You don’t have to look hard to see why Country artist, Drake Milligan quickly received the “Elvis of Country” nickname, and it’s one he’s embracing to the fullest as the King was one of his greatest musical influences growing up.
LISTEN NOW: Drake Milligan talks to Coop
Milligan recently joined Audacy’s Coop at CMA Fest for an interview, brought to you by Simple Green, where he shared all things Elvis and the ways the King inspired aspects of his career.
Milligan’s natural Elvis tendencies first caught the attention of fans when he landed the part of Elvis in the 2017-2018 CMT television series, Sun Records. The series spotlighted the early years of musical greats like Presley, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis, who were all guided by legendary record producer, Sam Phillips.
Following the show, Milligan started to focus more on his music career by auditioning for season 16 American Idol where he wow’d the judges, but quickly decided to change direction, pulling out of the competition to work on building his career in Nashville.
The next 4-5 years were all about putting the work into his music and forming connections in the Nashville community, which ultimately prepared him for the stellar run he had on America’s Got Talent in 2022. His former experience on camera and auditioning helped Drake skyrocket to the finals and his fanbase really started to take shape. While the 25-year-old didn’t walk away with the win, it hasn’t stopped him from gaining undeniable momentum in the Country music industry.
“Being comfortable behind the camera helps a lot,” Drake said of his success on AGT. “It is daunting. It’s truly live, those live performances are live, dude,” he laughed.
One look at Drake’s performances and you’ll see he thrives in the live setting with his high-energy band and Elvis-like movements. “When I moved to town I thought, ‘throw everything Elvis out the window,’ I didn’t want to be the Elvis guy,” Drake admitted following his Sun Records gig. However, it was a conversation with his mentor Tony Brown that taught him his influences are something to embrace, not deny.
“You gotta use that stuff, use all your influences,” Drake recalled as the advice he got from Brown. “I encourage my guys [band] to watch Elvis tapes, pick up something, roll with it.”
Elvis isn’t the only iconic artist you’ll see hints of in Milligan’s set. He also finds inspiration from Buck Owens, George Strait and Merle Haggard. “You kind of become your influences, just like Elvis did, just like anybody does. You kinda borrow and steal little things.”
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Hear more about Drake Milligan’s journey to success, debut album, Dallas/Fort Worth, and how he formed connections with some of the most influential songwriters by checking out his entire conversation with Coop above. Want more CMA Fest? Check out all Audacy’s behind the scenes interviews, brought to you by Simple Green here.