Behind American Idol (feat. Trent Harmon)

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Behind American Idol" (feat. Trent Harmon)

Unlocked with Savannah Chrisley – PodcastOne
Episode Date: June 2, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this riveting episode of "Unlocked," Savannah Chrisley sits down with singer-songwriter Trent Harmon, the last American Idol winner during the show's Fox era (2016). Together, they deliver a raw, vulnerable exploration of Trent’s journey from humble farm roots in Mississippi to national fame—then to a decade-long silence about broken promises and harrowing industry realities. The episode centers on Trent’s "untold story" as an Idol winner: the expected stardom, the harsh aftermath, battles over owed prize money, mental health struggles, his journey to Christian music, the importance of authenticity, and the question of accountability in the entertainment machine.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trent’s Roots and Early Music Journey

• Mississippi Upbringing: Grew up working on a family farm; values of hard work and self-sufficiency instilled early ([02:40]).
• Musical Genesis: Learned guitar in college—humorously lied his way into a worship band before he could actually play ([03:10]). Musical foundation came from his mother, who taught him "Amazing Grace" at age five; he now passes it on to his own daughter ([03:40]).
• Transition to Performer: Started as a worship leader; initially didn’t view a music career as attainable ([04:46]).
• First Glimpse of Talent: Occasional evidence of talent, like surprisingly winning casting or scholarships, pushed him further ([05:24]).

2. Pre-Idol Experiences

• Failed "The Voice" Audition: Entered 2014 “The Voice” audition at a friend's urging; nothing came of it, not even aired, but taught him resilience and perspective ([06:07]).

  "It takes so much more than being a good singer…it's a marathon." — Trent Harmon [07:04]

• American Idol Audition: Similarly “tricked” into auditioning by his (now) wife Kat, who went with him for moral support ([07:49]).

  “She put herself out there, so I had to.” — Trent Harmon [08:29]

• Idol’s Grueling Process: Describes the reality of Idol auditions: multiple rounds before TV judges, not just the televised cattle call ([09:00]).

3. Idol Journey & the Hidden Struggles

• Hollywood Week Illness: Contracted mono and strep during Hollywood Week; isolated to a bathroom but insisted to perform solo for the group round ([09:25]).

  “If you want to stay on the show, you gotta live in this room.” — Trent Harmon [09:46]

• Critical Notetaking: Kept a leather-bound journal of every judge’s critique—tracking inconsistencies and growing through feedback ([11:55], [12:31]).

  “I wanted them to be consistent with the critiques they were giving me.” [11:58]

4. Winning Idol: Anticipation vs. Reality

• Big Promises: Upon winning (April 7, 2016), was promised $200K: half upfront, half on album delivery, plus a record contract with Big Machine ([17:20]).

  “You’re just thinking, ‘This is huge. My driveway’s gonna look different. My kids…are going to have opportunities because of this opportunity.’” — Trent Harmon [18:46]

• Immediate Letdown: Idol’s production and distribution partners (19 Entertainment, Core Media) entered bankruptcy within hours of his victory. The second $100K was never delivered, and he was warned to “hold on” to the first payout in case it needed to be reclaimed to pay creditors ([20:53]).

  “They told 30 million people—like, I won this money, and I gotta give it back?” [22:11]

• Lack of Transparency: Bankruptcy plans were in place before the finale; contestants and the public were kept in the dark ([24:57]).

5. Aftermath: Legal, Professional, and Emotional Fallout

• Broken Promises: Never received full prize money; contractual obligations ignored despite documented evidence ([19:48], [20:17]).

  “Their response…was, ‘We wrote the contract. Of course we know we’re breaking it.’” — Trent Harmon [41:21]

• Career Roadblocks: Despite writing and charting a hit single (“There’s a Girl”), his career was derailed by label disputes and ownership squabbles ([31:21], [32:27]).

  “I had a hit record on the radio…if I was just sitting at home asking for my money, it would be different. I was out working for it.” [33:24]

• Isolation from the Show: Has never been invited back to perform as an Idol winner—possibly to avoid public scrutiny ([35:16]).

  “I am the only winner…that has never been invited back to the show to sing.” [35:16]

6. Industry-Wide Issues: A Pattern of Silence

• Not Alone: Kelly Clarkson (and others) have recently confirmed similar stories about fraudulent or withheld prizes.

  “Gratitude and accountability can exist in the same sentence.” — Trent Harmon [27:08] “If they didn’t give Kelly Clarkson her money 25 years ago…you think they make good decisions in between?” [27:36]

• Protecting the Brand: Explains reluctance to speak up out of fear of being labeled "ungrateful," but now feels compelled to help other contestants ([26:42], [29:10], [37:12]).

7. Mental Health, Faith, and Rebuilding

• Personal Impact: Open about PTSD, therapy, and the emotional toll (“talking to people that aren’t qualified to listen”). The abrupt loss of career footing challenged his identity and mental health ([46:12]).

  “You don’t trust anybody. How could you…?” [46:39]

• Faith as the Anchor: Rediscovers fulfillment and meaning in Christian music and worship, finding greater peace and purpose than in chasing commercial charts ([47:02]).

  “When you lead worship…you don’t feel empty, you feel fulfillment.” [47:06]

• Moving On: Now a songwriter and worship leader, married with a young child; emphasizes that real success is in family, faith, and authenticity ([50:23], [61:00]).

8. Wider Reflections on the Music Industry

• Racehorse Mentality: Discusses how labels and franchises treat artists as disposable assets ([58:26]).
• Fan Expectations & Artist Wellbeing: Advocates for artists’ right to put mental health first (e.g., referencing Justin Bieber stepping away) ([56:46]).

  “It’s okay to not be okay.” — Savannah Chrisley [57:53]

9. Final Thoughts—Accountability and Hope

• Call for Accountability: Urges future contestants to demand legal representation and to hold powerful entities to their contracts ([62:23]).

  “If you commit such a fraudulent act…your contract is null and void…hold me accountable if anything I’ve said today is fraudulent. Get at me. You know where I stay. I keep pretty good receipts.” — Trent Harmon [62:23]

• Faith, Family, Fulfillment: Declares life is better now than in Idol’s glamor. Despite loss and betrayal, he’s grateful for how faith and family have re-centered him ([65:32]).

  “With Jesus, it’s not like that…I exist better in that space.” [61:00]

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• “Everything was great…until the confetti stopped falling.” -- Trent Harmon ([02:08])
• “Gratitude and accountability can exist in the same sentence.” -- Trent Harmon ([27:08])
• “I’ve been so silent that I have protected the Idol image, the branding, and they’re not trying to protect the people that build the brand.” -- Trent Harmon ([38:12])
• “If they didn’t give Kelly Clarkson her money 25 years ago…you think they make good decisions in between?” — Trent Harmon ([27:36])
• “I didn’t write the contract. No, they wrote the contract. It’s very much here—and all your coffee stains.” — Savannah Chrisley ([41:15])
• “I am the only winner…never invited back to the show to sing.” — Trent Harmon ([35:16])
• “When you know better, you do better. And now you know too much to not do something about it.” — Savannah Chrisley ([37:52])
• “You’re not an attorney…you shouldn’t have to flip from artist mindset to attorney mindset.” — Trent Harmon ([39:10])
• “With Jesus, it’s not like that…if I mess up…I'm not going to get cut. I still have my family, I still have my pets, and we’re all healthy.” — Trent Harmon ([61:00])
• “If you commit such a fraudulent act…your contract is null and void. Hold me accountable if anything I’ve said today is fraudulent… I keep pretty good receipts.” — Trent Harmon ([62:23])

