Alejandro Aranda was Idol’s runner-up. Then he joined a metal band

He played open mic nights before American Idol

Before American Idol, Aranda worked as a dishwasher in Pomona, California, and played open mic nights. In a November 2019 interview, he had been playing guitar for only five years. His musical influences included Beethoven, Bach and Chopin, alongside Nine Inch Nails and Slipknot. In 2017, he won Artist of the Year with CSUN and Five of Five Entertainment. A person who attended one of his backyard concerts helped him get a private Idol audition. Those early performances brought his own compositions into the audition room: he played “Out Loud” and “Cholo Love” for the judges.

He reached the 2019 finale with his own songs

Aranda’s audition aired on March 6, 2019. Luke Bryan described being “in the presence of greatness” during the audition. His season included Coldplay’s “Yellow” in the showcase round and “Cholo Love” in the Top 14. In the finale, he performed “Millennial Love”, “Tonight” and “Out Loud”, finishing as runner-up. The programme gave him experience with television blocking and the time needed to film performances. “I also learned patience,” he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The producers allowed him to make his own versions of the required covers. Across the competition, he performed seven different originals.

He recorded an orchestral album in nine days

Recording as Scarypoolparty, Aranda released his debut album, Exit Form, on November 22, 2019. Doom Hologram followed on September 4, 2020. For The Act of Forgiveness, released on August 27, 2021, he produced the entire project himself and recorded at Village Studios and Capitol Studios in Los Angeles. The sessions took nine days. The result ran to 21 tracks and 105 minutes, with composer Rob Mathes collaborating on orchestral arrangements for 12 tracks and an 18-piece orchestra taking part. Aranda described his aim as “making each song sound like a movie”. He built the album around love, heartbreak, imagination and forgiveness.

A producer brought him into Seven Hours After Violet

In a November 2024 interview with Full Metal Jackie, Shavo Odadjian explained how Aranda entered Seven Hours After Violet. Producer and guitarist Michael Montoya, known as Morgoth, had worked with Aranda and brought him forward when the band needed a lead guitarist. Odadjian heard Aranda play and sing, and felt his voice complemented vocalist Taylor Barber’s. Aranda became the band’s lead guitarist and harmony singer. His interest in heavy music extended into his own writing. “I tend to write very heavy music for fun,” he told Mundane. He said playing heavy music with the band felt like the writing he did at home.

He made the metal album’s cover and added piano

Seven Hours After Violet released their self-titled debut on October 11, 2024. The next day, Aranda played with the band at Mayhem Festival in San Bernardino, California, where they performed a seven-song set. His work on the album extended to its visual identity. Morgoth told Metal Hammer España that Aranda created the cover and offered several options for the band to choose from. He also credited Aranda with helping on strings, keyboards and piano, and sharing vocal duties with Barber. The group’s lineup also included Morgoth on guitar and Josh Johnson on drums.

He released a solo album and played metal festivals in 2025

Aranda released a solo album on May 16, 2025, containing 15 songs and running 50 minutes. The recording copyright carried his own name. His work with Seven Hours After Violet continued through the summer festival circuit. On June 26, the band performed on the main stage at Resurrection Fest in Spain. Its members had also played Hellfest and Graspop during the tour. Speaking backstage after the Resurrection performance, Morgoth described Aranda’s contribution to the album’s artwork and arrangements. The tour had also taken the band to Berlin, where it opened for Avenged Sevenfold.

He announced the Hondo World Tour in March 2026

On March 25, 2026, Aranda announced the Hondo World Tour. Its planned opening was June 4 at Reggie’s in Chicago, with further dates booked in Toronto, Brooklyn, Vancouver and Los Angeles. He described a show drawing on pop, classical music, folk and jazz. The announcement also introduced “Queen”, ahead of its scheduled official release on April 6. By August 3, the tour’s second leg had begun. His new EP, Baroque, was already available by that date, with “Queen”, “Glowing” and five additional tracks.

Baroque began with classical piano pieces

For his 2026 EP Baroque, Aranda initially planned a collection of classical piano pieces. While making them, he began adding stories to the melodies. Listening to Bach helped give the project its title. “Glowing” began with a guitar part, with lyrics added over it; Aranda said that song and “Queen” were both difficult for him to play and sing. Another track, “BAD!”, began as a 14-minute piece that he transformed into a song inspired by rave music. He told The Luna Collective that each new song gave him a chance to practise new guitar techniques. Writing and learning the instrument continued together.

He played the Echo with a guitar, pedal and laptop

On August 6, 2026, Aranda headlined the Echo in Los Angeles. He took the stage at about 10:15 and played past 11:30, performing with a guitar, a pedal and a laptop. Photographer and writer Jennie Book described him pulling back his low baseball cap to smile. At the end, he asked the lighting technician to turn the lights down so he could dance, and danced while playing. In an August 18 interview about Baroque, Aranda reflected on the years since Idol and his greater knowledge of producing and mixing his songs. He told The Luna Collective, “I always look at music as a never-ending lesson.”

• Alejandro Aranda: career and music
• Listen to Alejandro Aranda on Spotify