[7] In 2006, he performed in a Santa Cruz children's theater group called Kids on Broadway and played the lead role in Grease and Beauty and the Beast.

He appeared on the American Idol tenth-season finale, singing "Livin' After Midnight" and "Breaking the Law" with Judas Priest.

[23] On May 28, 2011, Durbin and the other American Idol top 4 performed at the opening of the new Microsoft Store at Lenox Square Mall in Atlanta, Georgia.

Durbin, along with fellow contestants Scotty McCreery, Lauren Alaina, and Haley Reinhart, released a Walmart Exclusive EP with his highlights from American Idol.

The tracks feature "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow", "Uprising" and a previously unreleased recording of "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)".

Durbin started working on his debut album after appearing on American Idol, and wrote with James Michael and Marti Frederiksen,[24] as well as his favorite band Hardcore Superstar.

[26] He recorded a track entitled "Stand Up" for the album Official Gameday Music of the NFL, Volume 2 which was released for sale on September 27, 2011.

[31] Durbin performed "Love Me Bad" on Conan and "Higher Than Heaven" on American Idol in support of his album.

The band reported that their upcoming album, Road Rage would be re-recorded prior to its release to feature Durbin on lead vocals.

[37] In October 2020, Durbin revealed he had signed with Frontiers Records and was working on a "pure heavy metal" album.

[38] Alongside Durbin, who performs lead vocals and rhythm guitar, the album also features drummer Mike Vanderhule and bassist Barry Sparks.

[citation needed] Durbin's second heavy metal album under his moniker, Screaming Steel, was released on February 16, 2024.