One of American Idol 2025's contestants looking to move beyond the Top 24 is 24-year-old Josh King.
After admittedly struggling during Hollywood week, the Charlotte, North Carolina hopeful wowed Season 23's judging panel with Elton John's "I'm Still Standing" in his quest to make the Top 20.
As fans await the result of the week's votes, there's more to learn about this American Idol 2025 contestant and his musical background.
Biography Details on Josh King from American Idol (Music Background, Experience & More)
Josh King Got Into Music Through the Harmonica
In talking with Dubai Eye, Josh revealed how his musical career began saying, "I could consider it to be when my dad got me a harmonica:"
"Getting into music was fairly interesting. I could consider it to be when my dad got me a harmonica. I'm mainly a harmonica player... I was about five or six years old. That's how I got into it."
But Josh's dad isn't the only one responsible for his music. According to the reality star, his mother played an integral role by taking him "to the blues clubs in New York City:"
"I went to New York for acting and stuff as a kid when I was a child actor, and I was super into music at the time too. My mother, being the wonderful person she is, she would take me to the blues clubs in New York City to go see some of the great blues artists..."
Josh Was Mentored by James Cotton
Visiting those clubs in New York City is how Josh met Grammy winner and American blues harmonica player James Cotton before he passed away in 2017.
Josh King's personal page credits James Cotton for encouraging the American Idol hopeful to sing, write music, and explore other genres.
In talking with the Charlotte Observer, Josh shared how he first met James Cotton when he "snuck backage" and claims the musician is who "got me into singing:"
“I saw James Cotton, snuck backstage to meet him and he took me under his wing and mentored me in performance. He was the one who got me into singing. He told me, ‘If you really wanna make it in this business, you’ve got to do more. You’ve got to be more.’ He’s like, ‘I want you to start singing.’”
Josh Put Off Applying for American Idol for Years
Despite his history with music and people encouraging him to try out for American Idol, Josh admitted (via the Charlotte Observer) that he "put it off for years and years:"
"A lot of people recommended that I go on ‘American Idol’ … I’ve put it off for years and years and years ’cause I was under the impression if I sent in an audition I would never get in. There’s so many better singers out there than me. I don’t think I’m special, and I just never thought it would happen."
It was only after seeing casting calls on social media that he finally decided to go for it, saying, "Within that week, I was in Nashville:"
"I saw the casting calls on Instagram one day and [thought] ‘You know what? I might as well just take one of my YouTube videos and just submit it.’ Like a day later, I got a call back [saying], ‘Hey, we would like to do an on-call audition with you for our producers.’ Within that week, I was in Nashville.”
Josh Has Performed at Many Major Events
Despite his hesitancy in applying for American Idol, Josh is no stranger to the stage, having performed at various festivals and sporting events at a surprisingly young age.
Videos on Josh's personal YouTube channel show him performing as early as 10 years with James Cotton. But in addition to festivals and concerts, He's also performed the National Anthem at NFL games and the 2013 U.S. Open Tennis Championships.
Josh Volunteers at Local Hospitals
Josh's personal website notes that he volunteers at local hospitals where he entertains and performs for patients.
He's also known for playing the grand piano in the atrium at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
How To Follow Josh King Online
Fans looking to keep up with Josh and his American Idol journey can do so on Instagram (@officialjoshking), TikTok (@officialjoshking), X (@JoshKingMusic), and Facebook (Josh King).
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