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‘Sonic The Hedgehog’ Blu-ray Giveaway!
I’m very excited to announce that I have Five (5) Blu-rays of Sonic The Hedgehog up for grabs. The discs, all of which are sealed, also come with the Digital Code and the DVD! Entry details are below!
Liv Ciara Talks ‘The Voice: Battle of Champions’ And The Beauty Of Taking Risks
Liv Ciara did not receive a chair turn on season 28 of The Voice, but that did not stop her. She tried out again for The Voice: Battle of Champions and now she is in the Top 9 performing on tonight’s episode. Ciara talked to Deepest Dream about the hard working and emotional journey on finally making the show and why she loves taking risks.
Read more: Liv Ciara Talks ‘The Voice: Battle of Champions’ And The Beauty Of Taking Risks
On season 28’s blind audition, Liv Ciara chose Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso.” Though the track showcased her vocal dynamics, it did not yield a chair turn. For The Voice: Battle of Champions she went for the more emotional Ariana Grande track “we can’t be friends (wait for your love)” and she received a chair turn from Kelly Clarkson and John Legend.
“I opened my eyes and saw them there,” said Ciara who picked Clarkson as her coach. “I remember I immediately glued my eyes shut again. If I look at these people that turned for me, I might collapse. I kept my eyes off of them and to the audience for the rest of performance. And then at the end of it, I kind of just let myself have a moment.”
Just 16, Ciara has a knack for emotionally connecting to the music. Case in point is the track “Behind The Door,” a song that is inspired by her journey on The Voice.
“‘Behind The Door’ is definitely one of my favorites because it really captures the feeling of ‘Okay I’m here now,'” said Ciara about the song which is featured on her EP Out Loud. “There’s been doors that have been closed but there’s this door that could potentially open for me – what’s behind it? Is this something worth fighting for? And I kind of wrote the song actually after not getting a chair turn.”
One of the Ciara’s main goals in The Voice: Battle of Champions was to keep on taking risks, an approach exemplified by covering the Kelly Clarkson hit “Breakaway” during Knockouts.
“If I’m gonna be here, I’m gonna give it a 100%,” said Ciara. “I want to prove that even though I’m young and there was so many other young contestants on the show, and I wanted to prove that there are young people that can sing and that have all these talents. But it is so important for them to take a risk and truly believe in themselves.”
Full interview with Liv Ciara:
Catch Liv Ciara tonight on The Voice: Battle of Champions at 9/8c and streaming next day on Peacock.
JW Griffin Talks ‘The Voice: Battle of Champions’ Impact And New Single ‘Tend The Flame’
JW Griffin is one of the top 9 artists competing tonight on The Voice: Battle of Champions. He’s part of Team Kelly, and Griffin talked to Deepest Dream about his overall experience on the show and how it has impacted his career. He also discusses his new single, a catchy tune titled “Tend The Flame.” Full interview is below!
Bren Foster Reflects On “Deeply Layered” Role in MMA Drama ‘Beast’
Bren Foster stars in Beast as MMA champ Xavier Grau, a determined warrior who wants a rematch with former fighter Patton James (Daniel MacPherson). On the surface level, Grau is the narrative’s antagonist as his take no prisoners approach doesn’t win him any fans. That said, Foster talked to Deepest Dream on why Grau is actually a “deeply layered” character. Foster also reflects on how his mother and his martial arts background has been pivotal to his approach to acting and directing (he also talks about his upcoming directing effort Relentless). Check out our full interview below!
Read more: Bren Foster Reflects On “Deeply Layered” Role in MMA Drama ‘Beast’
Beast is a fantastic film. What was your thoughts on the final cut and can you discuss the biggest challenge of making the movie?
Bren Foster: Well, Greg, I actually still haven’t seen the final cut, so I’m waiting to see the whole movie.
From what I’ve seen, it looks fantastic. Every martial arts action type movie can get, pretty hard. And it’s just a matter of people around you understanding what you’re trying to create with the fights. Once they do, generally it gets a little bit easier.
