Christian Keyes is an actor, singer, and writer who has been in the entertainment industry for over 20 years. He is currently on a tour with City Winery, and his single “Under That Veil” is in the top 30 at radio.
Keyes grew up in Flint, Michigan, and he credits his work ethic and hustle to his upbringing in the blue-collar city. He started his career in theater and commercials, and he eventually moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting and singing. Keyes has been in a number of successful TV shows, including “Saints & Sinners,” “The Family Business,” and “All The Queen’s Men.”
He is also a writer, and he has written several books and scripts. Keyes is a passionate advocate for diversity in the entertainment industry, and he is always looking for new ways to challenge himself and grow as an artist. He is also a generous mentor to other young artists. Keyes is an inspiration to many, and he is sure to continue to be a successful and influential figure in the entertainment industry for many years to come.
City Winery Tour
Kevin Ross: Tell me about the City Winery tour that you are currently on. How many shows is it, and how has it been so far?
Christian Keyes: So far, we did two in Atlanta, the same night, which was different because, I mean, it’s work if you’re going to give them a show and give them energy, and you’ve got two 75-minute shows. That’s some work. So, I’m grateful for it. And you know, I learned a lot. And then we did a show in Pittsburgh and a show in Philly. And that was wonderful as well.
KR: You say it’s work, Do you mean just the stress of actually doing a show that long?
CK: Oh, no, just that on top of the rehearsals on top of, you know, wanting to give them your all. Like, I’m a firm believer in wanting to give people their money’s worth. You know what I’m saying?
And if they’re going to come out, especially like, we’re in St. Louis, it’s cold. They come out of a nice warm house. You know, we’ve got to give them something to experience and feel and not just, you know, I don’t want to just stand there and sing 10 or 12 songs or something, I want to move around and have some interaction and make them feel like they’re part of this show, and give them a wonderful musical experience.
Growing up in Flint, Michigan
KR: So tell me about growing up in Flint, Michigan? I’m from Buffalo and Flint, from what I understood, makes Buffalo look like LA.
CK: Buffalo feels in certain pockets like Flint, but Flint is a little more country, but the people are beautiful. It’s hella melanated. And the city raised me, you know, that’s where I became a man. I found my family. My second adoption there. That was incredible. That helped change and saved my life, probably. And yeah, just really shaped me because you’ve got to grind in Flint. And nothing comes easy. So I’m grateful for that.
KR: So what helped you make up your mind to be successful, especially growing up in an environment where you have so many opportunities to go the other way?
CK: I think the grind of it, you know, you learn. You can’t teach certain talents; certain things are God-given. If you have a yearning or longing for something, and you have some talent in that space, you can build upon that. But therein lies the grind, and the work ethic and the hustle.
And in a city like Flint and a lot of these other cities in the country. You know, they’re grinding cities, they’re blue-collar cities, you know, where people just want to work hard, go home, enjoy their time, save up and go to a concert, save up and take a trip. Get some good presents for Christmas for the kids and for the family members, or for their wife or husband, or whatever the situation is.
And Flint’s like that; it’s just a blue-collar city where you grind and work at all those big automotive companies and stuff like that. I used to want to try to get into GMC, and I thought maybe that might be my future. You know wanting to work a good job, make some good money, good legal money.
But getting out of college and then you start to realize there’s other things out there and like, you know, I could potentially make a decent living at being a creative and acting and singing and then you’ve got to be brave enough to lean into it, do the work, study, take the classes, and then trust God to do the rest.
Early Beginnings in Show Biz
KR: What was the first professional thing that you did?
CK: Um, commercials and theater in Michigan back in the day, around 1999? Geez, 25 years ago. You know, seeing yourself on TV in a commercial, you know, that’s kind of cool. Because it didn’t go to my head, it went to my heart. I was like, Yo, this is crazy. But I can do it. This is possible. Some people think that because you’re on TV, you’re automatically a multimillionaire, or whatever. That’s not the case. It’s a blessing, you know.
