Colton Dixon

Michael Colton Dixon (born October 19, 1991) is an American Christian rock singer-songwriter from Murfreesboro, Tennessee who finished in 7th place on season 11 of American Idol.

American Idol
Dixon had originally tried out for the show in season 10 along with his younger sister Schyler. However, both wound up not making it. For the season 11 auditions, Dixon went with his sister for moral support but got talked into auditioning by the judges, who believed that he was pulling a fast one on them by not auditioning. Both him and Schyler made it to Hollywood, but she ended up getting cut while he progressed through the competition.

Dixon made it to the top 13 on March 1, 2012 and wowed the public with his performances of such songs as the Billy Joel classic, "Piano Man" and "Decode" by Paramore. He was, however, eliminated on April 19, 2012, finishing in 7th place. Some have considered his elimination shocking due to Dixon having never been in the bottom 3 before.

Personal Life
Despite singing a couple of duets together on the show, Dixon and fellow contestant Skylar Laine never dated despite rumors. According to Laine in a post-Idol interview after she was eliminated, she had a boyfriend at the time. Dixon also denied the romance rumors to TVLine.com's Michael Slezak.

Marriage
Dixon married his longtime girlfriend, model/writer Annie Coggeshall, on January 8, 2016 in Nashville. The couple had been dating since 2012.

Post-Idol
After his elimination, Dixon went on several talk shows and was a part of the American Idols Live tour, which kicked off on July 6, 2012 in Detriot, Michigan. One of the songs he got to sing on the tour was an original song that he wrote called "Never Gone", which was one of 11 songs Dixon admitted that he had written after he had been eliminated.

Record deal and first album
On September 6, 2012 Dixon announced that he had signed a deal with EMI CMG Label Group/Sparrow Records. His debut single, "You Are", was released to radio on October 19, 2012. "Never Gone", the song Dixon sang on the Idols Live tour, was released digitally on September 21, 2012.

"Never Gone" became a hit for Dixon, hitting number 1 on the Billboard Christian Songs chart. The song was even covered by season 12 contestant Angela Miller during the semifinals.

His debut album, A Messenger, was released on January 29, 2013 to positive reviews. It debuted at number 15 on the Billboard 200 with 22,000 copies sold in the first week. The album's first single, "You Are", peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Christian Songs Chart. The album has sold 100,000 copies to date as of May 2013. The expanded edition of the album was released on January 7, 2014. Dixon also recorded his version of the holiday classic, "Jingle Bells", which debuted at number 30 on the Christian Adult Comtemporary chart.

A Messenger won Dixon a GMA Dove Award for Best Rock/Comtemporary Album of the Year.

Tour
Dixon opened for his friend, Jessica Sanchez, for her debut solo concert on February 14, 2013 in Quezon City, Philippines. He later embarked on a 45-city concert tour, which started on February 21, 2013, opening for the popular Christian rock band Third Day. He even got a chance to tour with Grammy Award-winning Christian rapper tobyMac on his Hits Deep tour, which kicked off in November 2013. Dixon was a part of the Winter Jam Tour, which kicked off on January 4, 2014 in Charleston, West Virginia.

Dixon returned to American Idol on March 28, 2013 to perform his latest single, "Love Has Come for Me".

Anchor (2014-2015)
Dixon's second album, Anchor, was released on August 19, 2014. The album's first single, "More of You", became a hit, peaking at number 9 on the Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart. The album has sold almost 10,000 copies.

Anchor won Dixon his second GMA Dove Award for Best Rock/Comtemporary Album of the Year.

Calm and Storm EPs and The Calm Before the Storm (2015-present)
Dixon announced that he would be releasing two EPs, Calm and Storm, on iTunes on September 11, 2015. A full length album, The Calm Before the Storm, was released the same day.

Discography
EPs:


 * Calm (2015)
 * Storm(2015)

Albums:


 * A Messenger (2013)
 * Anchor (2014)
 * The Calm Before the Storm (2015)

Singles:


 * "Never Gone" (2012)
 * "You Are" (2012)
 * "Love Has Come For Me" (2012)
 * "Jingle Bells" (2013)