After his breakout run on American Idol, Lucas Leon is taking time to reflect on the intense experience that helped shape him both personally and professionally. The rising country singer says the competition pushed him harder than ever before, but also gave him confidence for whatever comes next.

The Gallatin, Tennessee native first caught the judges’ attention during Season 24 with his original audition song, “Fall in Love Someday.” Week after week, Leon delivered standout performances that ultimately earned him a place in the Top 7. Now, with the show behind him, he’s focused on building the next chapter of his career.

One of the biggest moments of Leon’s Idol journey came during the season finale, when he returned to the stage alongside country superstar Brad Paisley, one of the show’s guest mentors. Following the performance, Paisley surprised Leon with an invitation to make his Grand Ole Opry debut.

Although an official date has not yet been announced, Leon said the opportunity means everything to him as a lifelong country music fan.

Fresh off graduating high school, Leon is already staying busy. He’s set to perform alongside fellow American Idol contestants at the 19 Recordings showcase in Nashville on June 3 ahead of CMA Fest. He also recently released a brand-new song titled “The Crazy Kind,” an upbeat love track that he says was written simply to be fun.

Looking back on his American Idol experience, Leon described the process as exhausting but rewarding.

“It was a lot of hard work, but it was an awesome experience,” he said. “Bottom line, I’d do it again.”

He explained that competing on live television every week taught him valuable lessons about pressure, preparation, and performing in front of millions of viewers.

Behind the scenes, Leon admitted the reality of the show was far more demanding than fans might realize.

“I think it looks more glamorous than it is,” he said. “It’s stressful. You’ve got to be mentally ready for everything.”

According to Leon, contestants spent long days preparing every detail of their performances, from wardrobe and staging to vocal coaching and song arrangements. On live show days, some contestants had call times as early as 5:30 in the morning.

“You pretty much stay in wardrobe all day,” he explained. “Then you do a full dress rehearsal exactly like the live show.”

Despite the pressure, Leon said one of the highlights of the experience was spending time with Brad Paisley in Hawaii during the mentoring portion of the competition.

“It’s insane to me that I kind of got to just hang out with Brad,” he said. “What a legend.”

As a guitarist himself, Leon praised Paisley’s musical talent and admitted he hopes to one day reach even a small piece of the level Paisley has achieved.

He also revealed that Paisley may have hinted at the Grand Ole Opry invitation earlier than fans realized.

“I think he soft launched the whole Opry thing there,” Leon said. “He said, ‘Hey, maybe come hang out with me.’”

When Paisley officially invited him to perform at the Opry, Leon said it felt surreal, especially because he had recently completed a senior school project focused entirely on the history of country music.

“There’s so much appreciation that I have for that stage,” he said, referring to the Grand Ole Opry and its original home at the Ryman Auditorium. “All the legends that came through there—it’s crazy that I’m hopefully going to get to be in there this year.”

Leon said that in a perfect world, he’d love to perform some original songs during his Opry debut and maybe even share the stage with Paisley again.

Meanwhile, he’s continuing to release new music, including “The Crazy Kind.” Leon described the track as a lighter change of pace compared to some of the deeper emotional songs he usually writes.

“When I went into the writing room that day, I said, ‘Lighten up a little bit. Just write something fun,’” he explained.

Unlike some songs that take days to complete, Leon said “The Crazy Kind” came together quickly and naturally.

“These songs have personalities,” he said. “Sometimes the song writes you.”

Now based in Nashville’s songwriting scene, Leon says he has built a close circle of co-writers he trusts both creatively and personally. He also shared that one of his dream collaborators is John Mayer.

“I want to write with John Mayer really bad,” Leon admitted. “He’s my goat.”

As for what’s next, Leon says he plans to focus heavily on performing live, writing songs, and continuing to grow his career step by step.

“Shows, shows, shows,” he said. “I’m trying to get as many as I possibly can.”

Above all, Leon says American Idol taught him that success does not simply happen on its own.

“Nothing is going to be given to you,” he said. “You’ve got to make it happen.”