Noah Thompson would never have signed up for American Idol of his own accord. Fortunately, his best friend went behind his back and signed him up for season 20 auditions. He quickly won judges over with his his audition of Kameron Marlowe’s 2020 hit “Giving You Up,” and continued to gain praise with renditions of “Stand By Me” and “Heartbreak Warfare.” In May 2022, viewers crowned the construction worker from Kentucky as the season 20 winner. Thompson has had a somewhat rocky road since, as he recently parted ways with his record label. But the 22-year-old is now paving his own path to stardom. He recently took a massive stride when he teamed up with one of country music’s biggest names.

Hear the Luke Combs Song Co-Written by This ‘American Idol’ Winner

Like Noah Thompson, Luke Combs also moved to Nashville from Appalachia in pursuit of a music career. That move has certainly worked out in the “Fast Car” singer’s favor, as he continues to win awards and shatter concert attendance records. Recently, Combs released his fifth studio album, Fathers & Sons, on June 14. And the very first song, “Front Door Famous,” credits the season 20 American Idol winner as a songwriter

Thompson told the Huntington, West Virginia-based news outlet The Herald-Dispatch that he started writing “Front Door Famous” two years ago with Nick Columbia and Blake Densmore. The song was inspired by Thompson’s 3-year-old son, Walker.

The trio decided to sit on the song until one night two years later, when Thompson got a text at 11 p.m. “[My buddy] said, “Hey man, I just wanted to reach out and let you know that there is a chance Luke Combs may cut our song,” recalled the American Idol winner.

“Then, he sent me a recording of Luke sitting there singing the song by himself and I about died,” Thompson continued. “I sat there and cried for probably 10 minutes straight. I just couldn’t believe it.”

Noah Thompson Is Far From Done

Per the terms of his American Idol win, Noah Thompson signed a record deal with 19 Recordings. In May 2024, Thompson confirmed that he had split from his record label.

[RELATED: 4 ‘American Idol’ Winners Who Parted Ways With Their Label]

But that doesn’t mean American Idol viewers have seen the last of him. In a video posted to Instagram June 11, Thompson assured his followers he would continue his career as an independent artist.

“I just wanted to let y’all know that we’re far from done,” he said. “This is just the beginning.:”