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Rapid Fire: Lighthearted Wrap-Up (64:05+)

• Madison Square Garden or Small Church?
  “Small church. I’m serious.” — Trent
• Family Dinner vs. Tour Bus?
  “Family dinner at the kitchen table. Every time.” — Trent
• Grammy Nom or Daughter Calling ‘Daddy’?
  “Daughter calling me daddy.” — Trent
• The career you had then or the life you have now?
  “Life now. Life now.” — Trent

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Idol Victory and Immediate Aftermath: [17:20]-[24:57]
• Discussion of Contract and Money Owed: [19:48]-[23:30]
• Industry Practices and Label Dynamics: [41:13]-[44:07], [58:26]
• Mental Health and Therapy: [46:04]-[47:02]
• Transition to Christian Music / Family Life: [47:02]-[53:20]
• Call for Accountability: [62:23]-[63:35]
• Rapid Fire Q&A: [64:05]-[66:17]

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Conclusion

This frank, honest conversation pulls back the curtain on the mythos of American Idol fame. Trent Harmon’s story stands as both cautionary and promising: a warning about the entertainment machine’s power—and a hopeful message about family, faith, and fighting for what’s right. Through their vulnerability, both Savannah and Trent invite current and future dreamers to chase dreams with open eyes, wise counsel, and authentic hearts.

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Find Trent Harmon:
All socials: @TrentHarmon / @TrentHarmonMusic
Wherever you stream music.
Latest single: “Mercy” (mentioned at [51:38])

Transcript

[Trent Harmon]

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[Savannah]

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[Trent Harmon]

Thank you for having me. For real. Thank you.

[Savannah]

Of course. Of course. Your story is absolutely insane. I mean, you played music through and through for sure. You won the American Idol and what you thought was going to be the most amazing moment of your career and probably set you off into the abyss ended up being totally different.

[Trent Harmon]

Yeah, it's. So it was technically supposed to be the last season on the original network. Network, yes.

[Savannah]

So this was the last season on Fox.

[Trent Harmon]

Fox. That's right. Yeah. Everything was great up until. Up until like the confetti stopped falling. Yeah. Does that sound kind of ominous? I didn't mean for it.

[Savannah]

Right. Well, we will go into that story in depth, but I kind of want to touch on just your upbringing. Right. You're from Mississippi, family farm. What was your upbringing like?

[Trent Harmon]

It's pretty simple. I think everybody probably says it's pretty simple, but it was, I mean, we. If you wanted something, it was attainable as long as you were willing to work for it. Our parents never really gave us like cold, hard cash, but they would give us the opportunity to make it. And we didn't want for a lot, but we worked a lot.

[Savannah]

Yeah.

[Trent Harmon]

My sister and I. Yeah.

[Savannah]

Yeah. And so you were a farm boy worship leader when what period of life was that?

[Trent Harmon]

I kind of learned how to play guitar in college. I actually lied to the band in college and told them I could play. I said, yeah, I play guitar for sure. Could not play. They realized after about three months that I was just holding the guitar.

[Savannah]

Stop.

[Trent Harmon]

But that's kind of when I started to really jump into church music.

[Savannah]

Wow.

[Trent Harmon]

It was a good circle to be in in college too. There's a lot of different circles you could be in. And the church was a good one to step into.

[Savannah]

And your mom taught you amazing grace, right, at the age of five?

[Trent Harmon]

Yeah. And I'm. Now I'm teaching it to my daughter. It's so. It's one of her favorite songs to

[Savannah]

sing, but yeah, I love that. And so you went from not being able to play the guitar to now multi instrumental. Right. Piano, drums, guitar. Am I missing anything?

[Trent Harmon]

No, no, I don't play all those. Well, I see. I'm a singer.

[Savannah]

If you can play them just a little bit, kudos to you. Because I have no musical abilities whatsoever.

[Trent Harmon]

That's not true. Everybody can play something. You just don't know it yet.

[Savannah]

You clearly trust me. I went on the Masked Singer and you clearly have not seen that because it was horrific. It was more of just, you know what, I need to learn to make fun of myself.

[Trent Harmon]

So it was therapeutic.

[Savannah]

Yeah, I made fun of myself and so did the rest of the world. It was great.

[Trent Harmon]

Okay.

[Savannah]

It was awesome. And so you, your music. When did you know that music was what you wanted to do?

[Trent Harmon]

Man, that's such a broad question. It's a good question.

[Savannah]

Or was it just you grew up in it and that's.

[Trent Harmon]

I didn't think it was attainable. I mean, if you told 14 year old Savannah, you're gonna host a podcast one day, you're gonna be. You're gonna have a television show. Like, you would have thought it was cool, but you just didn't know the path to get there. And so I, you know, I worked and lived on a farm. My parents have a restaurant that just kind of look like a clear cut path. But music slow become what became more of my time.

[Savannah]

Yeah.

[Trent Harmon]

Yeah.

[Savannah]

And when you got more into music, was there, was there ever a moment that you were like, oh, shoot, I am really talented. Like, I do have a voice.

[Trent Harmon]

Yeah. There were certain times where I should not have been able to achieve certain things, castings, et cetera. And I should have been, you know, stagehand number four. And instead I, I got a better part than I would have expected. And you know, then it became like a scholarship thing. Like, hey. Because I played baseball a lot, and. But I realized, man, you can. You don't have to work out so much, and you can still get as much scholarship money. And I started doing that.

[Savannah]

Wow. And so throughout your music career, obviously, there's been a lot of ups, a lot of downs. There was a point in time to where you did audition on. What was it on the Voice?

[Trent Harmon]

I did, yes.

[Savannah]

And that was in 2014.

[Trent Harmon]

Yeah. I just went with a friend to. I don't know what we're gonna do. He went to school somewhere around New Orleans, and we were gonna move him out of his dorm. I realized he'd lied about all of it. He just showed me, hey, here's your information. You're gonna audition for the Voice tomorrow in the morning, so go to bed. We're not going out. We're not. You know, just go to bed and audition. And nothing happened. I auditioned, I learned a little bit, but nothing happened.

[Savannah]

It didn't even air. Right.

[Trent Harmon]

It did not air.

[Savannah]

It did not even air.

[Trent Harmon]

Didn't ex.

[Savannah]

How was that moment for you? Right. Like there? You put yourself out there, and obviously you were not prepared because you got it thrown on you. But did that influence your music career moving forward, kind of how you approach things?

[Trent Harmon]

Yeah. I realized pretty quickly I wasn't. It takes so much more than being a good singer.

[Savannah]

Yeah.

[Trent Harmon]

A lot of people can sing. Well, we're in Nashville. You throw a rock out the door, and you're gonna hit three people that can sing five octaves, you know? But, like, you had to learn how to save certain songs for certain moments. You don't just go with your best pitch because it's the time to do it like you. And I didn't know all that. I just thought, go out there, sing the best you can, and you'll do well. And that's. It's a long game. It's a marathon.

[Savannah]

Yeah.

[Trent Harmon]

Yeah.

[Savannah]

And so, obviously, like, you know, throughout the years and you've been kind of crafting what you do best and learning yourself and your voice, it led you to idle. And what was that experience like? Like your first audition on Idol Again,

[Trent Harmon]

I don't know if this is a common theme or if I have bad friends or really good friends. I was kind of tricked into auditioning for it. I'd flown in from a mission trip that I was on with some friends from college, and now my wife, Kat, girlfriend at the time, she said, tomorrow, American Idol is going to have auditions across the street. From, like, her neighborhood right over there. And we're going to go audition, she said, and just to be fair, I'm going to audition too. And she's not musically inclined really, to sing. She doesn't sing like that. She said, but I'm going to do it, too. So if I do it, you have to do it.

