American Idol alum Colin Stough proposes to McKenzie Rhett. The couple are engaged!
Colin Stough is engaged. The American Idol 2023 first runner-up popped the question to his girlfriend, McKenzie Rhett.
The country singer posted the news over the weekend, writing on Instagram “Only God knew that a pretty little angel would end up with a tatted up cowpoke,” He continued, “I love you and this life with you and I can’t wait for the miles and the memories we will have to my best friend and my life partner.”
The caption came alongside photos of the happy couple. McKenzie shows off her ring finger in one photo, while Colin cheekily shows off another. Fans may remember the small town Mississippi singer sharing his love of horses on the show, The last few photos feature the couple posing alongside saddled up horses, perhaps before a ride.
McKenzie is also on social media, and posted photos from the actual proposal alongside a caption that simply said, “I love you Colin Stough! My best friend and lover for life. Let’s get married!”
In 2021, McKenzie graduated from a private Christian school, Heritage Academy, Most of the photos she has posted have to do with travel, spending time with her friends, and traveling with Colin. She posted the first photo with the singer in September, 2023.
Colin Stough gets ready to release his sophomore EP, Lookin’ For Home
Amid his engagement, Colin is getting ready to release a new EP, Lookin’ For Home. The set comes out on July 12 via 19 Recordings/BMG Nashville.
“Each one of these songs is a piece of my heart, and they outline trials and tribulations that I’ve been through personally. They’ve made me into who I am today,” Colin shared in a press statement. “The EP title ‘Lookin’ For Home’ comes from that feeling that something is missing – that no matter where you are, who you’re with, or what you’re doing, you feel like you don’t belong, and there’s something just over the horizon that would make it better.”
Lookin’ For Home features six songs and serves as a follow-up to the singer-songwriter’s Promiseland EP debut. The country-rock set deals with everyday themes like work and weekends, and true love and the torment of heartbreak. With Colin featured as a writer on every track, his messy truth often grapples with the dividing line between right and wrong, tradition and ambition, the push and pull between small-town comfort, and the drive to leave his mark on the outside world.
Ahead of the forthcoming EP, Colin released the track “Sober,” about a bitter breakup, which is as far from his real life today as could be.
After learning to play guitar at 8 years old, the Gattman, Mississippi native first pursued music at 10, trading childhood possessions for his first guitar at a local pawn shop. It’s an instrument he still plays to this day. After graduating high school, the singer and self-taught songwriter began working full-time as an HVAC technician, before his mother convinced him to audition for American Idol.
