Winner of the 14th season of American Idol, Connecticut-reared singer Nick Fradiani has shot into the mainstream on the strength of his silky smooth vocals and catchy, radio-ready folk pop style. His debut record Hurricane, which featured the hit single “Beautiful Life” cemented Fradiani’s place in the pop stratosphere and laid the foundation for his easy-going folk pop vibe.

There are many people who subscribe to the “10,000 hour rule” as a guidepost to success: the more you do something, the better you get at it. If you do reach the 10,000 milestone, it is believed that you’ve mastered something. Nick Fradiani has been playing guitar and singing since he was about ten years old; if he isn’t at the 10k mark yet, he’s awfully close.

So, Fradiani did not simply emerge onto the world stage out of nowhere. Before auditioning, Fradiani had already been a successful touring and recording artist with his band Beach Avenue. In fact, he had already gotten a taste of television stardom as Beach Avenue successfully made it onto America’s Got Talent in 2014, performing their original “Coming Your Way” on the show and making it all the way to Judgement Week. That success paved the way for Fradiani’s American Idol journey which culminated in him becoming the season champion and instantly putting his talent into the public eye.

Following the competition, Fradiani recorded Hurricane in 2016 and released it on the Big Machine label. The record included the singles “Get You Home,”  “All on You” and “Love Is Blind” and landed at #1 on Billboard’s Heatseekers Chart. He is planning to release an EP this summer.