Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Austin Jenckes released his debut album Friday.

It was worth the wait, which should surprise no one who’s heard the excellent singles Austin has released since finishing Top 10 on Season 5.

“If You Grew Up Like I Did” is a deeply personal nine-song collection featuring a song dedicated to Austin’s wife (“Never Forget”) and another about how he felt like an outcast growing up (“Fat Kid”).

But in a Facebook chat with fans, Austin says his favorite is “If You’d Been Around,” about his late father, who also played music and died when Austin was 16.

It’s a topic Austin said he’d been trying to tackle in song for two years. With the help of co-writers Tammi Hutton and Lynn Hutton, he felt like he’d accomplished his goal.

But, of course, that’s the story of the album too. In his web bio, Austin admits there was a time when he figured he’d spend his career writing music for other artists.

Getting married and having a daughter helped change that perspective, he says on his website.

“I wasn’t going to be happy unless I was putting my whole heart into putting my own music out and performing,” he said.

It’s not as though Austin hadn’t released original material before, including a pre-Voice EP in 2012.

His more recent singles — “Same Beer Different Day” (2017) and “In Your Head” (2018) — both topped 1 million streams on Spotify. “Ride Away,” the lead single from the new album, is rapidly approaching 2 million streams.

Austin will celebrate another milestone Saturday, June 15 — his first ever performance at the Grand Ole Opry. Check his website for other upcoming show dates.

Here’s “If You’d Been Around.”