(Also) trying to execute the fight scenes at the highest level possible (and) making it look real – committing to it a hundred percent. Putting speed and power and emphasis without obviously hurting your partner. So I think that that was probably the most difficult thing that we had to do.
Can you just talk about the layers behind your character for this film? He’s not a one-dimensional antagonist which I appreciated.
Bren Foster: Well, firstly, thank you. I’m glad you really picked up on that. He’s a human (and) he’s someone who has worked his ass off to get where he is. The training sessions, the fights, everything that he’s been through to get to the top. It’s everything to him; it’s his whole world.
He’s competitive and he’s a warrior and he doesn’t want to take a step back. No one gave him this title. The one loss that he had, which was embarrassing to him, was against Patton back in the day. So he really wanted to avenge that loss.
(Fighters are) human. They’re not these stoic one note soldiers. They’re actually human beings. So yeah, he’s extremely layered. Fighting means everything to him. It’s just a human being trying to hold onto what he has given his life to and what he’s tried to earn.
So yeah, thank you for noticing that, that he come across as deeply layered.
For him to be successful, he has to be very hyper-focused. Can you can relate to that focus, because I’m assuming to have a successful life in the martial arts, as well as being an actor and a filmmaker, one needs to have that focus.
Bren Foster: It all comes down to my martial arts training and to my mother early on. She started me in martial arts when I was six years old. Just the way traditional martial arts is structured like your next belt, your next goal.
I was fighting overseas when I was 16 years old and I had my first kickboxing match when I was 12. I fought in Hong Kong, in Thailand, in Europe. One thing the martial arts taught me if, if you want to do something properly. you’ve gotta go and study it and put the work in.
So in my mid-twenties, I auditioned for one of the top drama schools – the University of Western Sydney Theater Department out here in Australia. And I managed to get a position in there. For the next three years I was there studying. In addition to that, (I was) studying with other acting teachers.
(Also), I was always seeking out different martial arts instructors. When I moved to United the United States, I found Ron Beliki, who was just an encyclopedia (when it came to) Filipino martial arts. So it’s just that focus and neverending quest for knowledge. I’ve just been able to put that determination, that drive, and that commitment into all these different areas to running a martial arts school and having my whole family around me at that martial arts school in Australia.
Pursuing acting and making films and just putting that level of focus and commitment, which is born from my martial arts training into my everyday life. It’s completely the reason why I’m able to have focus and relative success in so many different areas. It’s because of the focus that martial arts has given me.
I love films like Beast because it teaches us, that, shows us that something we already know, that it’s just about winning. It’s how you also take the punch. For you is taking the punch and maybe your losses a better teacher than your successes? Or is that putting too fine a point on, on the whole thing?
Bren Foster: No, Greg, you’re right mate. You are so right. Everything, myself or other people, everything that I’ve worked for, I’ve had failures in as well. And I think you have to have a really good relationship with failure because that’s where you learn the most, and that’s where you can also be given your second wind of drive and aggression to keep going.
A lot of people can fail sometimes, and then they just (say), “I’m done.” The towel’s thrown in. But luckily again, because of my mother, if I failed at something she would say, “Get up, go again.” And that’s also a testament with the martial arts. Sometimes you can fail, but sometimes people quit in our school if they fail a ranking.
But there’s a big strong drive to get up and to go again. Look, you’ve gotta have a good relationship with failure and you’ve gotta be okay with it. And it generally gives you the wherewithal to get up and to go again. And if you show me a person who has never failed at anything, I’ll show you a person who has never done anything.
We all fail. We’ve just gotta get up and, and, and keep going. And trust me, I’ve failed many times.
Thank you so much for your time. I have a couple more questions. First off, after really loving Beast, I can’t wait to watch Life After Fighting, and I think you have another film directing film coming up. I think it says on IMDB – it’s called Relentless?
Bren Foster: Yes.