KR: So you, were you approached to do commercials? Or did you actually seek them out on your own?
CK: Well, I was modeling, I was doing like talent, I was putting together my own calendars. And all that I had, I had really long John the Baptist, Jesus hair, like really long hair. That looked a lot like my mom with that hair, because she was Native American and French. My birth mother anyway.
And, um, so I was doing some modeling, runway shows, editorial, won a couple of online contests with like, FUBU, and was in some magazines, and I was like, this is kind of cool. But I’m really not wanting people to care about what I look like, I want to be healthy. But it’s not a priority that, you know, I want to, I’ve got to make sure I’m looking wonderful all the time, I really don’t care.
I just want to, I want to be good. And here and in here and have my peace. So once it got to cooking, and once that got to cooking, I was okay, well, let me try some theater because that looks challenging, then that’s not going to be easy, and they hold you accountable, and they’re going to kick your behind.
And I’m glad I did. Because again, that work ethic, you know, it is hard. You do have to commit to it and put time in and miss events because of it. Because you need to practice and rehearse and get ready. And the more I started to sew into that, you know, more opportunities came and I was even more ready for this new opportunity than I was for the last one.
Moving to LA
KR: At what point did you move out? You live in LA, right? Yeah, at what point did you decide to make the move?
CK: Um, in ‘06, after the Madea stuff. I had put up all my Madea money and made the decision to make the jump and was like, you know, this is going well. And I’m theatrically trained. So let me go and shoot my shot at commercial TV and film.
KR: How did that work out?
CK: It was scary. It was slow. Yeah, I almost gave up. Because work wasn’t you know, coming in fast enough, and you start burning through your savings and you know, but um, so, you know, you figure it out, man, I was doing background for three or four days out of the week, for months and months and months. But, you know, when people were like, Yo, you were just the lead in the Madea plays.
But being background, it taught me to be around the cameras and get comfortable. I was in Britney Spears videos and Nelly videos and just any commercial like Party City commercials. it was $135 a day, right? You know, three, four days a week, you know, four weeks out the month. I just made my rent doing background work, and I’m still getting a little bit better every day at my craft. So I didn’t think it was a step back but I thought it was like a pivot.
Becoming an Author
KR: You wrote a couple of books as well?
CK: Um, we were filming a project that I co-produced, The Man in 3B. I was associate producer on that. I was co-producer on that. I don’t remember because it was a while back but talking with Carl Weber and I was like, Man, I got a couple of scripts.
And would you mind looking at one of them to see if there’s something there, if there’s enough meat and potatoes there to build that out into a book. Because I had been chopping it up for like four or five years and people weren’t getting it. And I figured, you know, if you’ve got a really good script, and it’s already a book out there that’s making noise and getting buzz, that’s going to be tough for some network or studio to say no to because it’s, you know, it’s just multi-platform buzz and excitement about this thing.
And he read it, came back, and said, Yeah, he’s like, you know, you can do it. I know, it’s intimidating. But you can do it. Let’s do it. And that was Ladies Night. I changed the title because by 2019, when I licensed it to Tyler Perry Studios, BET already had a show called Ladies Night. So and I’m glad, because I like All The Queen’s Men, title better, but that first book ended up being “All The Queen’s Men.”
KR: And now when you were shopping it? Do you think that the issue was you weren’t shopping it to people who were interested? Or do you think you weren’t? In other words, just like, were you shopping it to the wrong people? Was that the lesson from this?
CK: I don’t think so. I don’t think I was shopping it to the wrong people. I think, you know, if anybody is gracious enough to let me in the room and discuss my intellectual property, my content.
You know, I’m going to seize that moment and have fun with it, I’m going to try to make sure I’m prepared to answer every question that they have, and even some that they wouldn’t even think to ask, okay, you know, I want to know, the world that, you know, that I’ve been blessed to be able to create, you know, fictionally. And that’s how it went. And it went well.