[Savannah]

Wow. Now, that is a good partner.

[Trent Harmon]

It was. It was. She put herself out there, so I had to.

[Savannah]

Wow. And obviously, you were very well received.

[Trent Harmon]

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, this was like cattle call, you know, there's 10. I think 10,000 people showed up, so I thought, surely I'm good enough to make one out of 10,000. And I did. And that brought us, you know, it slowly. I think a lot of people think you just jump right in front of the judges, the TV spot. But that's. I don't know. There's probably 12 or 15 or 20 cuts before that.

[Savannah]

Wow. See, I had no idea. So it's not just what people see, right? People watch on TV and they see these aud. That's not the first place you land.

[Trent Harmon]

Ooh. What you said right there. It's not what people see.

[Savannah]

Yeah, it's not what people see. And so during your Idol journey, obviously you made it to Hollywood week, and that week was tough. You ended up with mono. Correct.

[Trent Harmon]

I had mono. I had mono real bad, too, Savannah. I had strip and mono, and I was kind of, like, doing the COVID thing. Protocol. Before COVID I just lived in one room about half the size of the studio here, and it had a bathroom, and that's where I had to go.

[Savannah]

They literally locked you in a bathroom.

[Trent Harmon]

Well, that was the deal. If you want to stay on the show, you got to live in this room.

[Savannah]

Yeah. And two and something that I did point out that you were the last American Idol winner on Fox. I did say April 7, but I didn't say the year. I think that's really important, which was 2016. So when you just made that comment about, you know, Covid, before COVID you really were. You were locked in a bathroom.

[Trent Harmon]

And for about three months, yeah, I lived in that room. And they would wall me to my hotel room after everything would wrap. But I lived in that bathroom at the Chinese Theater there in downtown la. I couldn't use other microphones, like if I had mono. And then you use the mic now, you can't host your podcast, so multiply that times 30 contestants.

[Savannah]

And so how did you end up performing the group Realm solo?

[Trent Harmon]

I did it. I asked him. I said you know, I wouldn't say it's an unfair advantage. It's just probably I'm not going to make it through, but can I. I haven't broken a rule.

[Savannah]

Yeah.

[Trent Harmon]

Can I go sing? I made it this far and they said, you can sing, but, man, you got to do really well. Like, for them to say, I think he's. I think we should let him through. But I did. I had to. I had to. Yeah.

[Savannah]

And you went and sang, and how was that performance perceived?

[Trent Harmon]

Uh, odd. I remember them saying, man, you're gonna have to learn how to move around a whole lot to be three people on a stage. And I'm not a dancer, but I had to move a lot. You know, I had to show them that if. If they let me through, that it was. That they should.

[Savannah]

Yeah.

[Trent Harmon]

Don't make it easy to cut me.

[Savannah]

No. And most people would not have shown up in the condition you were in.

[Trent Harmon]

They were escorting me to the airport like I was getting cut just for being a liability. And I don't know, something within me, I don't know if it was the Lord or if it was my internal attorney said, you haven't broken a rule. Yeah, fight back. Like, tell them I haven't broken a rule. Let me sing until I get cut.

[Savannah]

Wow. Good for you. Sometimes it takes that fight, right, to stay in it. Now I do see you brought your leather bound journal. Yeah, I brought it where you wrote down every criticism the judges gave you.

[Trent Harmon]

Yeah.

[Savannah]

And so can you tell me about that?

[Trent Harmon]

Yeah, I've got it over there. You know, I hold myself to a pretty high set of standards and I try to hold the people around me to it to a degree. And so, you know, I wanted them to be consistent with the critiques that they were giving me. So if they said, hey, open your mouth when you sing, I can't understand what you say. So I'd write it down and I dated the time and who said it. Well, then three nights later, hey, your mouth is too big. Close your mouth. It's too. I said, well, three days prior, it was the opposite. So which one do you want me to do?

[Savannah]

Yeah.

[Trent Harmon]

And so, you know, people tend to remind you of what you said on socials. Not you, but just people.

[Savannah]

Yeah.

[Trent Harmon]

So I tried to keep it consistent across the board and it really served me well for years. I go back and look at that and.

[Savannah]

Really?

[Trent Harmon]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Savannah]

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[Trent Harmon]

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[Savannah]

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[Trent Harmon]

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[Savannah]

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[Savannah]

of the criticisms that they gave. Did you see, did you understand what they were saying or was some of it kind of off the wall at times? Just. Did some of it feel like they just criticize you because they had to give something?

[Trent Harmon]

Sometimes.

[Savannah]

Yeah.

[Trent Harmon]

Yeah. Sometimes I think I had somebody in particular tell me that my jaw movement or something would cause me to be paralyzed in my voice. And I, I kind of freaked out at first. Then I had a vocal instructor say that's, that's not real.

[Savannah]

Yeah.

[Trent Harmon]

I don't know what he's talking about, but that's not possible.

[Savannah]

That's crazy.

[Trent Harmon]

You know, but you got to say something.

[Savannah]

Yeah.

[Trent Harmon]

I mean, you know, you have to talk.

[Savannah]

You have to.

[Trent Harmon]

You have to speak.

[Savannah]

Exactly. So April 7, 2016, you won the last Fox season ever. Did that feel like at the time, did that feel like the golden ticket for you? Or did it feel more so like just added pressure?

[Trent Harmon]

I mean, they roll out this team of people. They roll out a wardrobe they wore, they roll out all these opportunities that you're about to go be the face of. And you. I haven't talked about this a lot. That is to say at all.

[Savannah]

Yeah. You have not. I want to preface this by saying this will be the first time you, Trent Harmon, have ever spoken about what has gone on on Idol and where things stand moving forward.

[Trent Harmon]

Yeah. And also just I Think this is noteworthy. I didn't know this until I looked it up. Tonight is the finale of the show.

[Savannah]

Wow.

[Trent Harmon]

So that's kinda kind of full circle. It is tonight, like at 8 o' clock here in Nashville. I think maybe in LA, but most of it's been in Nashville this year.

[Savannah]

That's crazy. So tonight will be the finale.

[Trent Harmon]

Yeah, yeah.

[Savannah]

That is in.

[Trent Harmon]

I mean, that's full circle. Ten years to the day.

[Savannah]

That is such a God moment. I say that is a God moment. They are having their finale tonight. You are getting to tell your story of your finale.

[Trent Harmon]

I didn't answer your question. You know, in that moment, you're not thinking like an attorney. You're just thinking, this is huge. I don't have to work anymore. My driveway is going to look different. My kids, if I have kids, they're going to have opportunities because of this opportunity.

[Savannah]

Yeah.

[Trent Harmon]

Someone did say, don't think you are. Just everything is fixed and like you got to start over in the morning every day and work hard. Which I wasn't stranger to that, but I wasn't prepared for a lot of the hamstringing that happened. I don't know if that word makes sense, but a lot of the stuff that for sure.

[Savannah]

Well, I think you know something that you've never said publicly, that obviously I've heard through you and your team. As the last American Idol winner on Fox In April of 2016, season 15, you were promised $200,000 on top of a recording contract. You got $100,000 of that.

