Drake Milligan

Biography

Drake Milligan came into the world on June 1, 1998, in Arlington, Texas, born to James and Angela Milligan. His early musical spark came from the country records his dad played—especially Merle Haggard—and from watching an Elvis impersonator perform at a local restaurant. Milligan started out doing Elvis impersonations himself around town, which led him to answer a CMT casting call for the role of Elvis Presley in the TV series Sun Records (2017). He got the part, and that meant moving from Texas to Memphis, Tennessee, right around the end of his senior year of high school.

In 2018, Milligan tried out for American Idol but chose to leave the competition. He explained that he felt he wasn't ready for that kind of stage yet and thought it would be smarter to head to Nashville and concentrate on building his music career. While in Nashville, he auditioned for a deal with BBR Music Group. The label turned him down at first, but six months later they signed him. His first extended play, a self-titled project produced by Tony Brown, came out in July 2021. Later that year, on October 22, he dropped a Christmas tune called "Cowgirl for Christmas."

Milligan and his band stepped onto the America's Got Talent stage on June 8, 2022, performing his original song "Sounds Like Something I'd Do" and earning four "yes" votes. He finished the season in third place on September 14, 2022. The following year, on September 13, 2023, he and his band made a special appearance on AGT's Results Night to perform his new single "I Got A Problem." His debut album, Dallas/Fort Worth, arrived on September 15, 2022, and he made his Grand Ole Opry debut that October.

In 2023, Milligan teamed up with The Reklaws for the single "Honky Tonkin' About," and he joined them onstage at the 2023 Canadian Country Music Awards in Hamilton, Ontario, to perform it. He released "I Got A Problem" as a single on September 7, 2023. Another EP, Jukebox Songs, came out on February 16, 2024. His second studio album, Tumbleweed, was released on November 7, 2025, and climbed to the top of the UK Country Albums chart in late March 2026.