How does directing really fill your cup, supposedly? What’s the challenge in that and why do that when that’s an extra job you have to do on top of all the things you do on a daily basis?
Bren Foster: We did Life after Fighting, which has this massive underground cult following at the moment. (With) Relentless, which we have really, really pushed the boundaries.
(Relentless is) probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done. But the beauty about being able to write and direct is it allows me to really put my heart and soul into everything. With other jobs, they’re fantastic, but you have to also work with other people and facilitate their ideas and their passions and navigate to a common understanding.
But with Relentless, obviously there’s collaboration with the other actors, but in terms of the story and the direction and also playing the lead role, I can really put my heart and soul (into it). I don’t really have to navigate around other people to make the film. Because I’m at the helm on this one. The commitment from the other actors (on Relentless) was just through the roof.
Two weeks after Relentless finished, I didn’t move. I was just lying down on the couch, mate. But look, if anything’s worth doing, it’s going to be hard, right?
Hopefully everyone responds to it really well at the end of the year when it comes out.
Can you name a film that made its imprint on you like that? A movie that was so impactful for you that made you want to become a filmmaker and actor because you put a lot of dedication and, like you said, heart and soul into your work.
What was that movie when you were 12 or 13 that did it for you and set you on that path?
Bren Foster: When I was 12 or 13 – I would probably say Best of the Best.
I’ve never seen it.
Bren Foster: It has Phillip Rhee, Simon Rhee, Eric Roberts, Christopher Penn. It’s a classic martial arts movie where the American karate team takes on the Korean Tae Kwon Do team. James Earl Jones is in it.
It a wonderful film. But look, Greg, I’ve had so many, especially Asian cinema growing up. The Bruce Lee movies, Golden Harvest, Raymond Chow. All those films, I was obsessed with them Bloodsport to Kickboxer to Best of the Best.
When I was a kid, I was just enamored by all of them. So I can’t really pinpoint one, but just ’cause you said that age, I remember seeing Best of the Best at that time and that had such a profound effect on me too. What can I say? But in film in general, from everything from The Goonies to Gremlins to everything when I was was a kid. I absolutely love them all, mate.
Thanks again for your time. Really love Beast and looking forward to watching more of your films down the road.
Bren Foster: Thank you, Greg. Thank you again. Great talking to you, mate. Take care.
Beast, co-starring Kelly Gale and Russell Crowe, is now playing in theaters. Share your thoughts on the movie in the comments!
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Listen to our weekly movie review podcast CinemAddicts. Films covered this week include The Travel Companion, Heads or Tails, and Serpent’s Path:
Daniel MacPherson Talks “Perfect Storm” Of Making Intense MMA Drama ‘Beast’
Daniel MacPherson stars in Beast as Patton James, a former MMA champion who is pulled back to face formidable opponent Xavier Grau (Bren Foster). Xavier has history with Patton’s younger brother, the impulsive MMA fighter Malon, and family bonds leads Patton back into the ring. MacPherson talked to CinemAddicts host Eric Holmes about this feature, which marks his third pairing with Russell Crowe (he plays Patton’s former trailer). Check out the full Beast interview below to find out why making this movie was an uphill climb!
Read more: Daniel MacPherson Talks “Perfect Storm” Of Making Intense MMA Drama ‘Beast’
I would ask how you got brought into this project, but the last movie I saw you in was Land of Bad also with Russell Crowe, so I imagine that has something to do with it.
Daniel MacPherson: That’s exactly right. The writer of Land of Bad was David Frigerio and he said, “I’ve watched you guys work together the last couple of weeks on the film (and) you guys are really good together.” (He said): “I’ve got this MMA project that I think you’d be perfect for.”
That was back in 2022 and I started training straight away, because it was a great script and a great role. It was originally set in upstate New York. And then just as it evolved. It became an Australian story.
And Tyler Atkins, the director, came on and we knew a lot more about what it was like to grow up as a fighter in the working class kind of steel towns of Australia. We knew a lot more about that than we did anything about Buffalo, New York. So it ended up back in Australia and then Russell agreed to come on board and a great Australian cast was assembled.
