Blake Proehl gives it his all, whether he’s on the field or on the stage.    Proehl isn’t your everyday singer-songwriter — he worked his whole life to achieve his dream of making it to the NFL, ultimately joining the Minnesota Vikings as a wide receiver. After a devastating injury during his rookie season, though, his life in football came to a screeching halt. During the recovery period and unexpected downtime, he encountered another surprise: falling in love with music.    His musical journey began with his family, and a video of him sharing his singing voice with his grandmother for the first time unexpectedly went viral on TikTok, surprising even Proehl himself. The tens of millions of views and American Idol appearances say it all — people are ready to hear more from Blake. His pop and r&b sound has the natural likability of predecessors like Justin Bieber, and Proehl’s humility and gentle spirit make it hard not to want to root for him.    As an artist expanding his skill set with the piano, guitar, and co-writing sessions, Proehl isn’t afraid of entering new territory. His smooth vocals are just the beginning — he is constantly gaining artistic inspiration from his interpersonal relationships as well as his own journey to physical recovery.    With each song and piece of content that Proehl creates, he hopes his music can act as a way to help people express themselves and avoid putting on any fronts.

As she celebrates the release of her label-debut EP, Turn Off All The Lights, Haven Madison reflects on a pivotal conversation she had with her dad, Grammy nominated Jason Roy – lead singer of Building 429 -- when she was just 12. At a Chik-Fil-A in her hometown of Clarksville, TN, she told him she wanted to follow in his footsteps and pursue a musical career. Jason asked, “On a scale from one to 10, how bad do you want it?” When she replied “Eight,” he said, “Talk to me again when it’s 11.”  Just four years later, Haven’s passion for singing and dedication to hard work resulted in an extraordinary run into the Top 8 of American Idol Season 21, beginning with an audition featuring her heartfelt original song, “Fifteen,” that blew away judges Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan, and her longtime idol, Katy Perry. One of the great highlights of Haven’s time on the show was her season finale viral duet with Perry on “Still Need You,” the poignant ballad Haven wrote about her brother Avery’s battle against depression and suicide.  “Sitting across from Katy and singing with her was surreal, because growing up, my brother and I were obsessed with her and even made our own video for ‘Roar’,” the 18-year-old Haven says. “I got such amazing feedback on that song, including from some who said it kept them alive. It’s wonderful to have the opportunity to create music that makes people feel less alone. I’m happy to say that Avery is doing very well. He’s ridiculously talented and he’s now my drummer.”  Fueled by her success on Idol, Haven immediately returned to Nashville to get to work on a fresh batch of songs, including the five she shares on the EP. With the release of “Sky Up,” her first track from the EP, the song was co-written and produced by Dave Pittenger – co-writer of the Grammy nominated Gayle song “ABCDEFU” – the intensely emotional, piano driven ballad reflects the trademark personal, no holds barred confessional songwriting that infuses the entire EP. “‘Sky Up’ was one of those songs that came together as if it were always in my bones waiting to be discovered,” says Haven. “From the moment I listened to the demo till now, it continues to move me like no other song I have written. In the past, I always struggled with vulnerability and put walls up to protect myself from being judged and criticized. Music became the outlet for me to express the things I couldn’t say. What I was afraid to say out loud, I could share in song. When I sang ‘Still Need You’ on TV, that was my breakthrough where I finally felt brave enough to sing my inner truths.”

KAYKO is an alternative pop artist with influences from pop punk, synth pop, and musical theatre. Eyed by Katy Perry for his star quality, KAYKO accidentally found his way into the Top 20 for Season 22 of American Idol where he was the only contestant to exclusively perform original music on the show. He is continuing to build his audience by frequently releasing new music, as well as touring and making live connections with fans.