Chris Blue returns with an album to commemorate his introduction to music
You don’t typically see Chris Blue’s name on this side of the music page in Cityview. However, with his first Gospel album hitting the charts, his first album back in nearly three years, this one deserved a table flip. Chris and I sat down to talk shop about the shift that took him back to his roots—and the realizations that got him there.
Cityview: The last time you were on this end of the interview was back in 2019. What’s changed since?
Chris Blue: Chris Blue, as an artist, is ever evolving. He’s changing, he’s growing, he’s learning, he’s discovering, he’s rediscovering, he’s defining, he’s redefining. There’s only three things that have remained consistent in my life, and that’s God, family and people. Those three things continue to be the forefront of my existence and the fuel which drives me every single day. And so I’ve seen that my music just kind of evolved through those filters. I started out from the Voice and then journeyed to mainstream music. I was part of the Winter Olympics back in 2018. I performed concert venues all over, met tons of people, worked with celebrities and was signed to the biggest record label in the world, but still, something was missing. Something wasn’t connecting. I started dabbling into acting during COVID. I told my manager at the time, ‘I want to be a triple threat,’ not because it’s something that looks cool and fun, but I believe I’m called to do more than just sing and reach people in different ways. So I started acting, I began writing for Cityview, became an interviewer and TV host.
CV: That’s right! You’re coming up on your third season with Appalachia Sessions, right?
CB: It’s unbelievable. Time flies. But things have been going great there. I’m a Telly Award winner, and I’m grateful for that. I’m a vocal coach now, too.
CV: So where did the switch happen to begin a move to Gospel?
CB: Along the way, I’ve never lost my faith. God has always stayed close to me, and that’s how we’ve come to this space now where I wanted to do something for God, something for my faith. So I started just imagining what would it be like to create a gospel project, but not just any gospel project because there’s tons of gospel music out there, but how do I recapture those lost gems that my grandmother grew up on, my mother grew up on, and also I grew up on because of them? That’s how Foundations: The Hymns of My Heart was first conceived.
CV: You told us back in 2019, “The music industry is not feeding me. What I need is love. I need joy….I need truth. And I’m not getting a whole lot of that.” Did that play a role in your move to gospel?
CB: Yes. The catalyst to all of my success has been being true to who I truly am, valuing my faith and staying in alignment with my core values, systems, structures, and beliefs, right? That’s been the catalyst to all of my success: trusting myself, trusting the voice that lives inside of me and just being me, just being enough for myself, and knowing I don’t need to be like anyone else. When I got into the marketplace, I began to compare, and I started looking at what everyone else had and what I didn’t have. So I started ignoring myself and listening to other people, trusting them more than what has gotten me to this point. Once I started trusting others, I noticed I started changing, and I started looking more like them, talking more like them, sounding more like them, and losing my identity.
CV: I can imagine that being an unexpected response to entering your dream industry.
CB: Music is in my core. It’s all I’ve ever known. But I’ve known myself longer than I’ve known music. The reason I’ve been able to make the right choices is because I believed in myself and trusted in myself. But the moment I stopped doing that, I started noticing certain things weren’t going my way and opportunities wouldn’t come, or I’d get overlooked. The person you have to become in order to really have great value and respect in the music industry was a bit distasteful for me. And so I don’t classify myself as a music artist. I’m an artist who just so happens to use music as his platform to paint his picture.
CV: How did you overcome that struggle?
CB: Someone asked me a question one day, and it was my wake up call. The funny thing is I’ve heard the question numerous times before, but for whatever reason in this particular situation, something clicked. The question they asked me was, “What was the most important thing you learned from being on The Voice?” In that moment, I actually took time to think about the question and the answer came out, and it was all I ever needed to hear…I am enough. I think that’s how I overcame all of it, just realizing who I truly am and knowing that I’m enough.
CV: You’re a local worship pastor, too. Did that influence your desire to record in this genre?
CB: To answer shortly and frankly, yes. Anytime I’m on a platform and I’m worshiping and I’m leading people to something I know personally I have experienced that has been the greatest decision of my life, then that’s going to empower me and influence me to want to continue to spread that out. And not just locally. I want to see everybody around the world experience what God’s love feels like because that’s what got me attached. Church is not a perfect place, but I don’t put my faith in church; I put my faith in Jesus Christ.
CV: Who did you tell first about the idea?
CB: I told no one at first. When I started talking to the label this record is signed to—Gaither Music—I said, “I want to take people on a journey.” I’ve done an album that was more bluesy, R&B. I’ve done an album that was pop. And I could be positioning myself in a very confusing way, but I’ve got a clean slate. I haven’t done music in two-and-a-half years, but the first thing I want to put out is the beginning of my story because I want people to know me. I want to tell a story with my music from here on out.