And like, even when I pitched to BET, they were like, wow, you wrote the book and the script. I was like, Yeah. And they, you know, they were like, well, we got to look at you a little different now. You know, not just, you’re not just an actor. And I respect that and appreciate it. But it, I think it ended up where it was supposed to be, but it got optioned once by a major, major studio.
They had it for 18 months, and they never moved on it. I rewrote it like four or five times while it was there. And then I got it back. Because the time lapsed and then a casino in Vegas optioned it for about six or nine months. And they never did anything. And I think actually that casino kind of looked at mine and wrote one of their own. And I got mine back and they put out something else similar.
KR: The Magic Mike thing?
CK: It’s not that one, but it’s something similar. Because, you know, this was 2016 or 17 something like that. And there was nothing like that. I wanted to do this, like, yeah, it would have that Magic Mike, Chippendales element but the rest of everything in it was going to be you know, the show All The Queen’s Men, it was going to be the dramatic moments.
The you know, somebody owes somebody money, she you know, she’s getting harassed by her boss, and she eventually has to kill him and all this other stuff, you know, like a wonderfully crafted dramatic piece, you know, that also happened to have this male exotic component, but that wasn’t essentially the story.
And it still can happen like once you know, once the show’s over and three or four seasons, I can take it to Vegas because I get it back. So I can, you know, I could put it up in Vegas and do a live musical. Add a couple of R&B singers, you know, some quality nationally known vocalists and just do a residency over there. I think that’d be really cool.
Licensing “All The Queen’s Men”
KR: Now when you say you get it back, didn’t you just sell it to Tyler Perry?
CK: I licensed it. So once we’re done, I think I think three years after we’re done, I get it back. So if it goes to season six, or season seven or 100 and some odd episodes, that’d be wonderful. And I think that’s the goal for all of us.
But once it’s done, I can relaunch new books, I can spin off and do movies for certain characters that I want to do in that world and take it whatever direction I want to and I love that part. You know that the ownership of it.
KR: So you do so many things from singing to acting to writing books now producing TV shows. Will you continue to be in the show and continue to write on it or is that going to be in Tyler’s hands?
CK: Um, no, actually, thankfully, my show was WGA. So contractually, I get to have a say in where the show goes and get to consult on, you know, the seasonal arcs and what each character is going to have to do and that kind of thing, my character is going to stay; we’re not killing me off my own show, that’s not going to happen.
And I enjoy it. I mean with myself and the cast and the people that helped me develop it, Ilan Johnson, Michelle Sneed, and Deandra Short. It is a family member. And even though it is my show, it does feel like it’s ours, because I brought them a really good show. And they, they helped make it into a great show.
They challenged me on things and said, “Hey, we should do this here. And that sounds good. But what if we did this?” And then some of those components actually made the show even better. So it’s going to keep growing. I’m excited to see where it goes, and all of that.
KR: What has the viewership been like?
CK: Um, that’s a good question, because I don’t know how many subscribers BET Plus has. But when seasons first dropped the program on BET streaming, and then I know there are two or three million subscribers over there.
And then they do an edited version, and then play like that. The first season has already aired on BET. And I think the second season is about to drop on BET. And the first season is now over on VH1.
So, you know, people are seeing it; we’re getting millions of people watching each episode, which is wonderful. And it’s good for the show, good for the network, good for the actors, the newer actors, and the established actors.
Man of Many Talents
KR: So when did you get the idea to diversify your skill sets? I mean, because a lot of people, they’ll do one thing, and they do it well, and they stick with it. But I was going to say you do so many different things.
Where did you get the idea to say I better? Or maybe I should do as many things as possible? In other words, what’s your purpose for doing so many things?
CK: To avoid regret is one of them. You know, I would much rather try and it just be okay. Then not try. And wonder like what it could have been, you know, I’ve done that before. I tell the story often that back in college, 20-some years ago, I drew the Bentley SUV, and I never told anybody, never showed anybody because I thought they’d laugh at me.