[Trent Harmon]

Yeah, I actually, I didn't keep this. I haven't sat on this for 10 years. I was just looking for some batteries. Last night. I found the original contract.

[Savannah]

Stop.

[Trent Harmon]

Like Jesus as my witness, I did not keep up with this for 10 years. It was there. Wow. That's. That's it. Just ignore that first page. None of. They didn't do any of that stuff.

[Savannah]

Well, so you were promised $200,000. You got a hundred thousand of that and the other hundred thousand never came.

[Trent Harmon]

Yeah, just turn the page. You'll see, you'll see that rule right there. Oh, there it is. Yeah.

[Savannah]

Yeah. Second contract period winner. A hundred thousand within seven days of the winning and a hundred thousand of delivery of the album to be recorded and the second contract period.

[Trent Harmon]

So you, you get $100,000 for winning the show within seven days.

[Savannah]

This is great. You can see this contract's gone through hell. You've definitely had this for a while.

[Trent Harmon]

There's coffee stains and stuff on it.

[Savannah]

So. So what happened there. So you got a hundred thousand.

[Trent Harmon]

And then I got $100,000. And I remember where I was. I didn't have a place here in Nashville yet. I was still staying at a hotel. And within just a few days, a story broke that Idol had filed for bankruptcy. And I wasn't on socials at that moment. I was on the west coast. And I got a friend from a call from a friend on the East Coast. He said, you need to get online right now. And, like, I think this is going to affect you. And I said, I don't know, man. Then I got a call from my assigned manager and my assigned attorney that said, hey, nothing's going to change. Everything is going to be just like it was. And I don't know about you, but in my experience, when somebody says that, literally everything is about to change, everything

[Savannah]

is about to change.

[Trent Harmon]

Common sense told me that. But I received that $100,000 with a hook that said, hey, hold on to this. Hold on to this money, because this is the first hundred thousand dollars you're supposed to win. 200. The first hundred thousand is for winning. The second one is for delivering songs, whether you write them or buy them or whatever you do. But the first 100 came with a note that said, hold on to this money. Don't do with it, because we may have to take it away from you to pay people that we owe through bankruptcy.

[Savannah]

Wow.

[Trent Harmon]

And so I already knew. And I still have that piece of paper. I have a picture of it, that. That may be the only piece of paper. I still have hard copy. But, yeah, I thought that ain't supposed to be like, this is my money. They told Everybody. They told 30 million people, like, I won this money and I gotta give it back. I gotta hold onto it. For them to pay their debtors, like, that is insane.

[Savannah]

So when you signed on, you know, when you won and when you went on American Idol, did you know that 19 entertainment and big Machine were collapsing?

[Trent Harmon]

No. And I wanna reiterate, Big Machine was a great partner, top to bottom. They were conjoined for recording purposes, for distribution, but had really nothing to do with the idle side of it.

[Savannah]

Okay?

[Trent Harmon]

And they made that clear. And I want to make that clear. But as far as 19 and their distribution partner, Universal Core Media, whoever that is, if they're even real, you don't file for bankruptcy in a day. These are things that take weeks and months.

[Savannah]

No, stuff like that takes months, years. They had, you know, they didn't find

[Trent Harmon]

that out the day after the show.

[Savannah]

Yeah, yeah. And when did you find out that the rest of the money wasn't coming?

[Trent Harmon]

In my conscience right then I was like, I'm not gonna get anything else. This is not. And if I have to hold on to what they've already given me, this is not good. But I thought I was naive, Savannah. I was 24, 25 when you just won the show.

[Savannah]

Let's face it, American Idol, we all grew up watching it. We all grew up Wednesday nights, whenever it came up.

[Trent Harmon]

Yeah, it was Wednesdays.

[Savannah]

Yeah, it was Wednesdays. At that time, we would be at our TVs. We would watch it. You remember, like, the she bang guy that went on there that, like, viral. Yeah. Like, we all grew up watching this show. The American Idol, in my mind, was the image of kind of the American dream back when I was a child.

[Trent Harmon]

It is the premier talent competition in the United States, maybe in the world. And to see them bookend, well, to

[Savannah]

see what happened and how it happened. Now, whenever you signed your contract, was it because, like, I competed in pageants? Right. So, like, you win a pageant right after you go sign your contract, and then you start doing what you're doing. So I think what's so important to emphasize is that the bankruptcy filing literally came hours after you won.

[Trent Harmon]

Hours.

[Savannah]

So that means those documents were already set in stone, ready to be filed

[Trent Harmon]

months, maybe, who knows, maybe a year prior. And I think it was a large scale. A large scale team effort to consolidate and protect themselves, protect their assets, protect their brand.

[Savannah]

Well, they couldn't have come out in my mind, and I could be wrong, but I. If they would have come out, you know, and filed bankruptcy before the season finale aired, all the advertisers would have pulled out.

[Trent Harmon]

Absolutely. I would have pulled out.

[Savannah]

Yeah.

[Trent Harmon]

Anybody when they're in their right mind, I mean, okay, you're going to do. You're going to do a TV show. Chrisley Knows Best. Here it is. You just signed on. You completed the entire season. But, Savannah, we don't have any money with which to pay you for the work you've already done. You gonna sign on to do another season?

[Savannah]

No.

[Trent Harmon]

You're gonna let any of your siblings sign on to do any work with this network ever?

[Savannah]

No, no.

[Trent Harmon]

And that's. And I may be jumping ahead here, but, like, that's. That's what I want to talk about. I'm not. I'm not bitter. I mean, I don't know.

[Savannah]

I mean, you would have every right to be. But I also think, too, you know, Kelly Clarkson in March of this Year, so just said that Idol lied about her 1 million doll. Jordan Sparks from season 6 said she did get her car. So the pattern is clearly inconsistent. So I think your story definitely adds weight. Right? Like, it's not copying someone else's. You are the first male winner to confirm allegations that have been swirling.

[Trent Harmon]

And I want to say this. First of all, thank you, Kelly, for saying that. Because I sat on this information for 10 years, I don't really know why I didn't want to. Maybe it's because I didn't want to look messy or I didn't want to sound ungrateful because I am grateful for the platform. I'm grateful for the fans that have helped me further my music. But gratitude and holding an entity accountable, Gratitude and accountability can exist in the same sentence.

[Savannah]

They can coexist.

[Trent Harmon]

There's a difference in being publicly supported and privately compensated. Okay. Like, say those two things. And Kelly, when Kelly said what she did, I had a whole me. Like, me, too. Oh, my gosh. She said what I've been wanting to say. And so I think. I think about it like this. And I told my mother or somebody, I said, you think if they didn't give Kelly CLARKSON her money 25 years ago and they didn't give me my money, you think they make good decisions in between those years? Come on.

[Savannah]

Yeah.

[Trent Harmon]

You know, there's just. There's so many more contestants that want to come forward, but I don't know if they're embarrassed like I was or they want to look. They don't want to look ungrateful. There's so many more contestants out there that want to speak on this, and they just have it.

[Savannah]

Well, maybe, you know, and that's. You're. You are going out on a limb, right, and telling your story and telling your truth and, you know, what you believe is the truth. And hopefully when others see that, they'll be able to come forward as well and say, look, this happened to me or that happened to me. And, you know, obviously, after the prize, you know, it cost you a lot, but, you know, we say the prize. The prize of winning, it cost you a lot. But I feel like you do have the redemption story in the midst of all of it.

