Age: 33

Hometown: Cedartown, Georgia

Resident: Waleska, Georgia

In high school, WILKES joined a pop/rock band, High Flight Society, and toured with them for 12 years. In 2010, Sam Hunt, a country artist and WILKES' former classmate, asked High Flight Society to accompany him on tour. That same year, WILKES' daughter, Linley Jane, was born. Eventually, the strain of having a family and being on the road led WILKES to leave. He currently writes country music for a Nashville publisher while taking care of his wife, Chelsey, who suffers from lupus. WILKES writes country songs but wants to get back to his pop/rock roots.