Georgia’s own and “American Idol” star Will Moseley takes the stage at Springfield’s historic Mars Theatre Friday for a sold-out show packed with heart, soul, and country swagger.

The performance starts at 7 p.m., but the party kicks off early at 13 STARS Event Venue in Springfield where fans can pregame and wind down from 6–11 p.m. Enjoy food from the “Grillin’ Like a Villin” truck, cold drinks, great vibes, streaming music — and maybe even a surprise visit from Moseley himself.

Before the lights hit the stage, Moseley’s journey to performing for a sold-out crowd is a story of small-town roots, late starts, and unexpected opportunities — a story he shared in an interview about his path from Hazlehurst to “American Idol.”

Most musicians have stories about singing in the church choir as a child, picking up an instrument in school, or starring in a high school musical. For Moseley, the journey didn’t begin until he was in college at Georgia Southern University in nearby Statesboro.

But the instrument that would eventually launch his music career had been in his life long before he ever learned to play it — though no one could have guessed at the time what it would lead to.

When he was 15, his mother asked what he wanted for Christmas. One evening, an ad for Keith Urban’s “30 Songs in 30 Days” guitar package came on TV. He pointed to it and told her that was all he wanted.

She agreed — but with a stipulation: that he actually use it, not just put it away in the closet and forget about it.

“It may — and may is a long shot here — it may have seen New Year’s before it went in the closet,” he said.

And that’s where it sat, collecting dust, until he took it with him to college. He isn’t sure what possessed him to pick it up and start messing around, but he began watching YouTube videos on how to play the guitar. Little by little, he learned techniques and chords.

“I was watching one day, and there was a guy who said, ‘If you start singing while you’re strumming, it’ll make your rhythm better,’” he said. “So that’s why I started singing — to make the rhythm better while I play guitar.”

As he learned, he never sought an audience. But one day, a couple of college roommates overheard him.

“They were like, ‘You know, that ain’t terrible. That actually sounds pretty good,’” he said. “And from there, all the rest of this kind of happened.”

Soon, he branched out further, taking the next step in what would become a whirlwind musical journey. He had learned to play guitar and discovered his singing voice. All that was left to complete the trifecta was songwriting. For that, he turned to his hometown for inspiration.

Small-town roots

 Moseley grew up in Hazlehurst, a close-knit South Georgia town of just over 4,000 people, about 100 miles southwest of Springfield. Known for its railroad roots and surrounded by pine forests and winding rivers, the kind of place where everybody knows everybody.

“When there’s only 4,000 of them, you come in contact with the majority at some point,” he said. “That alone has given me the opportunity to face my dreams and know that people behind me are going to support me for sure.”

Growing up there also meant unique childhood experiences.

“Nobody in a big city is ever going to get to start driving at 10 or 12 years old,” Moseley said. “I got to grow up on my granddaddy’s farm. I just don’t feel like people that grow up in big towns get those same experiences.”

Those small-town experiences inspire his music. When he sees or hears something that could become a song, he jots it down in his phone.

“Then, when I sit down with my guitar, I’ll flip through those ideas until I see one I can expand on, and that’s how a song starts,” he said.

From bulldozers to ‘Idol’

 Before music took over, Moseley was a full-time college student, graduating in May 2023. Summers were spent working for a friend’s company.

“I was learning the bulldozer at the time,” he said. “That’s our joke there — if it don’t work out, I still got that bulldozer.”

His friends had been urging him to audition for “American Idol,” but he kept brushing it off. Then the show came to him. A casting producer spotted him online and reached out directly. He was ready to say no — until his friends convinced him to take the leap.

“I said, ‘I’ll give it a shot, just for them,’” he said. “Just so they don’t have to wonder how far I could have made it. I’ll go ahead and get put out in about the second round of the preliminary auditions, and then we don’t have to hear that anymore about it.”

Every week on the show, he was sure he would be gone. He thought they really didn’t want somebody like him on “Idol,” he said.

Even the night before the Season 22 finale, he was convinced he would come in last.

He recalled standing on stage, waiting for the winner’s name to be announced.

“I didn’t care if I won or got second,” he said. “None of that mattered … It kind of felt like one of those dreams where you feel yourself waking up right at the end of it, and you wish you could stay asleep a little bit longer.”

But this wasn’t a dream. He was awake, and his life was about to change in a way he had never anticipated.

Life after ‘Idol’

Since the show ended, life has been busy but far from the instant success some imagine.

“I think the misconception is that once you come off the show, you have it made,” Moseley said. “That is very far from the truth. If anything, it puts you a step or two ahead in terms of fans — but a step or two behind in the music industry. There’s a weird stigma there.”

The work was just beginning. There’s a schedule to keep, shows to line up, and performances to perfect — always trying to make the next one better than the last. There’s a business side to the industry and the need to produce new music.

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad lifestyle at all,” he said. “But it’s not the fame and fortune that they all sing about either.”

He’s played shows with big names like the Zac Brown Band, Marshall Tucker Band, and Brantley Gilbert. And he still lives in Hazlehurst, with no plans of moving away.

This little Georgia town is where the old men still know him as “that kid who played football in high school, the one always riding around on his Polaris Ranger,” he said.

It’s also where he can kick back, go fishing with his buddies, and get away from the limelight — and find inspiration for new songs.

For his fans and those who haven’t yet heard his music, Moseley has a simple message: “Thank you to everyone who has listened to our music, and everyone that hasn’t — we hope they give it a listen and enjoy what they hear.”