Then we teamed up with ONE Championship to take the filming and the final fight sequences up to Bangkok and to really just elevate the production level and to give us this kind of neon southeast Asian sort of street state that is also, steeped in, in martial arts history and martial arts culture and.
And the result is what you’ve seen. We’re really proud of it.
The fight scenes are one thing. I saw you doing the punching the pushups and all that. If I saw that in the script, I’d be like, “not for me.” I’m gonna go lay down!
Daniel MacPherson (laughing): Yeah. No, man. I mean, I was 44, 43 when I was shooting (Beast).
This was only 12 months ago. I was training for three years. It took us three years to get this thing up and running. I got into the fight shape three times. I’ve lost 20 pounds three times, to finally the third time that the camera’s actually rolled.
But look when Russell Crowe says, “Hey man, we’re gonna do an MMA fight movie, and you’re gonna play the lead and I’m gonna play your coach and we’re gonna do it” . . . you give it absolutely everything. So, I trained as hard as I could with the best coaches.
I got myself to the lowest body fat I could possibly get to at this stage in my life. By the same token, and then I had to work opposite Bren Foster, who’s an extraordinary martial artist.
But then had to turn around and act opposite one of the greatest of all time, one of the all time heavyweights in Russell Crowe. So it tested every area of my skillset, that’s for sure.
You must have changed during the three years it took to make Beast in at least an incremental fashion.
Daniel MacPherson: Oh totally. Life changes. You change in three years. The person you were three years ago I’m assuming is a little different to the one that turns up today.
I became a father at 40 and so fatherhood and my son growing up affected me. I did two plays during that time and they both evolved me as an actor as well. And it was also, it was my third film with Russell Crowe. So I’d evolved in my relationship with him and our onscreen kind of working relationship had evolved as well.
It was a perfect storm for me to really land at the timing that we did where I was in my personal life, the work that I put in for this role and the story and the character I was ready to create.
I was ready and so I put everything I possibly could into it because you never know when these opportunities are gonna come again. They’re so precarious and they nearly fell over again for a third time, like right before we rolled a camera.
So you give it everything you got.
What were some things that maybe changed from the script from like when you first read it to when you shot it to now the movie’s done?
Daniel MacPherson: The level of heart in the film really evolved as it went on.
Tyler Atkins had a vision in his mind of what this film was and thankfully it was similar to mine as well. It was always the family dynamic. The responsibility of the father and the husband and the little core nucleus of the family against the rest of the world.
That really interested me. Realistically you could tell that story against any sporting backdrop ’cause this guy’s competing for his family and his life and whatnot. But you tell it against the visceral nature of the biggest and most brutal sport in the world right now.
You take a fight movie into a whole new realm. The relationship with my brother evolved. Mojean Aria really brought a lot to that character and we found that a really rich place to mine. And so that relationship started to take up more and more complexity and space on screen.
Kelly Gale, as my wife, was extraordinary and that relationship really grew in the edit and on screen. A lot of those really special relationships really grew and it became it elevated. At the end of the film, you (understand) what those punches mean.
Now you know what’s at stake (and) what this guy’s fighting for. It’s as much for himself and for his future and his identity. His purpose is to right his past wrongs as it is for all the people that are supporting him.
Before I let you go, I just wanted to get a film recommendation from you, either a movie that’s real personal to you, or a movie that’s this one’s really good and not enough people talk about it.
Daniel MacPherson: Oh man. That’s a great one. I’m (going to pick) one of mine. Go back and watch Infini. Shane Abbess made it. He’s an extraordinary filmmaker. He launched my film career. Luke Hemsworth did an amazing job.
Brent Foster’s in it as well. That was kind of one of our origin stories.
Excellent. Daniel, thanks for joining me. You’ve been a pleasure and yeah, congratulations on Beast.
Daniel MacPherson: Hey buddy. Great to chat!
