NHT! Interview: Soulful singer Levi Kreis comes into his own with new album

If Levi Kreis' acclaimed sophomore release, "The Gospel According To Levi", took us through the complicated and painful past of a young man growing up under the grip of religious fundamentalism, then it must have been cleansing for Mr. Kreis because there is no trace of hardship here.

"Where I Belong" is the most positive, uplifting offering we've witnessed from this piano man. We depend on Levi's pop sensibilities to write a contagious hook, but this time around, they simmer with southern soul that rings truer than any previous endeavor.

Levi Kreis released his debut album "One of the Ones" in 2005 following an appearance on NBC's hit reality show The Apprentice with Donald Trump. Combined with an exclusive CD premiere on XM Radio, the world's introduction to Levi began a firestorm of conversation. Songs from his debut CD have been featured on The Apprentice, Days Of Our Lives, and The Young And The Restless spawning national television appearances and radio rotation.
His sophomore CD released in 2006, "The Gospel According To Levi", garnered more television and film placement and a music video for the single "We're Okay" which held the #1 position for nine weeks on MTV's Logo network. With nearly 300 appearances in 2006-07, Levi has shared the stage with Quincy Jones, Herbie Hancock, Snoop Dog, Farrel, Collective Soul, and opened for Cyndi Lauper at Wrigley Field.

Levi's 1997 move to Los Angeles found him cast as "Roger" in a National Tour of Rent where he unexpectedly discovered his love for acting. His natural musical talents complemented his budding on-screen abilities and he was cast as one of the musical leads in the award-winning independent film "Don't Let Go." After completing a few short films, Levi was invited to work with Bill Paxton and Matthew McConaughey in Paxton's directorial debut "Frailty" where Levi played the emotional role of Adam Meiks.

In fall of 2007, Levi took a break from touring to become the original cast member in a new hit musical called "Million Dollar Quartet", where he received astounding reviews for his portrayal of Jerry Lee Lewis, and went on to launch the official national debut at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago. 2008 provided a record-breaking run, and Levi's performance received enthusiastic praise from The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Seattle Times, among others.

"Where I Belong" proves that Levi has come into his own with a sound nostalgic for his gospel roots and southern soul, and promises to be the most defined chapter in this young prolific singer/songwriters promising career.

Levi recently took time to chat with NHT! in an exclusive phone
interview about his new album, playing Jerry Lee Lewis and exactly where he does belong.

NHT!: Before we get into talking about the new album, I’d like to talk about its roots in your previous release “The Gospel According to Levi”. How did the gravity of that work affect the direction of the new album?

Levi Kreis: I felt that I really needed to say all of that stuff with “The Gospel According to Levi”. I took a deep breath after that album and it was like a great relief for me because I was able to get that off my chest. Now it’s time to forgive. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy but I knew I had to go that direction too. I sat down and I started to journal. I took—one by one—every person I could think of from the bullies in elementary school to the preachers who made me convinced that I was an abomination to God to record labels who had given me the runaround to lovers who had not treated me right. Every single thing that I could possibly think of that I had not resolved in my life filled that journal up.

These were all situations that I felt like were preoccupying my energies in ways that were unhealthy. One by one these situations were written in the journal and after I wrote them down I would close the book and picture them in my mind’s eye. I would say to myself for each one “Every person does what they know based on their limited knowledge and experience. Now, I am going to choose to believe that no one has done anything to me because we are all complex beings who are products of our history.” Then, I chose to let that go and forgive and bless their spiritual journey. It was like a revelation to me that everything that had gone into creating “Gospel” was a real clue for me that there was a lot of forgiveness and resolve that I needed to do.

I really needed to look at people and realize that they were on the journey that they needed to take in this life to learn the lessons they needed to learn and that I am not God so I don’t need to understand that. But I can bless that journey and allow that to be between them and God. There was a certain freedom that came from that which suddenly began to translate into my music. I was so happy to be able to let go of the past in a way that I had never been able to do before. “Gospel” helped me to get it off my chest and let it go, but it was the forgiveness after the fact that helped to make it a non-issue finally.

NHT!: As someone who comes from a strong gospel background, do you feel that the more you try and mainstream yourself the more your roots in Gospel music tends to insist upon its presence?

LK: In a lot of ways, yes. I feel like I have finally made that leap from being a songwriter to really being an artist. As a songwriter it is really easy for me to approach my work in a way that is really more contextually driven like with “Gospel” where I found myself having to make choices as a songwriter that would help to digest that material. This took me down a different avenue that wasn’t necessarily reflective of my history. It was very guitar driven and at times sounds like it might be something from a Kelly Clarkson album which is not where I am from or who I am.

But, I felt that to conjure the similarity of that type of sound might help the medicine to go down a little easier. But this time it became about my influences musically and discovering for myself as an artist the specific style of how I play the piano and the specific style of how I sing and how I craft that in a way that doesn’t overproduce myself and doesn’t get in my own way and is also reminiscent of that gospel, soulful, southern flavor that I know best. I think finally I have discovered a consistent musical style that I personally think is a perfect fit. I think it is really honest and I feel like I have finally come home musically. It took me over three hundred cities of touring that music to realize that when I started singing something that felt soulful or gospel driven something happened to me and my live performance. Everything went up a notch. That was a huge clue for me that was where I needed to stay.

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NHT!: After all of that processing and forgiveness, how did the direction of “Where I Belong” begin to unfold for you?

LK: I really came to a point in my life not only where I wanted to stop carrying around all of this weight that we accumulate through the years that tends to drag us down, but I was also ready to just have some fun for a change. “One of the Ones” was very internalized and “Gospel” was very vulnerable. It’s just where I was in life. I found myself in a very happy place in my life so I decided that I really needed to celebrate that by having fun with thus album. I needed to uplift and feel in a way that is infectious and up tempo and feels the ay that I feel about life right now. I also went back to “One of the Ones” and thought to myself “If I am going to do this album then I can’t lose what is truly me. So, in the process of recording the new album we began with only a piano, drums and a bass. Everything was recorded in bare bones trying to capture that same heartfelt honesty that “One of the Ones” was.

NHT!: Many people may not be aware that you are currently starring as iconic rock & roll pianist Jerry Lee Lewis in a new musical called “Million Dollar Quartet”. What drew you to the role initially?

LK: I really think this role is tailor made for me and I am amazed because it just kind of fell into my lap. When the company got the first version of the show they knew from a previous show I had done that I was southern, could play the piano, and could act so they asked me to come in and just read the part so that the executive producers could hear what they had. We did that and then I didn’t hear anything for another year. Then we did it again and again several times since 2001 until finally I had been workshopping this role for several years until I finally took the role completely in 2007.

It really provided me with an outlet I had never had before because I play the piano in my own style but I don’t get to be as technically involved and show off the way I do in this role. This role is such a perfect fit for me because I grew up playing Jerry Lee Lewis’ work. Doing this role really reminded me of my roots in a way that I couldn’t deny because I was doing eight shows a week. Coming back to those old influences even down to the influence of Jerry’s cousin Jimmy Swaggart, who I used to listen to reminded me of all those things I felt like I was starting to veer away from a bit.

NHT!: So, with all of this going on in your life, where exactly does Levi Kreis belong?

LK: Acceptance, release and surrender are where I belong right now. Learning service has been a big lesson for me in the past year. At the end of the day none of this matters. What are we doing to give service to the world around us on a day to day basis? I really seem to be learning to take the scope off of me and my pain and my discomfort. We all have things we are going through and we all have a story. The moment we can release that and let go and move forward we will learn there is a certain freedom in embracing who we are and what we have to offer the world.