[Trent Harmon]

Yeah. I mean, this. This made my mama proud. But it sounds. It does sound corny to a lot of people. Like, Jesus is the prize, man. Like, I mean, without especially having having a child now. Like, I. I don't want to say pivoted, but I was just drawn. I've always done worship music, but I've been pulled in that direction for the last several years and I don't know I was able to. You got to realize also Savannah, all of this happened, all of these things that happened, all the bad decisions that they made. Every time I would zig they to try to go where they did, they would zag.

[Savannah]

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[Savannah]

and affiliates, you had your single right there's a girl. It was charting. It was at the very top and then it got pulled off the charts when, you know, everything folded.

[Trent Harmon]

I wasn't doing this just as a nobody that had no music and couldn't write and couldn't sing. They told me to write a single. I wrote a single. It moved top 40, top 30, top 20, top 15. It was moving to top 10. And once you get to top 10, it's almost a lock to be a number one because why waste all the funds to get it to top 10? And they still decided at every venture to drop the ball for anything that would have. Everybody would have won. If your last winner of the show has a number one single, that's huge. And it was. It was top 10 and it was a number one in Nashville right here on Music Row. And they still didn't care enough to. To try to just facilitate some things to help that ball keep rolling. They didn't care. They didn't care.

[Savannah]

And. And not only now at this time did you, you know, you lost the prize, you didn't get paid the hundred grand, but you also lost the song.

[Trent Harmon]

That's right.

[Savannah]

And can you explain that to people that are listening?

[Trent Harmon]

Help me. What do you mean? What?

[Savannah]

Well, I guess you know the song. So when you wrote it, who had ownership of the song?

[Trent Harmon]

Oh, well, did you?

[Savannah]

Did they?

[Trent Harmon]

I wrote it. I wrote it along my co writers here, just about three blocks that way. And it got so tied up between the record Label, distribution and 19Core, which is Idol. And again, I want to say my record label at Big Machine was great. They did everything they could. They shouldered so much of so many things that they didn't have to because I was tethered to a lame duck, if you will. Yeah, I mean, they started taking ownership of different gigs that I would go to that the song was doing well. It just. 19 and Universal were so busy trying to decide who needed to pay for what and who had the least amount of money that nothing happened. I just became a monkey wrench and everything. And I had a hit record on the radio. It would be a lot different if I was just sitting at home asking for my money. I was out working for it.

[Savannah]

Yeah, exactly. And I think, like we already stated, Kelly Clarkson came out and she said her truth about this. She said everything that you had been carrying for decade. And when she came out and said that, how did you feel when you saw and heard that for the first time?

[Trent Harmon]

I didn't believe it at first. Not that I didn't believe Kelly. I just couldn't believe that. You know when somebody says something that you've been thinking for a long time and you have this moment where you're like, I'm not crazy.

[Savannah]

Yes.

[Trent Harmon]

I am not crazy. I'm not the only person that has thought that this person was not right.

[Savannah]

Because Trust me, after 10 years, there had to have been moments in your mind that you're like, am I crazy? Like, why has no one else come out and said, this.

[Trent Harmon]

Yeah. I mean, if I'm the only one, then so be it. But then whenever you have solidarity with someone like a Kelly Clarkson, I mean, Kelly's a party to this. This is. This is wrong. I mean, we have. I have a daughter now, like, and if she wants to sing one day or. I had a little cousin the other day and said, I'm gonna do it. He said, I've had three people ask me if I was you in the last month. I'm gonna. He can sing. I'm gonna go audition for American Idol. And you know how hard it was for me to say, good luck, buddy.

[Savannah]

Yeah.

[Trent Harmon]

I don't want to tell him all of this junk.

[Savannah]

Yeah.

[Trent Harmon]

And this is not just. This is not my opinion. This is not this. Yeah. This is not my story as far as, like, my truth and my version of it. This is what happened. I got the receipts. I have the receipts. Anybody that's watching this want to say otherwise, hit me up. I've got the receipts.

[Savannah]

Yeah. And that's. And that's what I respect. Right. Is you're not just going out here throwing out allegations. You do have the receipts. And how are the people at American Idol or their lawyers treating you now?

[Trent Harmon]

I am the only winner of the show and maybe the only winner of any singing competition that has never been invited back to the show to sing. I don't understand the why. I think it's kind of, you know, when you do something that's not good, when you do a bad thing, for some reason, you tend to push that out of your conscience. You're like, no, I didn't do that. That wasn't me. I don't want to go revisit that. Maybe that's what it is. They know that they handle me and my situation, my career so badly that by bringing me back, they're going to have to answer a lot of questions that they don't want to drudge up.

[Savannah]

Yeah.

[Trent Harmon]

Dredge up. But I'm the only person that's not been invited back to the show to sing. And I asked to. And they said, we don't have room. We don't have. And I have that email also. We don't have room for you.

[Savannah]

Wow.

[Trent Harmon]

Okay. And I had a single that was top 40 that week, a second single moving towards 30, and we don't have room for you on the show.

[Savannah]

Wow. You've spoken about, you know, what was meant for bad. God has used for good. And for people listening, that'd be like, how in the heck could you even say that. Or think that with all that you've gone through, when was that transition for you that you saw? Like, God's going to use this for something good.

[Trent Harmon]

This is going to sound really heavy. I mean, there are literally contestants that have killed themselves off of this show. It's tough to be here and go back to a hometown of 3,000 or 13,000, like, and. And have to tell people, it's not what you think it is. I'm not. I'm not doing what they're telling you I'm doing on tv. It's. I mean, people have taken their life. They've passed away. They had. I mean, you have the contestant that won in 2020, and I don't know her personally, so I'm not speaking on your name out of pocket, but all of this is documented on social media. Within a year of winning the show, she was back busking on the subway.

[Savannah]

I saw. And she is fantastic. Insanely challenging.

[Trent Harmon]

She was back working at Starbucks. What kind of message does that send to the. I think I've been so busy protecting the brand that, I don't know, I just. I got lost in trying to protect the brand and. Why, why, why should I protect them?

[Savannah]

Yeah, no, I mean, you should, I think, you know, there comes a point in time, and my dad's always said this saying, like, when you know better,

[Trent Harmon]

you do better, do better.

[Savannah]

And now you know too much to not do something about it. Because with what you know now, and if you choose not to do something about it, then you become complicit.

[Trent Harmon]

That's right.

[Savannah]

You become now part of the idle machine problem instead of being the one to fix it.

[Trent Harmon]

I've so, so true. I have. I've stayed silent because I wanted to not seem ungrateful, especially for the fans. And people know that if you voted for me or if I've seen you at the grocery store or here in Nashville, I'm appreciative. I love you. Thank you. But I've been so silent that I have protected the Idol image, the branding, and they're not trying to protect the people that build the brand.

[Savannah]

Yeah, exactly.

[Trent Harmon]

I helped them build the brand. Kelly helped them build the brand. They're not helping the people that they're building the brand on the backs of. And that's not an opinion. I mean, we have the winner back at Starbucks. We have the winner that's busking on the subway.

[Savannah]

From the outside looking in, it looks like it's just a machine, you know, and until the next one comes along,

[Trent Harmon]

you know, contestants Are people like. And you say, oh, well, you know, you got exposure. I'm grateful for the exposure. But as soon as the confetti stops falling, as soon as the camera stops rolling, I'm not an attorney. I didn't go to school, I didn't pass the bar. I shouldn't have to flip from artist mindset to attorney mindset. And I'm not talking about six months after the fact. I'm talking about in the six minutes after the fact that the show was over. I'm signing life altering contracts that they,

[Savannah]

that you're signing right then without really knowing what you're signing.