Catch Beast in theaters April 10 via Lionsgate! Share your thoughts on the movie in the comments!
‘Fantasy Life’ Review: Amanda Peet Shines In “Emotionally Resonant” Comedy
Now playing in theaters, Fantasy Life is a comedy that is written and directed by Matthew Shear. Currently it’s certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a 79% rating, and CinemAddicts podcast host Bruce Purkey delivers an in-depth review in our post. Check out the video for further insight into this movie which co-stars Amanda Peet, Alessandro Nivola, Judd Hirsch, Bob Balaban, and Andrea Martin!
Read more: ‘Fantasy Life’ Review: Amanda Peet Shines In “Emotionally Resonant” Comedy
Fantasy Life centers on Sam Stein (Matthew Shear), a neurotic guy who becomes a nanny to his psychiatrist’s three granddaughters. Sam bonds with the girls’ mother Dianne (Amanda Peet), a talented actress whose career is at a crossroads. Alessandro Nivola co-stars as David, a rock bassist who is Dianne’s husband and Judd Hirsch is Sam’s psychiatrist.
Co-host Bruce Purkey likened the movie to a Woody Allen comedy, and cinephiles who love his work may gravitate to Fantasy Life. For Purkey, the “true revelation” of the film was Amanda Peet.
”She is just fantastic and Peet has the perfect level of kind of pathos and world weariness,” said Purkey. “And you get the humor from her too. (Plus), she’s not a mean or or pompous person at all. She is really way more down to earth than you expect her to be.”
Bruce gave the mainly New York set Fantasy Life a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½ rating. ” It’s really good and hopefully it will catch some audiences out there,” said Purkey. “It’s a hard sell for kind of middle America, but if you are missing acceptable versions of what Woody Allen used to throw down to some degree, I think this is maybe somewhere you can go to get that.”
Check out Bruce’s full review on YouTube or listen to his take on CinemAddicts:
Share your thoughts on Fantasy Life in the comments!
‘EPiC: Elvis Presley In Concert’ Lands on Blu-ray/4K And DVD June 16
If you’re looking for some home entertainment entertainment from The King, then NEON and Universal Pictures has that ticket. EPiC: Elvis Presley In Concert from director Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge!) hits DVD, Blu-ray/4K UHD starting June 16, 2026. Presales for the physical media releases and start today. Cinephiles and Elvis lovers can also download the film today on Digital. Further details featured in our post!
Read more: ‘EPiC: Elvis Presley In Concert’ Lands on Blu-ray/4K And DVD June 16
EPiC: Elvis Presley In Concert contains long-lost footage from the entertainer’s Las Vegas residency in the 1970. Rare 16mm footage from Elvis on Tour along with 8mm film from the Graceland archive, and rediscovered records of Elvis are among the treasure trove of material featured in the film.
Baz Luhrmann’s journey into making the project began on a seach for rumored unseen footage during the making of his 2002 feature Elvis. “I had researchers go into the Warner Bros. film vaults burined in underground salt mines in Kansas and, to the astonishment of all, we uncovered 69 boxes (59 hours) of film negative that hadn’t been seen,” said Luhrmann in his Director’s Statement.
Luhrmann described EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert as a “leap of the musical imagination and a tribute to one of the greatest performers of all time.” The film made over $23.4 million worldwide and it holds a Rotten Tomatoes score of 97%.
Will you be purchasing EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert on digital (now available) and/or on physical media (available June 16)? A special edition Steelbook version will be available later this year.
Share your thoughts on the film in the comments!
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Jared Shoemaker Talks ‘The Voice: Battle of Champions’ Experience: “It’s Just Awesome”
Navy veteran Jared Shoemaker is featured tonight on The Voice: Battle of Champions for a Knockouts performance with fellow Team Adam artist Jaali Boyd. Shoemaker talked to Deepest Dream about the lessons he learned on the program and he also delivered some insight on his band Marshull. Full interview is in the post!
