Shortly after reaching the finals on American Idol, he reflected on his mindset going into the season 13 auditions, telling The Hollywood Reporter, "I saw they were doing the bus tour and they were going to be 30 minutes down the road from me.

[1] Harris attended the bus tour auditions for American Idol's thirteenth season in Tuscaloosa.

"[1][11] For the group rounds, Harris joined with the season's eventual winner, Caleb Johnson for a performance of Alex Clare's "Too Close".

[17] Harris reached the Top 10 alongside Dexter Roberts, a friend he had already known for several years from the Alabama music scene.

[18][19] After finishing in sixth and seventh place respectively, Harris and Roberts returned to the American Idol stage for the season 13 finale, where they performed together alongside Darius Rucker.

[20][21] Common opinion among critics was that Harris gave his best performance on American Idol when he covered "Can't You See" by The Marshall Tucker Band.

"[24] Doug Gray, an original member of The Marshall Tucker Band, praised Harris' rendition of "Can't You See".

[27] He then moved to Nashville, where he became roommates for a time with his fellow season 13 finalists Alex Preston and Sam Woolf.

[4][28] In a post-Idol interview, Harris said that his preferred musical direction would be "a mix between country, blues, soul and Southern rock.