Drake Milligan brings a distinctive twang and swagger to his work as both actor and singer, grounding his sound in traditional country. After working as an Elvis Presley impersonator, he portrayed the iconic figure in a CMT miniseries. His first full-length album, Dallas/Fort Worth, arrived in 2022, followed by additional singles the subsequent year, among them “I Got a Problem,” which appeared on Billboard’s Hot Digital Songs chart.
Born and raised in Texas, Milligan lists Merle Haggard and Elvis Presley among his earliest inspirations. He first drew widespread attention in 2017 by playing Elvis in the CMT production Sun Records. After an unsuccessful run on season 16 of American Idol, he moved to Nashville in 2018 and later signed with BBR Music Group. His self-titled debut EP surfaced in 2021 and featured the charting tracks “Sounds Like Something I’d Do” and “Over Drinkin’ Under Thinkin’.” In 2022 he competed on season 17 of America’s Got Talent, ultimately placing third.
That same year Stony Creek Records issued his inaugural long-form project, the 14-track double album Dallas/Fort Worth, which incorporated every cut from the earlier EP plus fresh material such as “Don’t Look Down” and “Goin’ Down Swingin’,” the latter featuring country legend Vince Gill. Milligan teamed with the Reklaws for the 2023 single “Honky Tonkin’ About,” then issued “Don’t Leave Me Loving You” and the Billboard-charting “I Got a Problem.”
