Biography

“I’m not just some kid from a singing show who can do covers. I have something different to bring to the table.” That’s Caleb Lee Hutchinson, charting a bold course for his country career and knowing it won’t be easy–especially in a landscape full of singing show graduates. But then again, he’s used to standing out. At five years old the youngster learned to sing on a karaoke machine, then picked up a guitar and began setting up “shows” in his uncle’s basement. But by his senior year, a restless creativity began to emerge, with Hutchinson posting countrified covers of hip-hop star Post Malone online and foreshadowing his story to come. In 2017 he took that spirit to American Idol, moving seamlessly between his love for traditional giants like Keith Whitley and rough-hewn modern stars like Sturgill Simpson. He stood out immediately as fans latched on to his dynamic Southern vocals–just as resonate on Carrie Underwood’s “So Small” as they were on Prince’s “When Doves Cry”–and by the show’s finale he had earned a strong second-place finish. With six new tracks, that path is becoming clear. In 2018 he joined producer Kristian Bush in an Atlanta recording studio–one half of the Grammy winning country duo Sugarland. Hutchinson began by walking the time-worn trails of country’s past, but soon struck out into a wilderness of anything-goes inspiration. Classic balladry mixes with blistering Southern rock, with acoustic guitars and moody rhythms meeting ethereal, electronic effects.