Casey Abrams finished sixth on Idol. Then surgery led to “Sober”

A piano teacher offered him ten minutes on bass

Abrams found his instrument during piano lessons in Idyllwild, California. His teacher, Robin Rabins, offered a ten-minute bass lesson in exchange for an hour at the piano. He began studying with bassist Marshall Hawkins at 13 and entered the jazz program at Idyllwild Arts Academy. He learned double bass alongside instruments including guitar, drums and accordion. While studying jazz at the University of Colorado Boulder, he was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and had to stop attending. During his recovery, watching American Idol with his mother gave him the idea to audition.

Jazz shaped his 2011 Idol run

On American Idol in 2011, Abrams sang “I Put a Spell on You” in the Top 24 and “Smells Like Teen Spirit” in the Top 12. His movie-week choice, “Nature Boy,” showed how firmly he wanted to pursue jazz. Mentors will.i.am and Jimmy Iovine had encouraged him to choose a livelier song. Abrams kept the ballad, and Randy Jackson praised the result: “It makes me proud to sit here and judge artists as well as pop stars.” After the performance, Abrams said he felt a sense of accomplishment from keeping his choice.

A London debut led into Postmodern Jukebox tours

Randy Jackson helped connect Abrams with Concord Records and served as an executive producer of his self-titled debut. Released on June 26, 2012, Casey Abrams was recorded at Kensaltown Studios in London. Haley Reinhart joined him on “Hit the Road Jack,” and the album reached No. 1 on Top Heatseekers. Abrams played cello, drums, acoustic guitar and melodica alongside double bass on the record. In 2015, he joined Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox as a leading performer and emcee. The group recast current pop songs in older jazz and blues styles. His touring with the ensemble took him to five continents, with venues including the Sydney Opera House and Paris’s L’Olympia.

His 2018 album put the band around a dummy head

For Put a Spell on You in 2018, Abrams recorded at the Hirsch Center, a former church in Brooklyn. The session used microphones inside a dummy head’s ears to capture the musicians in the room. The head stayed still while the players moved around it. Abrams sang and played double bass with saxophonist and cajón player Jacob Scesney and guitarist Taylor Tesler. The songs included “Georgia on My Mind” and his own “Moon Song.” He recorded the album in two days. He returned to the same building for Jazz in 2019, a collection of standards including “I’ve Got the World on a String” and “Girl from Ipanema.”

Emergency surgery interrupted his music in 2022

In November 2022, Abrams told fans that emergency surgery had removed his entire colon. He described four hospital visits, with severe bleeding on the last visit requiring the operation to save his life. In a video from his hospital bed, he strummed a guitar and said he missed his upright bass. A month into recovery, he said further surgery remained ahead. He thanked his parents, hospital staff and people who had contacted him. He also gave fans a musical update: “I’m starting to sing, make music and play my bass again.”

Friends held a benefit as he recovered in 2023

By March 2023, his recovery had brought together musicians who knew him through years of collaboration. Haley Reinhart joined friends including Stephen Kramer Glickman and co-organizer Dylan Chambers for a benefit called “With a Little Help from My Friends” at The Venice West in Venice, California. A separate fundraiser had collected $104,761 by March 27. Reinhart described the surgery as frightening and recalled a Thanksgiving gathering at her house where Abrams had been able to sing and play again. “It was very scary,” she said. She also recalled him joining her at a Troubadour show in Los Angeles.

He explained the decision behind “Sober” in 2025

Abrams released “Sober” through Dogstubb on October 1, 2025. He told The Reporter that the song came from his own experience of surgery and the choice to stop drinking that followed it. “It’s about my journey,” he said. He described feeling better since that decision and writing the song about it. His stage work continued that year: on December 7, he sang and played standup bass with Dave Koz and Friends at Playhouse Square in Cleveland. The holiday concert paired him with Reinhart, guitarist Jonathan Butler and pianist Kayla Waters. The program opened with a blend of “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” and “White Christmas.”

• Listen to “Sober” on Apple Music

His 2026 jazz album honored his bass mentor

On August 20, 2026, Abrams released the 11-song #Jazz through Dogstubb. He and Davy Nathan wrote and produced it in three months, beginning with Nathan’s “Lifetime,” to which Abrams added lyrics, whistles and bass. Reinhart, Charles Jones and Rebecca Jade sang harmonies on his arrangement of “Can’t Buy Me Love.” He dedicated the album to Hawkins. In an interview published October 2, Abrams explained that jazz standards had remained part of his shows and soundchecks through his funk and pop work. The closing song, “Idyllwild,” brought in his school friend Scesney on saxophone. Abrams said it honored his parents and Hawkins, and that he placed it last to signify coming home.

• Casey Abrams: career and music
• Listen to Casey Abrams on Spotify
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