Personal life

Allen married his girlfriend of seven years, Katherine “Katy” O’Connell, on September 26, 2008. The two began dating back in Allen’s junior year of high school.

Education

After high school, Allen moved to Conway, Arkansas, to attend the University of Central Arkansas, where he was a business major and a member of Chi Alpha campus ministries. He soon dropped out to pursue music professionally, performing in local bars and working as a shoe salesman to make ends meet. Allen planned on going back to college to finish his degree and “get a real job”, but instead decided to audition for American Idol along with his brother Daniel and his friend Cale Mills.

American Idol

Allen auditioned for the eighth season of American Idol in Louisville, Kentucky, with his brother Daniel, who did not make it to Hollywood. In the early stages of the season, he was among the finalists (along with Allison Iraheta) that received the least amount of screen time. Only several seconds of his first audition (and neither of his Hollywood Week solo performances) were shown, although his group performance with White Chocolate (including fellow finalist Matt Giraud) was aired in its entirety. The judges also asked him to participate in an un-aired sing-off with another contestant before they allowed him to enter the semifinals round.

Throughout the competition, Allen received many compliments for his folk-inspired interpretations of modern pop songs. He played several instruments during his performances, including the acoustic guitar, the electric guitar, the keyboard, and the piano. His performance of “To Make You Feel My Love” as part of the Top 11 earned praise from the judges, with Simon Cowell commenting, “I am genuinely beginning to think you have a shot of doing well in this competition.” In the finals, he performed his own arrangement of “Ain’t No Sunshine” on a keyboard, with a few musicians on stage, which earned praise from the judges. Cowell lauded it as Allen’s “best performance so far.”