[Trent Harmon]

In a room two rooms over, they're working out the press release for the bankruptcy news to break.

[Savannah]

Yeah, that, that's, that's insane.

[Trent Harmon]

That's a little shady.

[Savannah]

Oh, gosh, I can't even imagine, right. As someone who grew up watching American Idol and you're like, oh, this is like the American dream. This is, your career's gonna skyrocket and it's all gonna be fair and nice

[Trent Harmon]

and loving and you think, no, I've heard the horror stories. But as long as I write a hit song and if, and if it does well and I work hard and I'm nice and I show up and I stay out of trouble, all the bad things that I've heard will not be applicable. Like, it won't happen. I'll outwork it.

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[Trent Harmon]

You said the word a second ago. Machine. It's a machine. It's a machine. And it's hard to take down an entity of that size. And I'm not, I'm not trying to speak vengeance or ill will towards anybody. I'm not speaking bad on anybody. I'm just saying this is.

[Savannah]

Hold people accountable.

[Trent Harmon]

I didn't write the contract.

[Savannah]

No, they wrote the contract. It's very much here. And all your coffee stains.

[Trent Harmon]

My favorite, my favorite email that I received and I came across this on a screenshot. My favorite screenshot email that I received from an executive with the show was my attorney said, guys, you're breaking your own contract. And their response was. And when I got this response, it was December 2018, 19. And I realized there's no hope. This can't be fixed. Their response to that was, we wrote the contract. Of course we know we're breaking it. Of course we know we're in breach. We wrote it. How are you gonna tell us what we don't know? We already know we broke it. And I thought you can't intimidate somebody that doesn't care. No, that's who wins. Whoever cares the least, they win.

[Savannah]

Yeah, I would argue that.

[Trent Harmon]

I would argue it too, in my moment.

[Savannah]

In that moment, you feel that way because it's so. Just hopeless defeating. Right. But then you soon realize it may take 5, 10, 15 years, but the person who cares and the person who truly digs in and holds people accountable wins in the end. And I truly do believe you're on that path. And even in the midst of all that you went through with Idol, you know, you're married, you have a sweet little girl. But that relationship, right, that was also hard. 8 years long distance relationship and very hard.

[Trent Harmon]

Yeah.

[Savannah]

Almost lost her. Maybe ended up in marriage several times.

[Trent Harmon]

Yeah. Kind of got some ultimatums, you know, hey, if you're gonna go. Because. Because of the way that the Idol thing happened, the entire ball dropped after the. After my first single, I had to just be put on hold because no one could. Could decide where I belong. I don't want to pay for his bills. I don't want to pay for that. Not my utility bills. Like, yeah, legal, legal things that need that. That I'm supposed to be taking care of their contract. I want. She said, look, if you've got to do all this over again, you're going to do another radio tour, you got to do another single tour. I'm going to Thailand. And she went to Thailand to work and I, you know, to teach. She's a kindergarten teacher and I didn't know if I'd ever see her again. And. And I thought, man, I've got these yahoos at this show are going to cost me somebody I've known for my. Almost my whole life, my whole adult life. But it didn't, you know.

[Savannah]

And you. What. What was the story about you almost canceling a writing session after that?

[Trent Harmon]

Yeah, I did. I almost canceled it instead.

[Savannah]

The day she told you, right?

[Trent Harmon]

Yep, yep. But I didn't, I didn't. I kept a session and went in and I remember my co writers that day and I told them what happened and we wrote a. We wrote the next single. We wrote that single that I called.

[Savannah]

You got them all.

[Trent Harmon]

You got them all. I called. I called. I emailed the executive that books the show at Idle, and I said, look, I've written a great song. I'd love to come sing it. I know the finale's in a couple of weeks. It's charting top 40, moving to top 30. I'm the winner. The winner is supposed to come back. And that's when I received the. You know, I told you, we don't. We don't have a space for you.

[Savannah]

Okay, all right, well, guess what? Then I will make space for myself. It's not gonna be what they like in the end.

[Trent Harmon]

That's right.

[Savannah]

And so even throughout, you know, you wrote that song. It was a huge success. You had the big machine deal. Chart success, and then you chose to walk away. Walk away from country music at the time.

[Trent Harmon]

Yeah. Yeah, I did. And I want to say again, Big Machine was so gracious. I just.

[Savannah]

Big machine, you know, and like you said, they were so gracious to you, and they stepped in. But unfortunately, the whole Idol journey, I feel like, just tainted everything at that point in time for you.

[Trent Harmon]

It did. And I told them that exact thing, Savannah. I said, I can't. Can't. I've been through the ringer for the last three years. It's supposed to be the best three years. It's probably been the worst. And I can't. I can't go back on the road. I'm going to be a bad look for the company. It's not going to be the version of me that I want people to know. And so they allowed me to write for them as a staff writer, which was just a great job for a young person in Nashville, and I loved it, and I'm still riding here in Nashville, and. But, yeah, it really. It really tainted the whole just. I mean, how could it not? You win. You win something, and instead, it's almost like you lost. You lost. I lost a lot of who I was. I'm. Yeah.

[Savannah]

And in the midst of all of that, you know, the toll that it took on your mental health had to have been extremely difficult.

[Trent Harmon]

Oh, man. I realized not too long ago, actually, that. That I'm like, man, I'm up at 2 in the morning talking to Cat. I'm talking to people, and I don't talk about it a lot, but when I do, I tend to just word vomit a lot of this stuff out. I'm like, man, I'm talking to People that aren't qualified to listen and give me advice on this. And I don't know this is oversharing or what, but I've. I've really worked through a lot of this with therapy.

[Savannah]

Yeah.

[Trent Harmon]

I had to. I was.

[Savannah]

Well, there has to be a lot of PTSD surrounding it all.

[Trent Harmon]

Oh, you don't trust anybody. How could you trust anyone? After contractually, you find out, well, these things mean nothing.

[Savannah]

Yeah. And, you know, like I said, you left country music, but now you found yourself in a different lane. And you have stated before, every time I led worship, I felt fulfillment I never found on a country stage.

[Trent Harmon]

Yeah.

[Savannah]

Can you explain that?

[Trent Harmon]

Somebody said one time, you know, once you leave the stage after a show, whether it's country rock, whatever, this. The stage is, you. You kind of feel empty. And if I'm wrong, we wouldn't have artists going back to the bar, back to the hotel. Someone's. Someone's OD'd, someone's passed out. Where you're empty, you leave it all on the stage. That's. That's. That's what you're supposed to do. It's your job to give it all this, man. When you lead worship, when you're a part of something spiritual, you don't feel empty, you feel fulfillment, you feel full. You don't feel the need to go plug a hole that there's something missing. And I. That's the space I'm going to live in between, like, my years. Can live with that. When I go to bed at night, I can live there. I can't live in the other space. Space.

[Savannah]

And you have an album, Scars and Sins came out May of 2025, and you kind of made a public declaration that you're done chasing the radio spins. What. What does that mean?

[Trent Harmon]

I made that video. So I posted that video right after I played Red Rocks, which.

[Savannah]

Which is a very iconic.

