayce Beckham
1. Chayce’s Life Changed After a Drunk Driving Incident
Last year, Chayce drove his truck while intoxicated and ended up in an accident that left him “on the side of the highway upside down.” He also split up with his girlfriend and lost his house, sending him to live with his parents.
“I was all, like, down and out. I had gotten in my car wreck, my DUI and whatnot. A lot of stuff had been going great for me, but that all kind of got taken away from me,” Chayce said in an interview about his difficult year.
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2. He Worked as a Forklift Operator
Chayce is from Apple Valley, Cali., where he’s worked operating heavy machinery. The judges seemed to think this added to his down-to-earth style of performing.
Perry told him that he sounds like he operates a forklift, which Chayce chose to take as a compliment. Luke Bryan, meanwhile, told him that he’s “what this show is all about.”
3. Chayce’s Parents Pushed Him to Audition
Chayce told local news that his mother and stepfather signed him up to audition for American Idol, knowing how much he loved music and seeing what a hard time he was having.
“I think that they really just saw that I was kind of giving up on my dreams a little bit,” he explained of his parents’ decision. “So they strongly encouraged me to audition.”
SEE ALSO: ALL LOVE BETWEEN ‘AMERICAN IDOL’ COMEBACK SINGERS, SEASON 19 CONTESTANTS
4. He Started Playing Guitar When He Was Three Years Old
When Chayce was little, he found an old guitar at his grandmother’s house and was inspired to start playing music. He still plays guitar during his performances on the Idol stage.
“I was 3 years old when I started messing with it, so that was my earliest memory of music,” Chayce said in an interview. “I’ve been playing guitar ever since.”
5. Chayce Was in a Band
You might think Chayce is more of a country singer, but he actually performed in a reggae band called the Sinking Sailors. The band released two EPs in 2017 and 2018. They even made a music video for the song “Take It Easy.”
“I think if I was around a bunch of guys who were playing steel guitar and could play the fiddle and stuff like that, then we would have made great country music,” Chayce said in an interview. “But their music was reggae, so I picked up my guitar and we played some pretty good music.”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the band hasn’t been able to play their usual gigs, but now Chayce is following his own path on Idol.
