Former ‘American Idol’ Winner Leaving Country Genre To Focus On Worship Music

Yet another country artist has decided to leave the genre to work for the Lord.

I say another because back in 2o23, Granger Smith announced that he was leaving country music to pursue a full-time position in ministry. It was shocking, but it also made sense because he had just suffered a huge loss in his family. Now, a former American Idol winner is following in the footsteps of Smith as he chooses to leave country music behind and move forward with a career in gospel and worship music.

You might remember Trent Harmon from his incredible run on the singing competition show back in 2016. After bringing faith to the forefront of his performances and his time on screen, Harmon won the 2016 edition of American Idol. And it was no fluke… Harmon showcased his unique, southern stylings and powerful voice on his way to winning the whole thing.

Here was his rendition of “Tennessee Whiskey” from his run on the show:

He’s certainly got some pipes.

Harmon didn’t exactly rocket to stardom after his American Idol victory (not a lot of artists do nowadays), but he has since made a living as a country artist. That is until he recently decided that he’d be leaving the genre behind in favor of gospel and worship music. The 34-year-old artist told The Christian Post that for the longest time, he almost felt like he was living a double life singing non-Christian songs and then praising his Lord and Savior separately.

But an experience while he was on American Idol changed his thought process on keeping the two things apart from one another:

“It was like, ‘That has its own thing. Keep it over there.’ I remember sitting around sharing songs with several contestants one night… and I played a worship song. There was a different feeling in the room. I thought, ‘You know what? That left a mark tonight.'”

That singular experience led to many instances where Harmon decided to make his performances more faith-based. The more the country artist weaved his religion into his music, the more he felt at ease. That’s how Trent Harmon finally came to the conclusion that he wanted to leave a legacy, which consequently meant that he wanted to leave country music behind:

“I kept wanting to go do more shows that were more spirit-filled. I feel most at comfort whenever I’m playing songs that I know have a purpose, have a meaning behind them. I realized I was writing more and more faith-based stuff in my own time. These songs are the ones I wanted to end my show with. Then I kind of realized, I wanted my whole show to be these songs. When you have kids, you want to leave a legacy.”

Though it was a scary decision to leave country music, Harmon continued to feel better and better about the career shift. A recent performance at a church all but confirmed to the former American Idol winner that his life was moving in the right direction:

“It was a smaller church, but I didn’t care if it had been 2,000 or 200 people. I just thought, ‘I feel comfortable doing this, man. I’m back to my roots. I’m playing the music that I know the words to. I’m not having to change any lyrics so that my mom won’t be upset if she sees it online later.’ I’m at peace with the songs and the music that I’m making right now.”

And even with the transition from country music to worship, Trent Harmon suggests that he sees a lot of overlap with country and gospel (especially with more modern artists like Jelly Roll) that he can work within. At the end of the day, the 34-year-old artist just wants to be proud of and comfortable with what’s he’s doing as a career. Harmon hopes that by shining a spotlight on what matters most to him, others can also be led to experience the grace of God:

“Those two genres have always intermingled and mixed. As far back as Elvis. And I have a foot of fans in each genre. That’s something that I’m able to do. I’m proud to do it. My hope is that this music will encourage hearts and strengthen faith. And it will remind listeners that God is always working, even in the waiting.”

Can I get an amen?The post Former ‘American Idol’ Winner Leaving Country Genre To Focus On Worship Music first appeared on Whiskey Riff.