[Trent Harmon]

I mean, played Red Rocks, like. Like, just to say that is huge. And right after I got off stage at Red Rocks, I felt just like I did when I was, like, I don't know, 16 years old, and I just played my last tournament baseball on Sunday. And I thought, man, I just struck out or I threw a bad pitch and I thought, you know why this is happening? Because I'm not supposed to be here. I'm not supposed to be here. We're supposed to be at church. We grew up going to church. And the Red Rock show, I think it was on like a Sunday night or Saturday night, and we all missed church. And. And I Thought it doesn't feel right. I'm not happy. And I made a video in 2018, and I posted it in 2025, so it was seven years old, but it was, you know, continuity was there. And I posted it and said, hey, I'm not supposed to be doing this. I don't know when I'm going to get the nerve to actually make the transition to Christian music, but I'm going to do it one day. And now I'm doing it. And it's awesome.

[Savannah]

I love that. And again, like, you just pointed out that time frame, right. Of when you recorded that versus when you put it out, saying, I know I'm not supposed to be doing this. I'm going to make the transition. But when is it like God will take the pain that you go through and turn it into purpose?

[Trent Harmon]

Yes.

[Savannah]

But sometimes we need those hard steps along the way to help us appreciate what we have today.

[Trent Harmon]

Sister Savannah preaching over here, y'.

[Savannah]

All.

[Trent Harmon]

I'm telling you. Wow. Yeah. No, that's true. Everything you said is true. Yeah.

[Savannah]

And so now you are in the world of Christian music. Your album came out last year and, you know, you got married in 2019, right, and then you had your full ceremony in 2020.

[Trent Harmon]

Yeah, we got married at the courthouse right over here. Davidson County. Yeah. She went to work right afterwards, and I went to co write.

[Savannah]

Stop. That is amazing. And so what would you say partnership looks like for you two in your marriage today?

[Trent Harmon]

So she's a kid's pastor. She works for the church.

[Savannah]

Wow.

[Trent Harmon]

So we. It's kind of as corny as it sounds. It just. It's pretty easy. I mean, I'm writing for the church and she works for the church, and our daughter is in church a lot. And, I don't know, once you have a child, you realize there's a lot of places, there's more places that I don't want my child to be than there are than I want them to be outside of our house. And church is a really good second home for her to be. So that's our partnership. We keep her there.

[Savannah]

Has being a dad changed how you think about music and life and just the art that you're putting out, every

[Trent Harmon]

post, every video, everything that I say on camera. Even driving here today, I thought, okay, now Dolly's two. She's probably gonna have a phone in about eight or 10 years. I hope not, but that's probably the truth. She's probably going to watch something one day. And I think about everything that I say because, I mean, yeah, it's for. For the folks that are on socials, but, like, my daughter's gonna log on one day and see all these things and. Yeah, so every song I write, I just put a song out Friday called

[Savannah]

Mercy, and I just listened to it last night. Yes, it's amazing.

[Trent Harmon]

I wanted Dolly to hear it first. I wanted her to hear it and for her to sing it and feel what I was trying to convey in that song. So, yeah, if your daughter loves it, it sounds so corny, but it is a win, man. That's a win.

[Savannah]

That's amazing. So Christian music, you know, Christian music, crossover worship culture. Why is worship. Why do you think worship music is kind of having its moment right now? I feel like there's been kind of a resurgence in the past few years.

[Trent Harmon]

There has been. Absolutely there has been. I mean, you have the. You have all of the things. Anybody that wanted to do, anything that they wanted to do, they could do it during the COVID period. Whatever you want to do if you wanted to stay home and do nothing or go travel the world. And I feel like a lot of people checked everything off of their bucket list, but I don't know that. And for a lot of people, we weren't able to go to church. You weren't able to worship. It was. Everything was online. And I don't know, it's like there's something authentic that people did not get for that two, three, four year period. They didn't get it. And now that they're getting it, it's what you were looking for. It's like you didn't know you were looking for this, but when you found it, I don't know, it sounds weird. Like when you put on a pair of jeans or something that just fits perfectly and you thought, oh, this, this right here, this is what I was supposed to be wearing today. I didn't even know it. And that's kind of how it is. People that are walking into church.

[Savannah]

Well, I've said, like, especially after Covid, right. People. It seemed like people came out of that time and they were just longing for something to believe in.

[Trent Harmon]

That's right.

[Savannah]

Something to believe in.

[Trent Harmon]

Hopeful.

[Savannah]

Yeah. Like we people needed something to give them hope. I, you know, I have you here today. I've had Ann Wilson on the podcast and love her and her story and strength. And I think. But I also think that people are tired. Cause I know I am. I'll just speak for myself. I know I am tired of seeing these Christian artists or influencers come out. And you know, I live a picture perfect life, and life is great. And if you follow God, your life is gonna be amazing. And I'm tired of hearing that because I'm like, that is not the truth. When you choose to follow Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I'm going to argue that it's going to get harder before it gets easier, because the devil's going to come after you.

[Trent Harmon]

It may never get easier. And now you say, well, then why do it? Johnny Cash one time said, my dad always reminds me of this, and I'll get the quote wrong, but he said, you know, doing everything that I did is easy. It's easy to do all the pills and all the drugs and be face down drunk and get up and do a show. He said, it's tough to be a Christian. And I thought, that's Johnny Cash. I mean, yeah, I mean, those are words. He said that. And it's so true. It's. It's so true to live, to live a life like Christ and, and then to have the wherewithal to see. You know, sometimes I just take for granted. Man, Man, I'm healthy, my daughter's healthy, my family's healthy. I drove here in a nice vehicle today. Things are looking up, but what about when they're not? Yeah, that's when you're tested. That's when your Christian character is tested. What about when they're not? And I think a lot of people are seeing that they can fall back on the church, fall back on their faith when things are not. You can't really fall back on the bar forever. You can for a second, but you can't really fall back on other types of music. You can, but it will let you down eventually. Even in the ugly. Christian music will be there for you. And I like living in that space.

[Savannah]

Like I said, it definitely gives. It definitely gives hope. We are seeing a lot of artists leaving the spotlight for mental health purposes. More artists are walking away than we have seen before. I think it definitely hit people. When you saw Justin Bieber, you know, a few years back, walk away, a tour that was already set and especially at his caliber, canceled it. Walking away. Would you say the industry is changing or are people just kind of waking up to it?

[Trent Harmon]

When we say people, you mean artists? The artists?

[Savannah]

Yeah,

[Trent Harmon]

I think. And again, not qualified to speak on some of these things. But if, you know, I'm an artist, I have an opinion in the, in the environment. I think artists are finally, finally have the. Finally have the ability, have the voice to say, I'm not okay.

[Savannah]

Yeah.

[Trent Harmon]

And if you're not okay with that, you're probably not on my team. I'm not okay. I can't wake up and take care of my daughter, my wife, myself. I can't do it. So how can I listen to you talk about X, Y and Z at my meet and greet for three hours and then go put on a three hour concert? I can't do it. I can't even decide whether or not to get out of the bed today. And man, it was, it's, it was, I don't know, 10 years ago. It was just so much easier to fake that. I mean, you see, you see the, you know, Chris Cornell and, and, and the, the Chesters from, from Lincoln park and you see all those guys that were the premier voices, like some of the best voices of all time.

[Savannah]

Yeah.

[Trent Harmon]

They just, they, they didn't say anything was wrong. You better say something's wrong. I think people are more open and willing to say, take a minute, we want you around for the next tour. It's okay, we'll take a rain check.

[Savannah]

I think, you know, something that I have continued to say time and time again is it's okay to not be okay.

[Trent Harmon]

That's right.

