It didn’t take long to American idol finalist Will Mosley saddle up and hit the road for his budding music career. The Season 22 runner-up from Hazlehurst, Georgia, has been busy since the reality show ended, releasing new singles over the past few months, including “I Don’t Wanna Fight No More.” Moseley has also released a series of covers of many genres.

The college football player turned country artist recently dropped his southern flair on Mariah Carey holiday anthem “All I Want for Christmas Is You” on all major platforms. Similarly to the legendary diva, the 23-year-old also announced the version of the song via a festive Instagram post after the calendar moved from Halloween to November 1. We caught up with Moseley during a break from his tour to reflect on his time since Idolhis decision to tackle such a big hit and what’s next.

Will Mosley

How do you view your time spent on American idol and what has it done for you so far?

Will Mosley: I think American idol was a blessing. I think it was the perfect track for someone like me, from a small town, to give me a chance to realize this dream. So far I’ve gone out and had the opportunity to play a bunch of shows on the road. It looks like, based on the current timeline, this will continue for another six or eight months. It allowed me to embark on a new career and something I had always dreamed of doing.

What post-show highlights are you most excited about?

One of the largest venues near us is the Martin Center in Douglas, Georgia. We have this in two weeks. We have two sold-out nights in a row. This is important to us and is a telling sign of the strong support and support from my hometown. We’re hitting the road again with Zac Brown Band for New Year’s Eve at the Farm Arena. This will be huge for me. This is my first time playing in an arena. We’re really looking forward to it.

Who was your mentor?

I think Zac has to be at the top of this list. The advice he offered and the advice he gave is second to none in this journey. There are a lot of different people in different fields, even among management and corporate positions in Nashville. I have just received a lot of advice and guidance along my journey. It shaped me into the perspectives I have now. We are happy to make the decisions we have to make when there are difficult decisions.

You have been on the road with a friend Idol former Colin Stough. What’s it like sharing a stage with him on tour?

He followed the same process as me. We shared this commonality of understanding the process of the TV show and the TV side of things. It’s a few years away as I’m in my first year off the show. Just the fact that we had the opportunity to play together on the road was a really cool experience. He’s a great guy. I’ve really enjoyed it so far. Friendship and camaraderie begin to rear their heads more. We’re having a lot more fun now as time goes on. This bond has grown and we look forward to the final leg of the tour with him.

What has been the most eye-opening experience in this industry so far?

Mainly planning everything. We try to be in Nashville to write as much as possible. We try to record as much music as possible to get it ready for release. At the same time, we organize meetings and manage everything related to business. All while traveling for shows every weekend. Right now we’re on the bus coming back from South Carolina. It’s things like that that I don’t really have experience with. Having to figure out how to plan things and how to plan, even downtime on the road and trying to keep business moving. This is the most important thing to get used to.

Jon Bon Jovi and Will Moseley in American Idol (Disney/Eric McCandless)

Do you stay in touch with many of your colleagues Idol competitors?

We talk pretty regularly, a few of us do. Me and Jack Blocker are still very good friends. He’s actually going to Douglas to open the sold-out Saturday night show there. Kayko and I talk from time to time. McKenna (Breinholt) and KB (Kaibrienne Richins) will check in. I have checked in with each of them and am in communication.

What about Luke (Bryan), Lionel (Richie)Or Katy (Perry)? Do they stay in touch?

I haven’t heard from them since the show ended so far.

You just released a cover of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” on November 1st. What made you decide to do this song? I loved that you also did a social media post announcing it Mariah style.

I think it’s one of the most iconic Christmas songs. The idea behind the social media campaign came from Mariah herself. She does her thing so well every year. I felt like I couldn’t release the song without doing something similar. It was a hat tip to her and the tradition she established. We were excited to be able to do it and put my own spin on it. We enjoyed it from start to finish. It was a fun experience and it went very well. We wanted to make sure we took our hats off to Mariah and the amazing job she did with the song. It’s always possible to give something a country feel and see how it turns out.

What was the feedback?

So far the feedback has been excellent. It was good, positive feedback. I don’t think we’ve heard from Mariah’s team yet, but it would be super cool if we did. I would love to get that seal of approval.

Can we expect an album from you soon?

We’re getting ready to take out a few singles and see how they react and see what people like. I would say maybe by the middle of next year, third quarter anyway, I would expect an EP or LP or something.

What do you want to say to this new crop of Idol hopefuls chasing the same dream you had last season?

I was lucky enough to stop by the auditions in Nashville last week while they were filming. I had the opportunity to speak to a few candidates who were preparing for the auditions. They were all asking for advice. The only thing I had going for them was just to breathe. Just breathe. If you remember to breathe, once you’re there, all the time you spent preparing is when that muscle memory kicks in. You then do what you do. That’s the only advice you can give because everyone handles things differently when they walk into the room with Luke, Lionel and now Carrie (Undergrowth). If they remember to breathe, everything will be fine.

What do you think of Carrie’s arrival on the jury?

I think it was the perfect decision and suited him perfectly. Simply because she has been there, followed the process and knows firsthand how it works.