Two years after becoming a fan-favorite on “American Idol,” former Minnesota Vikings player Blake Proehl just scored a touchdown in his music career. Major record label MCA announced on June 8, 2026, that it has signed the former NFL wide receiver to a record deal, calling him “one of Nashville’s most promising emerging artists.”
Proehl also just released his first single with the label, a catchy country/pop bop called “She Got It,” which fans are already calling the “song of the summer.”
Blake Proehl Says ‘Music Changed My Life’ as He Signs Record Deal
To celebrate his label signing, Proehl performed several times at CMA Fest over the weekend, including at MCA Presents: Live At The SkyDeck. According to a press release, MCA execs surprised the North Carolina native with a custom jersey — with his Vikings number 13 — to symbolize “his next chapter as an artist while paying tribute to the football career that first shaped his journey.”
“I couldn’t be more excited to join the MCA family,” Proehl said in a statement. “Music has changed my life in ways I never expected, and I’m grateful to have a team that believes in me and what I’m building. This week has been really special, and I feel like I’m just getting started. I can’t wait to share what’s next.”
Fans are already loving “She Got It,” released on June 5, flooding social media and calling it the “song of the summer,” and perfect to “blast on repeat.”
Evan HarneyProehl, 27, is the son of former NFL wide receiver Ricky Proehl, according to Sports Illustrated, and was a football star at East Carolina before signing with the Minnesota Vikings as a free agent after the 2021 NFL Draft. But during training camp, he was severely injured and missed his entire rookie season. Unable to even practice, he spent his downtime dabbling in music.
“I tore my patellar tendon, my ACL, my meniscus, and my MCL,” he told North Carolina’s ABC45. “I just for some reason had gotten a guitar when I first got to Minnesota, and I just remember seeing it beside my bed after I got hurt, and I was like might as well start learning now.”
Blake Proehl Gave Katy Perry Goosebumps When He Auditioned for ‘American Idol’
DisneyAs Proehl tried to heal, a video he posted on TikTok went viral, featuring him singing for the first time in front of his grandma, Joanne Baker, who couldn’t believe how well her grandson sang Brett Young’s “In Case You Didn’t Know.”
Proehl did return to the Vikings during the 2022 season but spent the season on the practice squad, SI reported, and was waived by Minnesota in August 2023 — around the same time a new dream was coming true for him. Proehl performed his first headline show at the Fine Line music venue in Minneapolis that summer, with his Vikings teammates cheering him on, and fans lined up around the venue to see his debut.
Next, he decided to audition for season 22 of “American Idol,” with his Nana by his side. He sang the Brett Young song again and it gave judge Katy Perry goosebumps, prompting her to predict he’d make it into the Top 10. Host Ryan Seacrest later said Proehl was one of his favorite redemption stories, trading in his NFL dreams for musical ones.
Proehl sailed through the early rounds, making it into the Top 24. But fans were shocked when he got cut during the first viewer voting of the season, following a slightly rocky Hawaii round. Perry told him at the time, “You’re the only thing that’s standing in the way of you going to the next level, ’cause you have all the makings of it. Push yourself out of your head.”
Proehl has been working on his craft ever since, releasing several independent tunes and collaborating with fellow “Idol” alums like Haven Madison and Jordan Anthony. In July, he’ll kick off a tour with Niko Moon that crisscrosses the U.S. through October.
