Oliver Steele

Season 21 · Eliminated (6th–8th)

Where are they now

Latest documented update, September 3, 2024

Oliver Steele, a singer and songwriter from Mount Juliet, Tennessee, reached the top 8 of American Idol season 21 and the top 20 with his original Too Soon. He released As It Was and Too Soon in 2023, a Better Together cover later that year, and in August 2024 the songs In the Sky and Love Begins With You. On September 3, 2024, he was scheduled to play the Ritz-Carlton Maui on September 4 and 5 and was working toward an album.⁠[1][2]

Key figures

Career

During or around the show

  1. 2023As It Was came out on March 1, 2023, with the copyright Southern Pacific.⁠[1][5]March 1, 2023
  2. 2023Too Soon came out on March 28, 2023. He recorded it at Pitch Studios in Nashville, and it carried him into the American Idol top 20.⁠[1][5]March 28, 2023

After the show

  1. 2023Better Together, a cover benefiting the Maui Strong Fund, came out on November 17, 2023, with the copyright Southern Pacific Music.⁠[2][5]November 17, 2023
  1. 2024In the Sky came out on August 9, 2024. He recorded it as a benefit for the people of Lahaina and the Aloha Strong Music Collective.⁠[2][5]August 9, 2024
  2. 2024Love Begins With You came out on August 23, 2024. On September 3, 2024, The Maui News described it as just released.⁠[2][5]August 23, 2024
  3. 2024As of September 3, 2024, he was working toward an album.⁠[2]September 3, 2024
  4. 2024On September 3, 2024, The Maui News announced that he was scheduled to perform with Dan Bankhurst on September 4 and September 5, 2024, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Alaloa Lounge at the Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua. Admission was listed as free.⁠[2]September 3, 2024

Date not documented

  1. He described Nashville as home.⁠[1][2]

Discography

No releases are documented yet.

Awards

Checked October 8, 2026; none found.

Other activity

  1. 2023On season 21 he reached the top 8.⁠[2]

Sources

5 sources

  1. Oliver Steele Stuns American Idol Judges with Moving Original Too Soon — American Songwriter, published April 24, 2023. News report. Retrieved October 8, 2026.
    Cited parts (7)
    • Second paragraph: “The 25-year-old singer and songwriter from Mount Juliet, Tennessee”
    • Opening paragraph: “which took him into the Top 20 of American Idol”
    • 2023 originals: “including “As It Was” and his most recent song “ Too Soon ,””
    • Byline: “April 24, 2023, 8:03am”
    • 2023 originals: “recently released two of his own original songs in 2023”
    • Pitch Studios: “which was recorded at Pitch Studios in Nashville”
    • Mount Juliet: “The 25-year-old singer and songwriter from Mount Juliet, Tennessee”
  2. American Idol contestant Oliver Steele making Maui debut Sept. 4, at the Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua — The Maui News, published September 3, 2024. News report. Retrieved October 8, 2026.
    Cited parts (8)
    • Idol paragraph: “this soulful artist made it to the top 8”
    • Closing listing: “Oliver Steele performs with Nashville guitarist Dan Bankhurst on Wednesday, Sept. 4 and Thursday, Sept. 5”
    • Album sentence: “He's currently working towards an album”
    • Covers paragraph: “Steele has released a cover of "Better Together" (benefiting the Maui Strong Fund)”
    • August paragraph: “In August, Steele paid tribute to Maui releasing the lovely song "In the Sky,"”
    • His quote: “I recorded 'In the Sky' to benefit the people of Lahaina”
    • Byline: “September 3, 2024”
    • New-song paragraph: “he just released an original song, the powerful ballad "Love Begins With You."”
  3. List of American Idol finalists — Wikipedia, updated June 10, 2026. Reference work (secondary). Retrieved October 6, 2026.
    Cited parts (1)
    • Contestants table, row Oliver Steele: Season 21, Place finish 6th-8th
  4. American Idol season 21 — Wikipedia, updated July 21, 2026. Reference work (secondary). Retrieved October 6, 2026.
    Cited parts (1)
    • Top 8 – Alanis Morissette & Ed Sheeran (May 7) table (Eliminated); Elimination chart, row Oliver Steele: Pl. 6 (shared), Top 8 column (5/7)
  5. iTunes Search API album results for Oliver Steele — Apple. Release database. Retrieved October 8, 2026.
    Cited parts (8)
    • As It Was result: "copyright":"℗ 2023 Southern Pacific"
    • As It Was result: "releaseDate":"2023-03-01T08:00:00Z"
    • Too Soon, the earliest Oliver Steele copyright in this search: "copyright":"℗ 2023 Oliver Steele"
    • Too Soon result: "releaseDate":"2023-03-28T07:00:00Z"
    • Better Together result: "copyright":"℗ 2023 Southern Pacific Music"
    • Better Together result: "releaseDate":"2023-11-17T08:00:00Z"
    • As It Was result: "collectionName":"As It Was - Single"
    • Artist name: "artistName":"Oliver Steele"

How figures are chosen · Compare Oliver Steele with others

Other season 21 finalists

Season 21: all finalists and their careers · Semifinalists