Chayce Beckham ran heavy machinery and played in a reggae band before a near-fatal car wreck and an American Idol win turned his own songwriting into a country radio No. 1.
A near-fatal wreck, then American Idol
Chayce Beckham was born July 16, 1996, and grew up in Victorville, Hesperia and Apple Valley, California, working as a heavy machinery operator and playing in a reggae band called the Sinking Sailors in his late teens. Two weeks before his American Idol audition in late 2020, he survived a near-fatal car wreck.
He went on to win Season 19 of American Idol on May 23, 2021, beating runner-up Willie Spence. His coronation song was "23," a track he had written a year earlier; it hit No. 1 on iTunes right after his performance, making him the first Idol winner to win the show with an original song.
"23" and a debut album
Beckham signed with BMG, 19 Recordings and Wheelhouse Records (BBR Music Group). His 2023 re-release of "23" reached No. 8 on Hot Country Songs and No. 1 on Country Airplay, and is now Platinum in the US, on top of certifications in Australia, the UK, Canada and New Zealand. It anchors his debut album, "Bad for Me" (April 2024).
"Old Fashioned," and a busy 2026 tour
His new five-track EP, "Old Fashioned," arrived September 25, 2026 on Wheelhouse/BBR Music Group, including the songs "Ain't Lying To Myself," "Dirt Floor," "Take Me Home" and "Today Feels Like Tonight." He has been touring behind it on the Old Fashioned Tour since it kicked off in March 2026, with dates running through the fall across the US and into Canada.
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