And what came out in 2018, or 2017, the Bentley SUV, and an expensive lesson—they didn’t steal my idea; God gave that idea to somebody else, and they actually moved on it.
And lessons like that taught me to, you know, it’s better to present the most polished, most prepared and informed version of whatever vision I have for something and try it. And if it doesn’t go, it doesn’t go.
But I don’t feel like God gives us these great ideas for no reason, I feel like, you know, he’s kind of checking to see if you’re going to man up, put the work in, and do everything within my power, and then trust him to do the things that I can’t do.
And then just getting a little more brave about those things. Because I love the creative process. I started writing a movie on the plane today. And it might be my new favorite film that I’ve ever written. I’m probably 10 films in. And it might be my new favorite, because it’s way out of pocket. I’ve never seen anything like it. And it’s exciting
What Does the Future Hold
KR: Where do you want to see yourself in the next few years? ?
CK: I don’t want to be a master of everything. Um, you know, I don’t want to be mediocre at like 12 different things. I’ll always do music, I’m hoping musically, you know, I’m definitely going to do another album for sure. Because people are loving this one. And I’m excited about that.
It was scary to step away from being an actor for 25 years. And then I’m brand new over here, again, in this musical space, learning the game. And that’s where I’m having good mentors and putting a good team together to help me learn this world over here. But now that I have music out that is reputable. Hopefully, I’ll be able to write with, and for, some of my favorite artists musically.
I’ve been writing songs since I was 12. So I got five or 600 songs on my phone. And when God comes and gets me in 40 years, I don’t want to have all those songs in there. I don’t want to die with that. You know what I mean?
I want those songs to go around the world and that way they’re not just my song anymore, but they’re you know, Bruno Mars may take a song of mine around the world or Anderson .Paak or Chris Brown or some of the female artists, they’re wonderful. So musically, that’s where I want to go.
Content creation-wise, I want to keep building these shows, I have about five or six more, seven or eight more shows, a couple of unscripted and then the other six are scripted. Because I love the opportunity that it provides for other people, like every time a show goes into production on “All The Queen’s Men,” 150 or 200 jobs are created.
That’s 150 to 200 people that get to take a check home, while they chase their dream and live their dream and build a resume. And that’s definitely one of my favorite parts. So I like leaning into this, I’m not going to start doing a whole bunch of other stuff. But the ones that I have these passions for, I’m going to stay faithful and true to them.
KR: How exactly is streaming different from regular TV because I’ve noticed a lot of shows only last like two or three seasons. And they seemed like they could go on much longer.
CK: It depends. If they’re getting the viewership numbers, they can go like I’ve seen some go for five, six seasons. I’ve also seen a lot of streaming companies go back and get hits and bring them to streaming and let’s say maybe they were pretty good over here.
But like, let’s say our third season just ended last Saturday, and it did well. It did well on [another network] but once it got to Hulu… you know how many millions of people have Hulu in the world? So now you have a bigger viewing audience.
The Business Aspect of Show Business
KR: How important is it for you to be on top of your business as far as your money is concerned? Have you learned any hard lessons about that? Or have you just always been on top of your income?
CK: You learn as you go, but I will say this, you know, once you have a set rate, you know, you kind of have to, there are times where you have to pass on something that might be a great check.
But if it doesn’t intrigue you or encapsulate everything creative in you or just fill you with excitement and thrill you… it’s not moving you forward or challenging in the way that I think it should be.
Then you may have to pass on it even if the check is great, because I don’t want to be that guy that just does stuff for checks. Because earlier on when the work was slow, you know, there was a project or two that I didn’t love, but it was like okay, you only need me for two weeks and I’m getting paid how much. Okay, work is slow. Alright, God, I’m going to go ahead and take this. And thankfully, now I don’t have to do that anymore.
KR: Alright, so let’s get into the music. Under That Veil is top 30 radio. Have you been doing a radio tour since you go to these different cities with City Winery?
CK: Definitely I’m going to try to do some stuff tomorrow with the morning news. And then the R&B station here in St. Louis, as well and try to do the same thing in Chicago when we get there Tuesday morning.
So that’s what I’ve definitely been trying to do. Because I grew up on radio. So I value radio. It’s cool. You know, it’s important, but you know, radio raised me. So I definitely want to show that appreciation and show that love in return.
KR: Now there’s a trend for a lot of artists. When they take pictures with the fans, they actually charge them. What do you think of that?
CK: Um, I paid. I went to Vegas for a couple of artists and did the meet and greet and paid an exorbitant amount because I wanted to get back there and say ‘hey brother, I’ve demo-ed some songs to you, who do I talk to to get them to you? And it worked. I got a chance to submit the music.
So for me, that makes sense. After giving you everything for an hour and a half, if they’re going to take you know another half an hour and you know take three, four or five selfies and pictures with you and give you a church hug and a flower or something, I’m not against it as long as it’s not, you know, ridiculously expensive.
If it’s a little something, then that’s one thing, but if it’s just out of order, I can’t condone that. I won’t be doing that.
On the Album
KR: What is your goal for the album? What do you want to do? As far as continuing to promote it because you got so much on your plate? Will you actually have time to do that as well as all your acting?
CK: Absolutely, thankfully, most of the music shows happen on the weekends. And union-wise, we don’t really film on the weekends like that. So it works out, I can kind of pick and choose my dates.
And then like, let’s say I get on a tour somewhere. Um, you know, we do the same thing that we do with the TV shows, you know, we schedule around whatever tour dates I have, I show up prepared, punctual, book and know my stuff, kick butt and go about my business.
So I think if you honor both of the blessings, you know, they’ll bless you back if you take them for granted and just kind of coast and mail it in. And you know, it’s not gonna bless you. So I’m honored to sing. I’m literally when we get off, I got one more interview, and then I’m gonna do some vocal drills, go to the show for tomorrow, sing those songs out and just do the work.
KR: Okay, is there anything else you wanted to add? I wanted to talk to you more about the business aspect. I know a lot of people talk to you about the music or film only and I know, that’s important. But I’m just always interested in how black men do business in Hollywood.
CK: I appreciate that. And I think we need to put more emphasis on that because the ownership thing, you know, understanding, don’t sell it off, you know, put a caveat in there that you get it back, things like that, that if they take any of your characters and write them into another show, they’ve got to pay you for that there’s money in the business aspects of it.
And when I am in a position to have my own production company, I’ll know how to treat people and how not to treat them. I’ll know how to move in these spaces. And I can help launch the next Angela Bassett and the next this person, that person and help set them up to go even farther than I’ve been blessed to go.
KR: That’s really insightful. Do you see yourself moving more into those executive and behind-the-scenes roles in the future, particularly in production or studio management?
CK: Definitely. I think that’s a natural progression for someone like me who’s been in the industry for so long and seen so many aspects of it. I’ve been fortunate enough to learn from some of the best in the business and now, I want to apply that knowledge.
The idea of being able to create opportunities for others, especially those who are just starting out or who might not have the same chances I did, is really appealing to me. It’s not just about making movies or shows; it’s about building something that can last and have a real impact on the industry and the community.
KR: That sounds like a great vision for the future. Lastly, what advice would you give to young, aspiring artists and entrepreneurs, especially those from underrepresented communities?
CK: The most important piece of advice I could give is to believe in yourself and your vision. The industry can be tough, and it will test you in every way possible. But if you have a clear vision and the determination to see it through, that’s half the battle. Also, never stop learning and growing.
Be open to new ideas, be willing to adapt, and always look for ways to improve. And finally, remember to give back. Help others along the way, just as you would have appreciated help when you were starting out. It’s all about lifting each other up.
KR: Thank you so much for sharing your experiences and insights with us today. It’s been really inspiring.
CK: Thank you for having me. It’s been great talking with you.
