Fritz Hager III performs May 28 for hundreds of supporters at True Vine Brewing Co. in Tyler after making it as a top 5 finalist in the singing competition show “American Idol.”

Not too long ago, Fritz Hager III was an aspiring musician, singing and playing guitar at coffee shops in an East Texas town. Now, Hager is heading back to the west coast for his first tour.

Hager, a top 5 finalist on the most recent season of “American Idol,” has spent some time back in Tyler since leaving Hollywood, playing a couple local shows. But he says he’s still in work mode and is excited to be going on tour this summer.

“It’ll be fun,” Hager said. “I’ve never toured before and I’ve always wanted to. I’ve always wanted to travel.”

Hager, 22, will tour primarily around the west coast, opening for “American Idol” Season 16 winner Maddie Poppe Aug. 21-31. Some stops will include Denver, Salt Lake City, Seattle, Portland and Hollywood.

Hager also plans to go to Normal, Illinois to play some shows with Leah Marlene, one of his closest friends from the show.

Later this fall, Hager will be back in Tyler to perform at the Rose City Music Festival on Oct. 8 along with artist Koe Wetzel, Nelly and Untold Story. He said he believes this festival will be a “cool change of pace” for Tyler and is ready to be part of it.

With Hager’s music career picking up, he said he has continued moving forward and hasn’t had much time to really reflect on the past several months.

“Nothing’s really hit me yet. I want to stay in one mode,” Hager said. “I feel like the minute I step back like, ‘OK, look at what happened,’ I’m just gonna break down. If I think about stuff like that I stress myself out – I just sort of freak out.”

For now at least, Hager said he’s “keeping my eyes forward, just working and staying in work mode for as long as I can.”

Seeing his music career take off is something Hager said he always thought would happen in a “pipe dream sort of way,” but now it is really happening. If he hadn’t made it onto “American Idol,” he said he would’ve had to start looking for a new career.

“I’m grateful that ‘Idol’ came at that time because I don’t know if I’d be doing music without it,” he said.

Hager quit his job working as a security guard in Tyler once he made it to the top 24 on the show. It was a move encouraged by his parents, who are proud to see their son’s lifetime of work start to pay off.

After coming home from Los Angeles, Hager said he spent time “decompressing.” When he was on the show, it was sort of like being in a bubble.

Now he’s “just taking a minute to recenter myself and come back to the real world basically,” Hager said. “I spent some time of that writing, planning tours and what’s happening next.”

Hager came back from this time of rest with a hometown performance at Stanley’s Famous Pit Bar-B-Q on Saturday night where he performed numerous songs for hundreds of fans and supporters.

Performing in Tyler is something Hager really likes, he said, because he doesn’t feel as much pressure. In front of the local crowd and supportive community, he said he’s able to play what he wants and knows the audience will enjoy it.

He can “just play, have fun and just experiment. That’s one of my favorite things about performing locally, for sure,” he said.

Sometimes, though, Hager is overwhelmed with emotion and can’t believe the amount of people who support him.

“I was still used to playing for like four people in a room when I started out, so seeing that many people … I’m just so grateful,” Hager said after his show at Stanley’s this past weekend.

While he enjoys being able to play in Tyler, Hager said he would like to see the local music scene grow and have more spaces become available for artists.

“I’m really passionate about giving artists space, because it’s tough,” he said. “… I’m really hoping that Tyler will keep developing for their artists because there really are so many talented people here; they just need a platform, a space to grow.”

Hager has credited his growth and self-confidence to “American Idol” and the whole journey.

“I’ve learned to be more confident in myself,” Hager previously told the Tyler Morning Telegraph. “I’m a very reserved person usually, and when I perform I truly bare my soul, so criticism can be hard to take. And after years of my music career not gaining traction, all the ‘no’s’, it started to wear on me. But this process really helped me recognize my own self worth.”

Now that Hager’s career has gained that momentum he wanted so badly, he’s living a reality he’s always dreamed of.

Hager has previously hinted to the Tyler Morning Telegraph that he will be releasing new music soon. Hager’s music is available on all platforms, including his most recent single ‘Hearts Align.’