What Noah Thompson Has Been Up To Since Winning American Idol

When Noah Thompson auditioned for Season 20 of "American Idol," he had no idea what to expect. The carpenter had no intention of entering the singing competition, but his friend saw his raw talent and signed him up. "I didn't find 'American Idol.' My buddy found 'American Idol' for me. He told me he was going to sign me up and I said, 'No, you're not,'" he told the judges. The shy country crooner impressed Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan with his rendition of Kameron Marlowe's "Giving You Up," and he got three green lights from the judges.

Thompson continued to move along the ranks in Season 20 with covers of "Stand by Me" by Ben E. King and Toy Story's "You've Got a Friend in Me." Week after week, fans voted for the country singer and he eventually made it to the finale. Thompson impressed the judges and viewers with his rendition of Rihanna's "Stay" and the Kentucky native beat out HunterGirl to take home the big win. Since his reluctant audition, Thompson's music career has continued to thrive and he went on to become one of the most successful winners of "American Idol."

During "American Idol" Season 20, Noah Thompson debuted his first single, "One Day Tonight," which earned him a standing ovation from Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan, and Katy Perry. 

Upon its release, the song made the top three on the iTunes Country Chart. Following his win, Thompson released "Make You Rich" in October 2022. "After American Idol ended, my team came to me with the idea of singing on this song, "Make You Rich." I was very excited about it because during the show I was pitched plenty of songs to use as my single which ended up being, "One Day Tonight," Thompson shared on Instagram. He went on to explain that the song was not about money, but rather about being "rich" with friends, family, and loved ones.

In February, Thompson gave a sample of his new single, "She Gets It From Me" and told fans, "Fellas y'all need to use this sound on your significant other!! Y'all check this new song out and lemme know what you think down in the comments, love y'all!! Stay tuned for new music." His time on "American Idol" not only gave him his first single, but also a close relationship with his fellow contestant, HunterGirl.

After "American Idol" Season 20 ended in May 2022, Noah Thompson went on an eight-city tour with the runner-up, HunterGirl, from October to December of that year. The two started their co-headlining tour in Columbus, Ohio, and finished it off in St. Louis, Missouri. "I can't believe a year ago, I was working construction, and now I'm announcing a tour with one of my closest friends, HunterGirl," Thompson gushed. He shared that he and the "Red Bird" singer became very close during "American Idol" and remained friends after the season wrapped.

Thompson and HunterGirl continued to co-headline after their tour wrapped. The musicians performed at the Plaza Theater in Glasgow, Kentucky on January 7. "GLASGOW!! Can't thank y'all more for selling this place out, we had such a good time with you guys last night, we hope y'all did too," Thompson shared on Instagram. "Last night was bittersweet because it's the last show this whole crew is playing together for a while, we'll be doing some separate things so y'all be on the lookout."

Despite being a Kentuckian at heart, Thompson has plans to move to Nashville, Tennessee, which he was urged to do so by HungerGirl. "She really wants me to move to Nashville. I definitely took that into consideration because that's where country music is, right there," he told Music Mayhem. His big dream is to play at the Grand Ole Opry one day, and with his talents, he just might make it.