Series of unlikely life events leads Moseley to music fame
A lot of unconnected events had to take place before Will Moseley found himself in the finals of 2024’s American Idol season 22.
First, the Hazlehurst, Ga., native didn’t initiate the process of competing in the popular ABC show. Producers of American Idol came across Moseley’s videos on Instagram and TikTok, and reached out to Moseley.
And there weren’t a lot of videos out there. Never a cell phone guy, Moseley had posted only a few videos of his music, so American Idol producers discovered Moseley as the proverbial ‘needle in the haystack.’
Initially, he wasn’t interested in auditioning. With the encouragement of friends, he jumped in and after five rounds of Zoom call tryouts, Moseley performed for American Idol celebrity judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan, who unanimously presented him a Golden Ticket to Hollywood after his tryout in Leesburg, Ga.
Moseley finished as Season 22 runner-up to Abi Carter, but his down-to-earth style, ‘aw shucks’ personality and his unique Southern sound have catapulted him to full-time music, including opening for major artists including Zac Brown, Clint Black, Marshall Tucker, Riley Green and Ella Langley.
The 24-year-old Moseley will be the headliner on Saturday, August 16th at the 44th Franklin County Watermelon Festival. He’ll take the stage at 8:30 p.m., after The Midnighters (6 p.m.) and Dixie Mafia (7 p.m.).
As with all Watermelon Festival events, the concert is free. Just remember to bring a lawn chair.
Friday, August 15th will begin with the opening ceremony at 6:30 p.m., followed by the Music City Misfits at 7 p.m., and Austin Bohannon taking the stage at 8:30 p.m.
Moseley’s Russellville show is one of 10 performances on his August tour schedule, as he adjusts to doing large venue shows with thousands of fans.
He co-headlined a fall 2024 tour with fellow American idol alumnus Colin Stough, from Season 21. And he joined the Zac Brown Band for a special New Year’s Eve show at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena.
Not bad for a guy who might not ever have taken up playing the guitar if not for the COVID-19 pandemic. After high school, Moseley went to Maryville College in Tennessee where he played offensive line for the Division III school for two seasons.
He transferred to Georgia Southern and it was there, during the lockdown, he decided to focus on playing guitar and songwriting.
If not for multiple concussions Moseley suffered on the football field, he might not have ever jumped into his music with full focus.
Moseley’s diverse talent and sound was displayed during American Idol’s Season 22 finale, where his final two songs, BonJovi’s ‘It’s My Life’ and Montgomery Gentry’s ‘My Town,’ were on the opposite end of the music spectrum.
Not bad for a guy who didn’t have music on his radar until a few years ago.
“It’s been super exciting and nothing short of a blessing for us,” Moseley said in a 2024 interview with WTOC-TV in Georgia. “It’s just been a dream come true and the crazy part is it was a dream that didn’t even exist five years ago, you know, like it’s all so new to me,” said Moseley.