Read more: Jared Shoemaker Talks ‘The Voice: Battle of Champions’ Experience: “It’s Just Awesome”
One huge lesson Jared Shoemaker received from The Voice: Battle of Champions centers on effectively utilizing his recording studio time.
”Artistically, I play live for hours and hours every night, but when you spend so much time focusing on one song, getting each and every note each and every run just as perfect as you can, that made me rethink singing,” said Shoemaker. “It really helped me as far as getting in the studio. I don’t just wing it now. I really practice when I’m breathing. And I practice each and every note so that when I get to the studio, it’s not a big guessing game. It’s that’s kind pressure of being onThe Voice taught me; it was to really focus on what you’re doing. And don’t take any note for granted. Every note needs to be calculated.”
Another highpoint for Shoemaker on The Voice: Battle of Champions was his battles performance with Drew Russell. “I think we did a great job,” said Shoemaker. “We put the hours in, and I knew it was gonna be good. But then after seeng it in on TV, I’ve been telling everybody, that was probably the most proud musical moment I’ve had. All the stars aligned. It was just a really good performance.”
Shoemaker also talks about Marshull’s album Long Time Coming, which you can listen to below (give the track “Leviticus” a shot!):
“It’s been awesome because a lot of people that have supported me said ‘Hey, you need to go on The Voice,’ said Shoemaker. “I’ve heard that a million times, and then I finally did it, and everybody’s just super excited, if not more excited about it than I was. People are just very proud to see where I was and where I’ve come from. To have it all come to fruition is just kind of a dream come true.”
Catch Jared Shoemaker tonight on The Voice: Battle of Champions (9/8c) with the new episode streaming the next day on Peacock.
Gene Gallerano And William Pisciotta Discuss Soundstage And Anamorphic Aesthetic of ‘The Yeti’
The Yeti, a creature feature directed by Gene Gallerano and William Pisciotta, delivers visual immersion from a grounded place. The filmmakers love the expansive, Panavision look of such movies as Battle of the Bulge and It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and that visual depth is evident in their feature. Gallerano and Pisciotta talked to Deepest Dream about their ambitious tale which hits AMC Theaters April 4th and 8th and arrives on Digital April 10.
Read more: Gene Gallerano And William Pisciotta Discuss Soundstage And Anamorphic Aesthetic of ‘The Yeti’
Merriell Sunday Sr. (Corbin Bernsen) and explorer Hollis Bannister (William Sadler) have gone missing in Alaska. A brave team, which includes Hollis’ daughter Ellie (Brittany Allen), embark on a rescue mission which is derailed thanks to a monster in the wilderness.
If you’re looking for a CGI, green screen driven adventure, you’ve come to the wrong place. Most of The Yeti was filmed on a soundstage, and practical effects and sets were the name of the game.
“We wanted to build this movie like The Revenant in a box,” said Gene Gallerano, who also stars as one of the expedition members. “We call ourseves the backyard J.J. Abrams, where we’re going for these massive films and with scope and just cinematic vision to the max. And we’re doing it sometimes in backyards that we’ve built sets – sometimes in our basements. I built a set in my mom’s attic in Texas.”
As for the visuals, William Pisciotta wanted to create “large frames” where all the characters are in it, giving The Yeti a CinemaScope aesthetic. “Nowadays I feel like everything’s really shallow, depth of field,” said Pisciotta. “It’s like super close. We tried to do it (as many of the scenes) like paintings as possible. We wanted all the characters there – very Renaissance-esque.”
***CinemAddicts host Eric Holmes talks to Pisciotta and Gallerano on our latest episode:
Catch The Yeti, co-starring Jim Cummings and Eric Nelsen, in theaters April 4 & April 8th at AMC Theaters and on Digital starting April 10. Share your thoughts on the film in the comments!
