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It didn’t take long for American Idol finalist Will Moseley to saddle up and hit the road on his budding music career. The Season 22 runner-up from Hazlehurst, Georgia has been busy since the reality competition show wrapped putting out new singles over the last few months including “I Don’t Wanna Fight No More.” Moseley also released a series of covers from many genres.
The college football player turned country artist recently dropped his Southern twist on Mariah Carey’s holiday anthem ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You” across all major platforms. In a similar fashion to the legendary diva, the 23-year-old also announced the version of the song through a festive Instagram post after the calendar turned from Halloween to November 1. We caught up with Moseley on a break from touring to reflect on his time since Idol, his decision to tackle such a big hit, and what’s next.
Will Moseley
How do you look back on your time on American Idol and what it has done for you so far?
Will Moseley: I think American Idol was a blessing. I think it was the perfect runway for someone like me from a small town to give me a chance to chase that dream. So far, now I’ve come out and had the opportunity to play a bunch of shows on the road. It looks like by the scheduling that is happening now, it’s continuing for another six or eight months. It allowed me to step into a new career path and something I’ve always dreamed of doing.
What are some of the highlights after the show you’re most excited about?
One of the biggest venues close to home is the Martin Centre in Douglas, Georgia. We have that coming up in two weeks. We have two sold-out nights back-to-back. That’s big for us and a telltale sign of solid backing and support from my hometown. We’re back on the road with Zac Brown Band for New Year’s Eve at the Farm Arena. That will be huge for me. My first time playing in an arena. We’re really looking forward to it.
Who has been a mentor to you?
I think Zac has to be at the top of that list. The advice he offered and, the guidance he has given is second to none on this journey. There are a lot of different people in different areas, even from the management and corporate positions in Nashville. I just received a lot of advice and guidance along the way. It has shaped me into the outlook that I have now. We’re happy to be making the decisions we’re having to make when there are the tough ones.
You’ve been on the road with a fellow Idol alum Colin Stough. How is it sharing a stage with him on tour?
He went through the same process I did. We shared that common ground of understanding the process of the TV show and the TV aspect of things. He is a couple of years out where I’m in my first year out of the show. Just the fact that we got the opportunity we got to play together on the road has been a really cool experience. He is an awesome guy. I’ve really enjoyed it so far. The friendship and comradery are starting to show their head more. There is a lot more fun being had now as time goes on. That bond has been growing, and we’re looking forward to the last leg of the tour with him.
What has been the most eye-opening experience about this industry so far?
Mainly the scheduling of everything. We try to be in Nashville to write as much as possible. We try to record as much music as possible to have it ready for release. At the same time, we’re taking meetings and handling all the things on the business side. All while traveling to shows every weekend. Right now, we’re on the bus heading back from South Carolina. It’s things like this I didn’t have any real experience with. Having to figure out how to schedule things and how to plan, even the downtime on the road and trying to get business done. That has been the biggest thing to get used to.
Jon Bon Jovi and Will Moseley on American Idol (Disney/Eric McCandless)
Do you stay in touch with many of your fellow Idol contestants?
We talk pretty regularly, a couple of us do. Me and Jack Blocker are still really good friends. He is actually coming down to Douglas to open the sold-out Saturday night show there. Me and Kayko talk from time to time. McKenna [Breinholt] and KB [Kaibrienne Richins] will check-in. I checked in with all of them and are in communication.
What about Luke [Bryan], Lionel [Richie], or Katy [Perry]? Do they stay in touch?
I haven’t heard from them since the show ended so far.
You just put out a cover of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” on November 1. What made you decide to do this song? I loved that you also did a social media post to announce it in Mariah fashion.
I think it’s one of the most iconic Christmas songs. The idea behind the social media push came from Mariah herself. She does her thing so well every year. I felt I couldn’t put out the song without doing something similar. It was a tip of the hat to her and the tradition she set forth. We were excited to get to do it and put my own spin on it. We enjoyed it from the time we started the process to its end. It was a cool experience and came out really well. We wanted to make sure we tipped our hat to Mariah and the awesome job she had done with the song. There is always room to put a country feel on something and see how it goes.
What has been the feedback?
The feedback so far has been great. It has been good feedback, positive. I don’t believe we heard anything from Mariah’s team yet, but that would be super cool if we did. I’d love to get that stamp of approval.
Can we expect an album from you any time soon?
We are fixing to pump some singles out and see how they respond and see what people are enjoying. I would say possibly by the middle of next year, third quarter anyhow, I’d expect an EP or LP or something along those lines.
What do you want to say to this new crop of Idol hopefuls going for the same dream you had last season?
I was lucky enough to stop into the Nashville auditions last week when they were there filming. I got to talk to a couple of contestants going into auditions. They were all asking for advice. The one thing I had for them was just breathe. Just breathe. If you remember to breathe, once you get in there, all the time you spent preparing is when that muscle memory will kick in. You then do what you do. That’s the only advice you can give because everyone handles things differently when they enter the room with Luke, Lionel, and now Carrie [Underwood]. If they remember to breathe, everything will be alright.
What do you think of Carrie joining the judging panel?
I think it was the perfect decision and a great fit. Simply because she has been there and been through the process and knows firsthand how it works.