EXCLUSIVEChrissy Metz 'Loves to Be Very Personal and Vulnerable' With Her Music: 'It's Cathartic'
Oct. 16 2023, Published 3:37 p.m. ET
Chrissy Metz isn't afraid to write about personal experiences with her music, as she believes it will only help people in their own journey.
"I love to be vulnerable and personal because I think it allows other people to be vulnerable because you take in however you're feeling that day to the writer's room. I always want to write about what I am feeling because it's honest and it's the truth," the 43-year-old exclusively tells OK! while promoting her Grammy-eligible children’s album, Prayed for This Day. "I've been told by several people that when you lean into that that's how people are going to change and be inspired or grow. My vulnerability will help other people to do that, which in turn, helps me."
The star wrote a new album to go along with her children's book.
"It's this beautiful cyclical thing," she adds. "It's such a gift. I get to do this and share my story and be brutally honest. It's difficult, but it's cathartic."
When Metz does attempt to resist and not get out her true feelings while writing, it doesn't feel right. "The universe works in such amazing ways. I was in a writer's room a couple of weeks ago, and I didn't want to bring up anything I was going through personally," she says. "Another songwriter said, 'I have this title.' I was like, 'Did they read my notes?' It was something I was going through, and I was like, 'I need to be writing about this now.'"
When the brunette beauty first started out in Los Angeles, her manager pushed her to become the "next Jack Black" since she jokes she could cry a lot.
"Comedy stems from tragedy, and I love comedy. It's something that is super important to me, but music was sort of just on the back burner," she explains. "It was sort of pushed to the side, and so for a long time, it was a pipe dream. I never thought I was going to be an actor — ever. I didn't go to a performing arts school or high school, and I was too afraid of my own shadow in high school. I eventually ended up auditioning for choir and then chamber singers my senior year. I was dealing with being insecure and I had a tough childhood, so I was like, 'It's never going to happen.' I was always entertaining my friends. I was class clown, but I just didn't have any connections or access to Hollywood."
The actress said she wrote the album very quickly.
Fortunately, the star later landed the part on NBC's hit show This Is Us, and the rest is history.
Metz has been able to dabble in music and acting since then, and she co-wrote her new album, which is in the category: For Your Grammy Consideration — Best Children’s Music Album, with Bradley Collins, whom Metz recently split from after three years.
Metz wrote Prayed for This Day as a companion piece to her New York Times Best Selling children’s book, When I Talk To God, I Talk About You, which was inspired by the love and faith that she shared with her late grandmother, as well as her experiences as a preschool teacher.
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Chrissy Metz released her book earlier this year.
"When we wrote the children's book, my music manager was like, 'Oh, maybe you want to write this lullaby.' When I went to record the audiobook, they had some music in the intro and the outro that didn't feel right. I was like, 'Maybe we could do an instrumental or write a song.' Then we ended up working with Phil Barton, who is an exceptional songwriter, and he works under Liz Rose at her publishing company as a songwriter. Phil is from Australia and has done a lot of children's albums, so he was the perfect person to work with. We wrote 10 songs within four days and recorded in less than a month," she says of the process. "That's an insane amount of time to make an album! The foundation was there because there were so many lines in the book. Since I also taught preschool for several years back in Florida, I want these kids to be heard and listened to."
"There's messages about self-esteem and confidence, which every child needs," she insists. "We really wanted to implement that through the music and encourage kids to be who they are and be confident! I want them to know they're valuable and have a purpose. This project is really special. I have friends who will go to sleep listening to the album and adults have been impacted the songs, too."
The star never thought she would be an actress.
As for what the future holds, Metz, who will be playing at The Grammy Museum on November 18, says she would love to continue singing and acting. "I'm working on a one-person show, and we're starting to develop some songs for it," she shares. "I'm scared and that's why I know I should do it because it sounds very exciting. Music is my first love, so I want to really give it a go."
"I just want to make great music," the Florida native, who is working on some original Christmas music and going on tour with Jim Brickman, declares. "I want my music to touch a lot of people."
To listen to the album, click here.
