Clark Beckham (born May 15, 1992) is an American singer from White House, Tennessee who was the runner-Up on season 14 of American Idol.
Background[]
Before trying out for Idol, Clark graduated from Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee with a degree in history and was also working as a street musician. He had intended to audition for Idol when he was 18 but decided against it.
Musical influences[]
Clark cites Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Al Green, Michael Jackson and Michael Buble as his musical influences.
American Idol[]
Beckham auditioned in Nashville with James Brown's "It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World" and earned a ticket to Hollywood. While in Hollywood he advanced passed the Group Rounds and sang "Try a Little Tenderness" by Otis Reding for his final Hollywood performance. He advanced into Showcase Week where he performed "Georgia on My Mind" by Ray Charles. He was given a spot in the Top 24 and performed "When a Man Loves a Woman" by Percy Sledge. He advanced into the Top 16 where he performed The Miracles' "The Tracks of My Tears" and was voted into the Finals. During the Top 12, he performed "It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World" by James Brown and advanced to the Top 11. During the Top 11, he performed "Takin' It to the Streets" by The Doobie Brothers and "Sunday Morning" by Maroon 5. He advanced to the Top 9 where he sang "Every Breath You Take" by The Police. For the Top 8, he performed "The Trouble with Love Is" by Kelly Clarkson for Kelly Clarkson week, which resulted in him making it to the next week. He then took on "Make It Rain" by Ed Sheeran for Billboard Hits Week and was voted into the Top 6. With much praise, he performed "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder and "Moon River" by Audrey Hepbrun and was declared safe. For the Top 5, he performed "Yesterday" by The Beatles and "Boyfriend" by Justin Bieber. After being voted through to the Top 4, he performed "Living for the City" by Stevie Wonder and Josh Turner's "Your Man". During the Top 3, the contestants had to perform songs of Scott Borchetta's Choice, the Judges' Choice, and their Hometown's Choice to compete in the finale. For Scott Borchetta's Choice, he performed "Beautiful Day" by U2. For the Judges' Choice he performed "(Sittin' On) the Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding. Finally, for his Hometown's Choice he performed "Earned It" by The Weekend. He was voted into the Final 2 with fellow contestant Nick Fradiani on May 12, 2015. For the Top 2, he performed "Georgia on my Mind" by Ray Charles, "Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers, and his winner single "Champion". He was announced as the Runner-Up of Season 14 making fellow contestant Nick Fradiani the winner on May 13, 2015.
Performances[]
| Episode | Theme | Song choice | Original artist | Order # | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audition | Auditioner's Choice | "It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World" | James Brown | N/A | Advanced |
| Hollywood Round, Part 1 | A Capella | "Let's Get It On" | Marvin Gaye | N/A | Advanced |
| Hollywood Round, Part 2 | Group Performance | "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" | Stevie Wonder | N/A | Advanced |
| Hollywood Round, Part 3 | Solo | "Try a Little Tenderness" | Otis Redding | N/A | Advanced |
| Showcase Week | Personal Choice | "Georgia on My Mind" | Ray Charles | N/A | Advanced |
| Top 24 | Contestant's Choice | "When a Man Loves a Woman" | Percy Sledge | 11 | Advanced |
| Top 16 | Motown | "The Tracks of My Tears" | The Miracles | 9 | Advanced |
| Top 12 | Back to the Start | "It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World" | James Brown | 9 | Safe |
| Top 11 (first week) | Get the Party Started | "Takin' It to the Streets" | The Doobie Brothers | 4 | Safe |
| Top 11 (second week) | Songs from the Movies | "Sunday Morning" | Maroon 5 | 9 | Safe |
| Top 9 | 80s Night | "Every Breath You Take" | The Police | 7 | Safe |
| Top 8 | Kelly Clarkson | "The Trouble with Love Is" | Kelly Clarkson | 7 | Safe |
| Top 7 | Billboard Top 100 Hits | "Make It Rain" | Ed Sheeran | 5 | Safe |
| Top 6 | American Classics | "Superstition" | Stevie Wonder | 2 | Safe |
| "Moon River" | Audrey Hepburn | 7 | |||
| Top 5 | Arena Anthems | "Yesterday" | The Beatles | 3 | Safe |
| "Boyfriend" | Justin Bieber | 8 | |||
| Top 4 | Judge's Hometown/Soul | "Living for the City" | Stevie Wonder | 1 | Safe |
| "Your Man" | Josh Turner | 5 | |||
| Top 3 | Scott Borchetta's Choice/Judges' Choice/Hometown's Choice | "Beautiful Day" | U2 | 3 | Safe |
| "(Sittin' On) the Dock of the Bay" | Otis Redding | 6 | |||
| "Earned It" | The Weekend | 8 | |||
| Top 2 | Simon Fuller's Choice/Favorite Performance/Winner Single | "Georgia on my Mind" | Ray Charles | 1 | Runner-Up |
| "Ain't No Sunshine" | Bill Withers | 3 | |||
| "Champion" | Clark Beckham | 5 |
Post Idol[]
Clark was a part of the American Idols Live tour, which kicked off on July 7, 2015 in Clearwater, Florida. His first single is called "Champion". Thanks to fan demand, he posted a piano-only version of "Earned It" by The Weeknd on his YouTube channel on June 25, 2015. He also posted a video of himself and singer Abbey Smith singing the John Mayer hit "Gravity" on July 2, 2015.
Official Account[]
- Clark Beckham Twitter
- Clark Beckham Instagram
- Clark Beckham on Insstar.com
- Clark Beckham on Insstars.com
- Clark Beckham on Instagweb.com
- Clark Beckham on Buzzcent.com
Trivia[]
- One of Clark's friends from college is singer Jordan Smith, who won season 9 of The Voice in December 2015.
Discography[]
EPs:
- Clark Beckham (2013)
- Songs About Her (2014)
Singles:
- "Champion" (2015)