Not taking “no” for an answer.
From competition diver to a newcomer on the country music scene, Evan Honer is an all-around talent. His stripped-down and raw lyrics are more than impressive, leading him to land a spot on our list of favorite debut albums of 2023 thus far.
With gaining viral traction with his cover of Tyler Childers’ beloved unreleased track “Jersey Giant,” Honer made it known to fans that he would not be a cover artist with the quick release of his debut album West on I-10. The album was highly received by fans, and then boom, he hit us with another incredible single shortly after, “Brother.”
He has taken to the spotlight, steadily growing a strong following and filling up his shows.
Today Honer took to Instagram to share the unexpected start to his music career.
“Less than a year ago, I got three no’s on American Idol, and Luke Bryan told me I should stick to diving.
Today I hit 1 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
I still feel like I have no idea what I am doing, but I feel so lucky to be able to share my music and have people care about it. Thank you guys for sticking around, and I say it all the time, but it truly does mean the world.
While many artists would have taken some time for themselves after a rejection from a show like American Idol, it did the opposite for Honer. It drove him to define his sound and get himself out there.
And it deservingly paid off.
At the end of the post, he adds some exciting news:
“Also, one of my favorite songs I’ve written comes out on Friday it’s called Mr. Meyers.”
“Inspiring the youth.”
“Luke Bryan can eat shit.”
“Like Luke Bryan knows shit about singing.”
“Tell Luke Bryan you’re better than him.”
“Had no idea you auditioned! Glad you didn’t listen to that bad advice and kept at it!”
Drayton Farley then chimes in, noting that he was also shot down by a singing show and the positive effect the rejection had on him.
“Boss shit! Congrats man. I made it out to LA with ‘The Voice,’ and they sent me home after my 3rd audition (just before the Televised audition) Best thing that ever happened for my career.”
Adding Evan Honer to this week’s already stacked list of New Music Friday releases…it’s shaping up the be the Super Bowl of New Music Fridays.
Beyond excited to see what he has in store for us with “Mr. Meyers.”
“Take Me As I Come”
“Brother”
“Too Far Gone”
