David Phelps isn’t afraid to perform music outside the genre people know him for.
When the Grammy and Dove Award winning singer takes the stage, he will sing his hit contemporary Christian songs such as “End of the Beginning” and “No More Night,” but he may add a rendition of the “Nessun Dorma” from Puccini’s “Turnadot” or “Somewhere” from “West Side Story”.
“I think the world is hungry for people who are true to who they are,” said Phelps, who will bring his “Speak of Love” Tour to Trinity Baptist Church at 7 p.m. on Nov. 12. Go here for ticket information.
He has gotten push back from not always fitting into the mold people expect of him.
The singer’s career has covered a wide array of performance opportunities from a stint with the Bill Gaither Band to starring in a concert version of the musical “Children of Eden” at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago in October 2022.
Phelps said he got to work with composed Stephen Schwartz on “Children of Eden” and called that an “amazing experience.”
“He’s amazingly brilliant,” Phelps said of Schwartz whose body of work includes “Godspell”, “Wicked” and several Disney films including “Pocahantas” and “ The Hunchback of Notre Dame”.
He’s also taken renowned stages such as the Kennedy Center, Sydney Opera House and most recently the Metropolitan Opera.
But being true to himself has brought with it its own degree of pushback. He’s had good advice on how to deal with it. He recalled hearing a story early in his career of a performer in a similar situation.
“He was an established artist who was very successful, and he was talking about how his labeled wanted him to only do worship songs,” he said.
The singer said he was a storyteller at heart and needed to use those gifts.
“All you can do is be who you are. Be true to that and persevere and sooner or later either your number is going to come up again or it’s going to find a place to land,” he said.
It’s worked for Phelps whose career has taken him places he never imagined.
Phelps recently wrapped up two different recordings and TV specials. One is called “Worship” and the other is “Timeless.” “Worship” should release in March 2027, and he doesn’t know all the outlets where it will air.
No matter what genre Phelps sings, hope is at the center of what he brings, and that’s a message that people always need, he said.
“There are always times when we need to be reminded a little bit more on hope,” said Phelps.
