American Idol’s Colin Stough just experienced a summer he won’t soon forget.
In addition to performing across the country and releasing a new EP titled Lookin’ For Home, the singer had the opportunity to get down on one knee and propose to his girlfriend Mckenzie Rhett.
“She fell in my life at the right time,” Stough, 19, exclusively told Us Weekly ahead of his fall tour with fellow American Idol alum Will Moseley. “I had been through a really rough relationship a year or so back, and really wasn’t looking for anything. I guess that’s just when the right one comes along when you’re not looking for it. I fell into her and it’s just been uphill ever since then.”
On June 15, the singer announced he was engaged after sharing a romantic photo shoot via Instagram.
While details of the proposal remain private, Stough is letting his fiancée take control over wedding planning.
“Colin is the kind of guy that when we go home and she wants to go plan the wedding, I go to the farm,” he joked to Us. “I get away. I did my part. You just tell me what time and when I need to be there and I’ll lay my clothes out and I might show up on time.”
One special part of the couple’s future wedding will be the music. Although nothing has been finalized, Stough predicted that Elvis Presley may be incorporated into the celebration.
“I just want to have a good time,” he said. “Me and her both are really big Elvis fans. Maybe we’ll play something different like ‘Unchained Melody’ or something like that. We’re not sure yet. We’re all over the place.”
For now, Stough continues to grow as an artist as he explores multiple genres of music.
After growing up listening to everyone from Creed and Lynyrd Skynyrd to Jason Aldean and Jimi Hendrix, the songwriter is less focused on staying in one genre of music and more focused on being true to himself.
“I’m really just trying to tell people about me and how I grew up, things that have happened to me in the past, positive and negative things,” he said when reflecting on his EP. “I just want to get some stuff out there that people can relate to themselves. … I’m very, very pleased with the outcome of the project, with how it’s doing streaming wise and how it’s doing live.”
He also won’t forget his experience on season 21 of American Idol. After wowing judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan in 2023, Stough made it to third place.
When asked about Perry, 39, calling him the “Brad Pitt of country music,” Stough said he remains flattered.
“I barely knew who Brad Pitt was,” he shared with a laugh. “I had to do a little bit of research, and I was like, ‘That’s pretty cool.’ Brad Pitt’s pretty big, pretty popular in the movie industry. I’ll take it.”