[Savannah]

It's okay to not be okay. And more people need to realize that. I also think too, more of the fans need to kind of give some grace and realize that these aren't just songs, these aren't just words. This is time and energy and emotional energy. And these tours take, take so much out of you performers that, and unfortunately, these record labels can be as good as they possibly can to you, but at the end of the day, you're just a number to them.

[Trent Harmon]

It's a lot like a. You know, I have spoken well of the label that I wrote for and recorded for, but I will say, and it's not just that label, it's all labels. I've always equated it to a racehorse. Racehorse. When you're winning, you're our guy. Okay? We don't even have another guy. First of all, that's not true. Everybody's got a stable and it's full, but as soon as they think there's a crack in the hoof, they're worried. And as soon as you break a leg, they're not really worried anymore because you're off, you're done.

[Savannah]

They've already found your talking to the new guy.

[Trent Harmon]

And just, you know, keep that, keep that in mind. I don't know that I always did, but it's true. It's true. Like, as long as you can run, as long as you can race, you have a place at the table, but as soon as you can't. Man, we're fresh out of food. We don't have any. I'm sorry. Maybe there's something out back. I don't know. And always said you find out that you don't have a record deal anymore whenever you're, whenever you stop getting emails.

[Savannah]

Yeah.

[Trent Harmon]

When your key card stops working, you don't really have like a formal thing, you know? Yeah, it's. Oh, yeah. Where's that? I'm not getting. Get the email. My key card. Oh, that's how you find out.

[Savannah]

That's crazy. I was actually just with a guy who was on like a soap for forever and when, I mean, I think he was on it for like 20, 30 years, like general Hospital is what it was. And he said when he, when they didn't renew his contract and he was just kind of like a ancillary cast, you know, he would just maybe once every few episodes show up. He pulled up to the front gate at the studios and the guy was like, yeah, I'm gonna need your id. And he goes, what are you talking about?

[Trent Harmon]

You know me.

[Savannah]

We've been doing this for 20, 30 years. And he was like, it's just the policy now. He was like, the moment that contract ends, you become null and void. And so, so we spoke all about the Idol mishaps and the treatment and kind of everything that's going on. You got 100,000 and then the other hundred thousand just didn't show up. You had a song that was charting and it was supposed to make it to number one and never did because it wasn't maybe pushed the right way. There was a lot of dreams that I feel like were kind of stalled and broken. How do you see this Idol story ending for you? What would you like the ending to look like?

[Trent Harmon]

Well, you know, and you said something the same go. You said, you know, whenever you, you pull up to the lot and they say, look, it's just protocol. You're not, you're not on the team. You're not on the roster anymore. So I'll say this with Jesus, it's not like that. It's not like that. It's not like that. And I, I, I exist better in that space where I know that if I, if I mess up, if I'm not performing to the highest of my abilities in my day to day walk, like, I'm not going to get cut. I'm not going to be dropped. I, I, I, there's, there's a reason to hope. And, and, and their names are Kat and Dolly. That's my daughter, Dolly. Jean, if you're watching and, and the dream. I don't know, man. I have a great life. I've had the same two dogs for almost 20 years. Like, you know, I looked at my dog Richard Parker this morning and like I do every day. And I said, I love you, son. I'll see you tomorrow when I get back. Honestly, I would take having something like that in my life over all of the other things coming true because I got to keep. I still have my family, I still have my pets, and we're all healthy.

[Savannah]

But do you want to see American Idol held accountable?

[Trent Harmon]

Absolutely. I think if you commit such a fraudulent act when we're talking about fraud, I don't want to differentiate or define it any other way. Fraud. When you sign someone to a contract and you don't uphold your end of the contract, your contract is null and void. It's breached. It's a paperweight. It's got coffee stains on it. I want the contestants that are on the show, especially the ones that are going to. Somebody's going to win tonight. It sounds so tired and so cliche to say, have your ducks in a row, have an attorney present all that. But like, like it's in your best interest. And if they tell you, hey, your attorney can't come back here, then go get the police because those people are not for you. If they don't want you to have proper representation in place. They're not for you, they're for them. Yeah, but yes, absolutely be held accountable and hold me accountable if anything I've said today is fraudulent. Get at me. You know where I stay. You have my email, but like I said, I keep pretty good receipts.

[Savannah]

Good for you. See, I love a guy and a girl that keeps receipts because we're one

[Trent Harmon]

of one better to have it, not need it.

[Savannah]

Exactly. I love it. So before we wrap up, I want to do a little rapid fire game. So quick. Either or game. You can just answer fast. So, okay, question one. Madison Square Garden or small church? Church.

[Trent Harmon]

Oh, man. For if I, I'm sorry, am I singing or am I going to see somebody?

[Savannah]

No, you're, you're singing. Madison Square Garden or small church?

[Trent Harmon]

Small church. I'm serious.

[Savannah]

Yeah. Billboard Hot 100 or baptism on a Sunday morning?

[Trent Harmon]

I've never had a Billboard Hot 100, so I'm not gonna lie. That'd be awesome.

[Savannah]

See, if you said the other.

[Trent Harmon]

I'm being honest. I'm being honest.

[Savannah]

I'd be like, you're lying. Tour bus or family dinner at the kitchen table.

[Trent Harmon]

Family dinner at the kitchen table. Every time.

[Savannah]

Autographs or anonymity.

[Trent Harmon]

Anonymity.

[Savannah]

5,000 fans screaming or one tear in the back row.

[Trent Harmon]

One tear in the back row.

[Savannah]

Record deal or worship night at home with Cat.

[Trent Harmon]

That one's tough. I love you, Kat. Record deal or worship night?

[Savannah]

We're going.

[Trent Harmon]

Record deal. Let's be honest.

[Savannah]

And then you can have a worship night after.

[Trent Harmon]

She would kick me if I didn't say record deal. Record deal.

[Savannah]

Exactly. Front page of people or the front pew at church?

[Trent Harmon]

Front page of people.

[Savannah]

Grammy nomination or your daughter. Grammy nomination or your daughter calling you daddy for the first time.

[Trent Harmon]

Daughter calling me daddy.

[Savannah]

See, Cat, it the career you had then or the life you have now.

[Trent Harmon]

Oh, that's easy. Life. Life now. Life now.

[Savannah]

I love that. I truly enjoyed having you on today and sharing your story. Thank you. I hope you felt safe enough to tell your story. And we're with you every step of the way. I am all for holding people accountable. Just doing the right thing. And I feel like you're doing the right thing even when it's tough.

[Trent Harmon]

So thank you for having me.

[Savannah]

Yeah, of course. And where can people find you and your music?

[Trent Harmon]

So all of my socials are my name at Trent Harmon or Trent Harmon music.

[Savannah]

Okay. Amazing. And anywhere you listen to music, go find him. It's pretty amazing. I listened to his song last night, actually, at the dinner table with my family. So we listened to Mercy, and it was amazing.

[Trent Harmon]

Thank you so much.

[Savannah]

Of course.

[Trent Harmon]

At first, I didn't think it was real.

[Savannah]

I woke up to this blinding light, and I was transported to another place.

[Trent Harmon]

Pluto tv. Then I heard a voice.

[Savannah]

Come with me if you want to live. There were thousands of movies and shows,

[Trent Harmon]

and they were all free.

[Savannah]

Truth isn't.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

It's just so Beautiful on Pluto TV.

[Trent Harmon]

Free streaming of Terminator 2, Fringe Arrow, the 100, and the X Files may cause excitement, loss of sleep, and sudden belief in extraterrestrials. No credit cards or alien encounters necessary. Pluto TV Stream now pay never.