For musician Colton Dixon the only thing harder than 'American Idol?' Having twin girls.

Colton Dixon recently sang on arguably the biggest stage of his career. And that's including two seasons on 'American Idol', appearances on the Ellen show and 'Good Morning America."

On Oct. 23, he stepped onto GEHA field at Arrowhead Stadium before the Kansas City Chiefs took on the LA Chargers to sing the national anthem. And yes, Taylor Swift was in the house.

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"When we agreed to do this, it was before the circus came to town," Colton told The Tennessean, referring to Swift and Chief's player Travis Kelce's relationship. "The Chiefs were the hottest thing in the NFL already then you add this to the table. We heard she was going to be there and she was. I’m happy to say I didn’t faint and I didn’t forget the words. I think that is the most nervous I have ever been in my life. 'American Idol' didn’t touch it."

The Tennessean sat down with Dixon at The Factory at Franklin on a recent break from his "Love & Light Tour" to talk about the national anthem, 'American Idol' and his Christmas tour. Sporting his trademark spikey blonde hair and exuding the genuine demeanor fans of 'Idol' grew to love, Dixon has learned from his past and looks forward to his future.

Navigating 'American Idol' highs and lows

Murfreesboro-born Dixon has become the poster child for thriving during unplanned opportunities and rebounding after unexpected disappointments. In 2011, he stood in line for 'American Idol' to support his sister, Schyler, who was auditioning. She talked him in to auditioning with her and they both made it, but were cut before the live shows.

Schyler wanted to audition again the following year, so Dixon went along, once again, for moral support. It's almost a repeat of the previous year. He gets talked into auditioning again. They both made it again, but this time she gets cut before the live show — and he doesn't.

"My sister wanted to go back for another season. At that point I was like, 'been there, done that, got the T-shirt,' but she wasn't done yet," Dixon said. "So I went to her audition to support her. At some point my sister poked her head back out (during her audition) and said 'the judges want to see you.' They started guilt-tripping me. The whole time I’m thinking 'I do not want to crash my sister’s audition,' but she was amazing through the whole thing."

Dixon made it into the top 10, but was eliminated despite Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler calling him a "dream come true for a judge on 'Idol,'" Advisor Jimmy Iovine saying he was "possibly the most talented kid on the show," and judge Jennifer Lopez saying "I think you look pretty when you sing."

Out of his making it to No. 7 on the show, he signed a joint contract with 19 Entertainment and Capitol Christian Music Group. After the 19 Entertainment management deal was completed, Dixon would go on to record three albums for CCMG.

In 2018, while recording his fourth album, Dixon was suddenly dropped from his label.

"That came as quite a shock," he remembers. "I thought we were meeting for lunch to discuss songs. Turns out, it was 'we are going to drop you.'"

'We chose to have faith over fear' — twice

After what he called a "tough season" navigating losing a label deal and being faced with whether or not his future would have music in it.

"We chose to have faith over fear," he said. "We felt like there was more story to tell on the music side." He ultimately signed a new management deal that would lead him to a new record deal with Atlantic Records.

"It far exceeded anything I could have imagined. Never did I think I'd be on a label with Coldplay and Ed Sheeran."

In 2023, he released his latest EP "Canvas" and then had employ the faith over fear mantra once again when he and wife Annie welcomed identical twin girls, Dior and Athens, under frightening circumstances.

"There were some complications when it came time to meet the girls," he remembers, his voice softening at the memory. "Annie had to have an emergency C-section and little Dior was first and she wasn't breathing. Her pulse had stopped. This is not how you want to meet your kid for the first time, but my wife and I were on the same page together and started to pray right there in the OR. She started breathing on her own and has never had a complication since. We are so grateful."

A duet with Gabby Barrett and a Christmas tour

Now the Dixon twins are 3 and their daddy says raising them with his wife remains an "all-hands-on-deck situation."

For their dad, recent career peaks and valleys would once again reached a high with the release of his song "Build A Boat" that became his fourth No. 1 single. The song got a second wind when fellow 'Idol' alum Gabby Barrett agreed to record a duet and began singing it at her live shows. She invited Dixon to sing it with her at a recent Nashville show and the two also performed it on the KLOVE Fan Awards.

"We were looking for someone to feature on 'Build A Boat' and we thought Gabby would be so cool, but there was just no way. She's having the career of careers right now," Dixon said. "But she came back and said she loved the song and that it was on her playlist."

From 'Love & Light' to 'Home for Christmas'

As Dixon wraps his "Love & Light Tour," he will embark on his "Home For Christmas Tour" with Jason Crabb on eight shows and Cade Thompson on the remaining three. The tour will stop just outside of Nashville on Dec. 9 at the Restoring Hope Church in Cross Plains, and will feature holiday classics as well as Dixon's original Christmas single "Home for Christmas."

Looking back over his career and personal peaks and valleys, Dixon said he thinks that's a normal path for both life in general as well as a career in music.

"The highs are really high and there are going to be low, low, lows," he said. "The challenge is staying humble in the highs and not giving up in the lows. That’s why I do music. So many times through the years songs have met me in those places."

Melonee Hurt covers music and music business at The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK — Tennessee. Reach Melonee at mhurt@tennessean.com or on X @HurtMelonee.

If You Go:

What: Colton Dixon with Cade Thompson, "Home for Christmas Tour"

Where: Restoring Hope Church, Cross Plains, TN

When: Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023

Tickets: www.coltondixon.com

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Christian music: Colton Dixon on Taylor Swift, 'American Idol', twins