I can’t say there’s much new behind Chris Willis‘ newest single “Louder.” OK, yes, it’s Usher, it’s Ne-yo, it’s Trey Songz, it’s — well — derivative. Having said that, that’s hardly a bad thing in this case. Being out, Willis is one of the few gay black singers that could make waves in mainstream music. He’s been primed by uber-producer David Guetta with nice results and was featured in Guetta’s One Love album last year singing “Gettin’ Over”and “Sound of Letting Go,” two of the standout songs from the CD. The two have collaborated many times over the past decade and it’s put Willis in a far different light than his gospel roots.
And now, Willis is stepping into his own with his debut single and video which precedes his announced full-length album, Inside Voice. The video is heavily edited and not all that gay, but I think Willis is a start for putting an LGBT face on pop and R&B dance music from the get-go without the baggage of going back in the closet just to have a successful career. Let’s see how it plays out.
Check out his video below. Besides, the song should bring you up out of the funk from last night’s election results.