Joshua Enck Discusses “Major Impact” And “Big Scope” Of ‘A Great Awakening’
Now playing in theaters, A Great Awakening focuses on the profound friendship between Benjamin Franklin (John Paul Sneed) and Reverence George Whitefield (Jonathan Blair). Director/writer Joshua Enck talked to Deepest Dream about his 129-minute feature and describes why he wanted to bring an epic feel to his narrative.
Read more: Joshua Enck Discusses “Major Impact” And “Big Scope” Of ‘A Great Awakening’
Although A Great Awakening’s target audience will be cinephiles who love faith based features, the movie also has a universal appeal. “We didn’t want to force an agenday down anybody’s throat,” said Joshua Enck. “Or anything that would prove or disprove the faith of our Founding Fathers. We wanted to tell a true story that actually happened in history and that made a major impact on this nation. Nobday can deny the impact the first great awakening had on this nation, and nobdy can deny their incredible, unlikely friendship. We believe only by providence that those two men were brought together to then spark what has become the first great awakening.”
Check out my review of A Great Awakening on this week’s CinemAddicts podcast:
The power of Reverend George Whitefield’s voice and his overall passion are spotlighted in A Great Awakening, and Enck wanted to put that presence amdist a big canvas. “We wanted a film that felt immersive and had a big scope not just in content, but literal scope,” added Enck. “Being out on the water with a big ship, or being in a coalfield or whatever it might be. This is a big story and we didn’t want people to feel claustrophobic and have it be a talking heads film.”
If you are looking for an epic film playing in your local theater this weekend, A Great Awakening might be up your alley. Share your thoughts on the movie in the comments!
Houston Kelly Talks ‘The Voice: Battle of Champions,’ And New Album ‘Right Here, Right Now’
Houston Kelly had a great run on The Voice: Battle of Champions as part of Team Kelly. Starting off on the Blinds with a standout performance of Marc Cohn’s “Walking in Memphis,” Kelly went on to the Battles with Tia Durant and advanced to the Knockouts with JW Griffin. Kelly, a Memphis native and current student at University of Tennesse at Martin, talked to Deepest Dream about his time on the show and he also discussed his album Right Here, Right Now.
Read more: Houston Kelly Talks ‘The Voice: Battle of Champions,’ And New Album ‘Right Here, Right Now’
Kelly Clarkson described Houston Kelly as a “solid country singer” and John Legend complimented the natural “power” behind Kelly’s voice. Though Kelly has received his share of love thanks to his performances, he remains steady through it all.
“One of the things that I learned and I realized – my worth is not grounded in what I do on a stage,” said Kelly. “I follow Jesus and my worth comes from him and what he’s done for me, not any singing ability that I have or anything like that.”
“That’s been one of the things that after my Blind (audition) aired on TV, there was a momentary high and it was really cool,” added Kelly. “And I was surrounded by friends and family. But then life was regular. Nothing changed. I’m still Houston. Nothing’s different. That was one of the things I didn’t expect, but in a way I knew it was coming. So in reflection of what was happening there, it really made me think about what do I put my identity in and how am I gonna portray that identity as I move forward.”
For a deeper insight into Kelly’s musicianship and songwriting, check out his debut album Right Here, Right Now which he discussed in detail during the interview.
“I’m really proud of (Right Here, Right Now),” said Kelly. “Part of the reason I wanted to go ahead and release that was because I knew of some upcoming opportunities and I said if people are gonna have opportunity to maybe hear me, I want ’em to hear something fresh,” said Kelly. “And I want ’em to be able to hear something that I’m proud of. Something that I wanna play at shows. And so the band and I – we got together and some of the songs are co-written.”
“One of my good friends, Ella Gibson, she wrote with me on a few of them. I will vomit words out when it comes to songwriting. And that’s something that she sat down and I remember her telling me,” said Kelly. “She said, ‘Houston, does rhyme scheme mean anything to you?’ And we all busted out laughing and because she was right. So I’ve learned a lot from her.
Listen to “Messages in Heaven,” a song Kelly wrote in tribute to his late grandfather:
Full interview Houston Kelly: