Chris Willis

Originally a gospel singer, with the Heritage Singers and others, he was featured on the pop-classical album Handel's Messiah – A Soulful Celebration in 1993, singing a contemporary version of "Every Valley Shall Be Exalted".{{cite news| last =Stark| first =Judy| title =Our Annual Holiday CD Roundup Series| page =18| newspaper =St. Petersburg Times| date =November 26, 1993}} His first job after college in Alabama was touring with a group that sang hundreds of shows in churches over a two-year period.{{cite web|url=https://www.windycitytimes.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=19080|title=Chris Willis: He has the music in him|first=Mikey|last=Rox|work=Windy City Times|date=August 6, 2008|access-date=January 17, 2020|archive-date=August 5, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805112023/http://www.windycitytimes.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=19080|url-status=live}} In the mid-1990s, he toured as backup vocalist for Twila Paris.{{cite news| last =Bialczak| first =Mark| title =For the love of God: Twila Paris' Christian music electrifies crowd| page =C4| newspaper =The Post-Standard| date =April 4, 1995}} In 1996, he released his debut self-titled album, for which he wrote or co-wrote eight of the eleven songs,{{cite news| last =Hytche| first =C. J.| title =Chris Willis| page =3| newspaper =Houston Chronicle| date =September 21, 1996}} and earned a nomination for Best R&B Album at the 1996 Nashville Music Awards.{{cite news| last =Gray| first =Michael| title =Nashville Music Awards taps eclectic collection| page =A1| publisher =Nashville Banner| date =November 12, 1996}} That year, he opened on tour for Mark Lowry,{{cite magazine| last = Price| first = Deborah Evans| title = Higher ground| magazine = Billboard| volume = 108| issue = 37| pages = 46| date =September 14, 1996 }} and was one of several featured singers in the musical showcase Emmanuel, a national tour put together by Nashville producer Norman Miller.{{cite news| last =Hogan| first =Susan| title =Emmanuel: A seasonal showcase for Christian singers| page =F1| newspaper =Star Tribune| date =December 1, 1996}} The tour spawned an album, which won a GMA Dove Award in 1998 for Special Event Album of the Year.{{cite news| title =Dove list| page =B4| newspaper =The Times-Picayune| date =April 25, 1998}} He did mostly gospel until 1998 when he signed with a small music label. The label was bought out by a large corporation and Willis took that as a cue to move on. During this time he also worked to resolve the "angst" from being closeted about his sexuality, "I always felt like God really understood—but that wasn't the message I was receiving in the church. So, when I moved out on my own I really internalized that message that God makes us who we are and that it's up to us to embrace that or not. I chose to embrace all those things as freedom, and that freedom begat the freedom I experience now." He cites his internalized struggle as important to his transitioning out of gospel music. "I think there's this unspoken denial that you go through in gospel—maybe so in other musical art forms too—but I just felt for me it just wasn't easy to keep perpetuating that." On June 2, 2014, Willis married Jacqueline Leiske.{{cite web|url=https://newsflash.bigshotmag.com/features/32868/|title=Big Shot Rewind: 219 DJs and Artists Look Back on 2014|work=Big Shot Magazine|first=Darren|last=Ressler|date=December 31, 2014|access-date=January 17, 2020|archive-date=June 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200613074411/http://newsflash.bigshotmag.com/features/32868/|url-status=live}}

In 2000 he was working with the French boy band 2Be3 and when doing some publicity for their album in Paris one of the bandmates introduced him to house musician and producer David Guetta. Guetta invited Willis to the studio and the next day they wrote 'Just a Little More Love.' Willis co-wrote and provided most of the vocals on Guetta's debut album Just a Little More Love, including the hit title track.{{cite magazine| last = Paoletta| first = Michael| title = Beat Box| magazine = Billboard| volume = 116| issue = 6| pages = 33| date =February 7, 2004 }}

His music genres have included gospel music, disco, pop rock, and R&B. Willis is active on social networks including MySpace, Facebook and recently Twitter. He often adds live photos and videos from his tours and answers questions from fans.{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/chriswillismusic|title=Chris Willis|work=facebook.com|access-date=March 17, 2015|archive-date=February 9, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160209202751/https://www.facebook.com/chriswillismusic|url-status=live}} Throughout 2009 he toured with David Guetta through Europe in support of One Love. He has also been doing solo European dates.{{Cite web|title=Chris Willis|url=http://www.myspace.com/chriswillismusic|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101109150628/http://www.myspace.com/chriswillismusic|archive-date=9 November 2010|website=myspace}} In November 2009 he performed at Danceclub C4 in Steyer, Austria for their 2nd Anniversary Party.{{cite web|author=Bosnjakovic|first=Stefan|date=7 November 2009|title=Photos: Chris Willis live on stage, Danceclub C4 / Ternberg|url=http://www.party.at/Photos/Archiv.2009/Streifen.2009.11.07.001/|url-status=live|work=party.at|language=de|access-date=November 11, 2009|archive-date=November 11, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091111024148/http://www.party.at/Photos/Archiv.2009/Streifen.2009.11.07.001/}} A documentary about him, Inside Out, directed by Robert Jason and Eric Miclette for Complete World Domination was released in early 2010 alongside the "Gettin' Over" single.{{Citation|title=CHRIS WILLIS "Inside Out" Teaser!| date=November 19, 2009 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUmEIYIgJhA|language=en|access-date=2021-07-19|archive-date=April 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170429173439/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUmEIYIgJhA|url-status=live}}

His solo single "Louder (Put Your Hands Up)" was released on October 12, 2010.{{cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/louder-put-your-hands-up-ep/390644008|title=Louder (Put Your Hands Up) – EP|work=iTunes|date=September 21, 2010 |access-date=March 17, 2015|archive-date=March 6, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306023120/https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/louder-put-your-hands-up-ep/id390644008|url-status=live}} Willis co-wrote the song with Cutfather and Jonas Jeberg.{{cite web|title=GEMA – Members – Online Database – Musical Works|url=https://online.gema.de/werke/detailPage.do?dbkey=28383307&title=LOUDER+%28PUT+YOUR+HANDS+UP%29&pdf=false|publisher=GEMA|access-date=July 13, 2011|language=de}}{{Dead link|date=July 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite news| last =Cooke| first =Buck| title =We like it when Chris Willis gets 'Louder'| publisher =Project Q Atlanta| date =January 5, 2011| url =http://www.projectqatlanta.com/news_articles/view/we_like_it_when_chris_willis_gets_louder| access-date =February 1, 2011| archive-date =July 15, 2011| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110715121444/http://www.projectqatlanta.com/news_articles/view/we_like_it_when_chris_willis_gets_louder| url-status =live}} The video premiered on DailyMotion October 26, 2010.{{cite web|url=http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xfdjl5_chris-willis-louder-put-your-hands-up_music|title=Chris Willis – Louder (Put Your Hands Up) – Video Dailymotion|author=INgrooves|work=Dailymotion|date=October 25, 2010 |access-date=October 27, 2010|archive-date=October 28, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101028171432/http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xfdjl5_chris-willis-louder-put-your-hands-up_music|url-status=live}} Shot in Los Angeles, the video was directed by Billie Woodruff. The video now has nearly 2 million views on his YouTube page.{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t01hZNTV-m0|title=Chris Willis – Louder (Put Your Hands Up) [Radio Edit]|date=October 28, 2010|work=YouTube}} The song reached number one on Billboard{{'}}s Hot Dance Club Songs on the issue dated January 8, 2011.{{Cite magazine|date=8 January 2011|title=Dance Club Songs Chart|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/dance-club-play-songs/2011-01-08|url-status=live|access-date=2021-07-19|magazine=Billboard|archive-date=October 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181019172508/https://www.billboard.com/charts/dance-club-play-songs/2011-01-08}}

His second single "Too Much In Love" was released digitally August 16, 2011.{{cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/too-much-in-love-single/457816163|title=Too Much In Love – Single|work=iTunes|date=August 16, 2011 |access-date=March 17, 2015|archive-date=April 25, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425063811/http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/too-much-in-love-single/id457816163|url-status=live}} The song features a guitar sample of Lenny Kravitz's "Are You Gonna Go My Way". A video was shot in Los Angeles and released on January 10, 2012.{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTBQJsd-2sI|title=Chris Willis – Too Much In Love (Official Video)|date=January 10, 2012|work=YouTube}} Many remixes have been created and released on iTunes.{{cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/too-much-in-love-remixes/467455403|title=Too Much In Love Remixes|work=iTunes|date=October 18, 2011 |access-date=March 17, 2015|archive-date=April 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402204040/https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/too-much-in-love-remixes/id467455403|url-status=live}}

An eight-song EP entitled "Premium – Songs From The Love Ship, Vol. 1" was released on November 29, 2011 and features several of his solo singles {{cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/premium-songs-from-love-ship/478572849|title=Premium – Songs from the Love Ship, Vol. 1|work=iTunes|date=November 29, 2011 |access-date=March 17, 2015|archive-date=July 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210719003258/https://music.apple.com/us/album/premium-songs-from-love-ship/478572849|url-status=live}} File:ChrisWillis.jpg

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Category:Living people

Category:20th-century African-American male singers

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