Chayce Beckham’s 2023 is one of dreams realized. The country singer/songwriter and former American Idol winner made his Grand Ole Opry debut in October and is putting the final touches on his album, which is expected next year. The singer has been teasing the project with new music, including the heart-wrenching breakup ballad “Whiskey On the Wall” and the sweeping and cinematic “This Ol’ Rodeo,” available today.
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A former forklift driver, Beckham rose to notoriety after winning season 19 of American Idol. His historic win marked the first time a contestant took home the title of the singing competition with an original song. That song, the autobiographical solo-penned “23,” debuted at No. 1 on the all-genre U.S. iTunes song sales chart upon its release and is currently No. 16 and rising on country radio.
“I was going through a lot when I wrote it, and I just sat down and then scribbled down those thoughts,” Beckham tells American Songwriter of writing “23” in 2020. “I wrote that song in about 15, 20 minutes. … There’s no magic formula to that. It’s just my thoughts in the structure of a song and people connected with it.”
After playing the song for people he trusted, who later raved about “23,” Beckham was more confident to share his work with the world. When American Idol approached the singer and asked if he had any original songs he sent “23.” Producers later advised him that if he made the top 7 the song would be released.
“That song has changed my life in so many ways,” he reflects. “It’s such a cool thing. I need to get back to that scribble, scribble songwriting sometimes and just put my thoughts down. Sometimes the best stuff comes when you’re not trying too hard.”
Beckham is inspired by singer/songwriters like Zach Bryan, Luke Combs, Tyler Childers, and Kolton Moore. He cites the honesty in their songwriting as a compass when he sits down to write a song.
“Whiskey on the Wall,” written with Kyle Clark and Blake Pendergrass, is one of those honest songs for him. Beckham is quick to explain that the song is “in no way glorifying alcohol,” it instead comes from a place of reflection.
“I wrote that right when I moved to Nashville, and it was something that felt very fresh in my mind,” he recalls. “It was this feeling of, if you could talk to a bottle of whiskey after you made all these horrible mistakes, or you did all these stupid things, or you let the person that you love go; if you could go back and have a conversation with something that fueled that fire. I thought it was an interesting concept. … It’s about struggling and I think that a lot of people, whether they know it or not, have dealt with stuff like that.”
He adds that he can tell when songwriting is honest. He says he appreciates “Whiskey on the Wall” more today as he knows the song comes from a real place and still connects with him.
“I’ve always tried to replicate the songs that made me feel like that,” he adds. “I was trying to take that and put it into my songwriting or my music to help people feel connected to me or feel like they’re not alone … because most of the time you do feel like you’re alone and that’s when music comes in. Music saved my life so I feel like it’s my job to go back and do that for as many people as I can.”
While Beckham is well versed in putting himself into his music, he’s also experimenting with telling other people’s stories. His latest release, “This Ol’ Rodeo,” is inspired by his childhood best friend who was a rodeo cowboy. Beckham lived with his friend for a while and says he admired how dedicated his friend was to the sport.
“I just thought that you had to be crazy to love something like that, but I thought was so cool to watch him go out there and do it,” he says. “Once I got into doing music and touring, I was like, ‘This is almost like a rodeo in itself. We’re just a traveling circus. It’s going from city to city playing all these shows every night, night after night.’”
Beckham penned “This Ol’ Rodeo” with Stephen Wilson Jr. He describes the tune as “an honest song” and a “fun tempo song.” The track will be featured on Beckham’s forthcoming debut album, expected in 2024. He says while many of the songs on the project are about him, Beckham has had fun experimenting with his songwriting and sharing other people’s stories.
Beckham, who began writing songs at 19, says his early songs happened simply from jotting things down and not thinking too much. “I wish I wrote songs like that still,” he admits. “I think about stuff too much now.”
The songwriter admits it’s been a while since he’s had a solo write as he has fully embraced co-writing since he moved to Nashville. He credits the songwriting community for helping him find his confidence in the writing room.
Since he spent the majority of the year on tour with Luke Bryan, Beckham has started bringing songwriters on the road with him. It’s something he hopes to do more of. Along the way, he hopes to help up-and-coming writers that move to town to give back to the community that opened its arms to him.
“Everybody was so nice to me and so kind to take the time to write with some kid who just got off of a TV show who’s never written with anybody before,” he says. “I appreciate the whole community for accepting me and taking the time to write with me and listening to my story.”
As Beckham reflects on 2023, he admits that he loves “looking back at the long road that we’ve been on and admiring the view.”
“It’s honestly amazing to watch this stuff start to happen and to see the album start to come to life and to see the songs that we’re putting out get love and to see ’23’ go platinum and to get to debut at the Opry,” he continues. “It almost feels like all these things are starting to come into place. … I have worked so hard to get to the spot to where I feel like now I’m starting to get recognized a little bit and hopefully taken a little more seriously. I’ve proven myself as a songwriter and an artist and not just somebody who’s a TV show winner. I want to be in country music for a long, long time.”
Photo Credit Matthew Simmons / Courtesy BBR Music Group
