Evan Honer Has Trained to Never Leave It to the Judges

Evan Honer Has Trained to Never Leave It to the Judges

At this phase of his young music career, Evan Honer is at his happiest when he’s writing sad songs. It’s vulnerable, melancholy melodies found in his hits "Mr. Meyers" and "Foolin’ Ourselves" that have become the 23-year-old’s latest creative compulsion. His soft, folksy riffs seem to be catching on, as millions of fans have already flocked to his music on the internet.

"They’re really just easier to write," he says. "I think I gravitate toward writing sadder melodies. It’s kind of just whatever I feel inspired or experienced. I hope that there’s some happy songs that I write in the future, but it’s a sad song theme right now."

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As his history suggests, when Honer obsessively locks in on an objective, the result is usually excellence. The Arizona native, who now calls Nashville home, has gone from promising gymnastics prodigy to All-conference diver to now universally recognized folk-country recording artist. Currently, in the middle of the U.S. "Nowhere Fast" tour in support of his recently released album "Fighting For", Evan Honer is playing to sold-out crowds and racking up millions of streams on Spotify.

Growing Up in Competition

Growing up in Surprise, AZ, about 45 miles northwest of Phoenix, Honer’s first brush with competition was as an elementary school student. He became consumed by the athleticism and dedication required for gymnastics, and by age 10, Honer had become an Arizona regionals champion. By age 13, however, he had already fallen out of love with gymnastics. He then turned his attention to trampoline and playing the guitar. "I was a pretty good gymnast," he says, "but I just got burnt out and wanted to try other things like music."

When he entered high school, he tried out for the diving team, although he didn’t know much about the sport. "I wasn’t too familiar with it," he says. "But with my [gymnastics] background, I was able to pick it up pretty fast."

Cutting Weight to Become All-Conference

However, Honer was talented enough to make it on the WAC Conferences’ California Baptist University (CBU). He says training was totally different—at least 20 hours a week was spent in the pool and in the weightroom. By the end of his freshman year, he could see his talent increase, as well as his body start to shred, dropping 15 pounds. "I was basically just cutting calories, it was the simplest way for me," Honer says. "I just upped my cardio a little bit and then just cut my calories. And it worked for me."

In 2021, Honer earned WAC Diver of the Year honors. He also became the first male diver to ever sweep the WAC championships and setting a new CBU and WAC platform score record. At the same time, he qualified for the WAC all-Academic Team.

From Trying to Represent America to an ‘American Idol’ Nightmare

After earning all-conference honors, Honer challenged himself to earning a spot at the 2024 Olympics—diving’s highest level. However, during the trials, his score of 369 missed the competition’s cutoff of 380. From there, diving lost its edge in Honer’s busy schedule. "My original plan, since freshman year, was to do a fifth year and try for the [2024] Olympics," he says. "But my senior year, my interests changed."

By his senior season, Honer had developed a deeper passion for music than athletics. By no means was it an overnight transition. His days were spent diving, training, and working on academics. At night, however, Honer spent many college performing at open mics and or local clubs throughout Riverside. "[The city] wasn’t huge on music, but I tried my best," he says.

The more Honer performed, he says more of his inner circle pushed him to reach higher. It was an idea that hadn’t originally registered with him. "At the time I didn’t feel the need to play on the biggest stage in the world," he says. "I was kind of OK with how things were. Then it kind of felt like, yeah, maybe this is possible."

In 2022, Evan Honer took his biggest leap—auditioning for American Idol. After getting the OK from his coach to skip practice, Honer headed to Vegas. In front of the Idol trio of celebrity judges, Honer performed his song, "How Could I Ever." Hoping for the best, Honer wasn’t prepared for how bad the critique turned out. First, Lionel Ritchie said no, then Katy Perry seconded that assessment. However, the third rejection stung the most. Country superstar Luke Bryan told Honer he was better off returning to diving and not risk his scholarship for music.

"That was a tough one, for sure," he admits. "I struggled with that for months. I started thinking that maybe they were right. Here’s three extremely successful people in the industry telling me it’s not worth it. "

Turning Rejection Into Success

Although he continues to pour out a host of sad songs, Evan Honer can now laugh a little about his American Idol experience. Less than a year after being rejected, he’s established a base of a million monthly listeners on Spotify who are streaming his country tunes faster than even he could have anticipated.

"When it comes down to it, nobody has any idea who the next artist will be to blow up," he says. "There’s a lot of people that are going to act like they have it figured out, but truly nobody has it figured out."

He went back to Vegas after the Idol experience and filmed a video for the remake of the Tyler Childers hit "Jersey Giant". The video went viral. Now with a new album and a tour that continues till the rest of the year, he’s grateful for all those fans and followers who stuck with him.

Conclusion

Evan Honer’s journey from gymnastics and diving to music is a testament to his unwavering dedication and perseverance. From a young age, he has been driven to succeed, and his athletic background has given him the resilience to bounce back from setbacks. With his new album and tour, Honer is excited to share his music with the world and to continue pushing the boundaries of his art.

FAQs

Q: What inspires your songwriting?
A: I gravitate toward writing sadder melodies. It’s kind of just whatever I feel inspired or experienced. I hope that there’s some happy songs that I write in the future, but it’s a sad song theme right now.

Q: How do you deal with rejection?
A: I struggled with that for months. I started thinking that maybe they were right. Here’s three extremely successful people in the industry telling me it’s not worth it. But then I realized that nobody has any idea who the next artist will be to blow up, and I’m grateful for all those fans and followers who stuck with me.

Q: What’s your fitness routine like?
A: I went back to running several miles, several days a week to maintain my athletic physique. But I promise when my career builds so will the country muscle.

Q: What’s next for you?
A: I’m currently in the middle of the U.S. "Nowhere Fast" tour in support of my recently released album "Fighting For". I’m excited to share my music with the world and to continue pushing the boundaries of my art.