AGT’s “Elvis of Country” Drake Milligan Sounds Just Like the King in His New Song.

On September 13, the country singer and AGT Season 17 Finalist did a show-stopping performance during Season 18’s fourth Live Results Show. There, he sang his original tune “I Got a Problem.”

During his electrifying performance he smoothly crooned the romantic lyrics. The drums and background vocals then kicked in while he strummed his guitar, and the Judges clapped along to the beat.

After the performance, Judge Simon Cowell had nothing but positive things to say. “He did amazing. Drake, I want to congratulate you on everything you’ve done after the show. I’ve always said that you’re gonna be a real superstar, and you are. And what a great song,” he gushed.

Described by Judge Howie Mandel as “the new Elvis of country,” Milligan auditioned for Season 17 of AGT with his original tune, “Sounds Like Something I’d Do”, immediately earning four “Yes” votes from the Judges. He’d go on to earn his first-ever CMT Music Award nomination later that year for the song, landing a nod in the Breakthrough Male Video of the Year category. He also performed on The Kelly Clarkson Show in January 2023.

In 2021, Milligan released his self titled debut EP and in 2022 he released his debut album Dallas/Fort Worth. He’s currently on tour across the U.S. On his website, he described his creative influences for the project.

“Mine were mainly George Strait and Elvis. Along with a lot of Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, and George Jones,” he said. “That’s what my mom and dad listened to, so my earliest music memories came from that. As I was writing, I learned that the best sad songs are bittersweet and even a little hopeful. I love that tradition in country music: how sad songs can help you feel understood. That’s the magic, because not everything in life is sunshine and rainbows.”

Originally from Forth Worth, Texas, he also moved to Nashville, Tennessee to pursue his country music dreams, and explained his reasoning behind the transition on his website.

“There’s no way I could’ve made this record in Texas. The songwriters and players here are the best in the world. I don’t want to ever lose my roots, but Nashville is like no other place in the world,” he wrote. “The reason I came to Nashville is because all of my heroes are here. All the guys who wrote and played on my favorite songs are still so good. They wake up every day and want to write the best song they can. I wanted to learn something from every writer. Writing with those songwriters was a rite of passage for me.”