Country star Michael Ray says he is ready to show his fans who he really is, right down to his very core.
“From this point on, my job is to give my fans all of me, because they have always given me all of them,” says Ray.
MICHAEL RAY With: Brandon Lay When: 8 p.m. April 26 Where: Joe’s Bar, 940 W. Weed Tickets: $15 Info: JoesBar.com
On his upcoming album “Amos,” named after his grandfather who inspired him to pursue music, and who passed away two months before Ray’s 2015 Grand Ole Opry debut, Ray is committed to speaking his truth, even if that truth comes as a result of some rocky times as of late.
“More than ever before, I’m being honest with myself,” says Ray, who still brings out his grandfather’s 1978 Les Paul guitar to play while on tour. “We are all human and we all go through struggles, but it’s very important to show that you can come out on the other side. And maybe, you come out better than before.”
Ray has had his share of struggles, including breaking up with his girlfriend, being arrested for a DUI and performing at the Las Vegas Route 91 Festival where 58 people were killed. Despite all of this, the artist, who exploded on the country music scene with his two No. 1 hits “Kiss You in the Morning” and “Think a Little Less,” will continue his healing process through his June 1 release, which he says will include a slew of songs set to reintroduce him to his fans.
“There was a polish on everything on the first album,” he says. “I’ve realized that I’m cheating myself and my fans by doing that. Sometimes you just need someone else to take that step into being truly transparent and honest, and it snowballs from there. I have a platform that a lot of people don’t have, and I want to use it in the best way possible.”
The first single, “Get to You,” off the upcoming album, plays like an ode to a woman who can’t seem to stop running away from even the idea of love. Yet on further introspection into the lyrics, it just might be a song Ray is essentially singing to himself. “I feel like we have all been there,” he remarks. “We all end up getting hurt somewhere along the way and you just don’t want to be hurt like that again. I’m personally guilty of that because I have a tendency to build a wall around me sometimes.”
While Ray says he can’t quite believe it’s already time for him to release his second album, he feels like it’s time to let some of this pent-up creativity out. “It’s funny how you wait your whole life to make your first album and you have a week and a half to make your second one,” he jokes. “To be honest, it sent me into a little bit of a panic. But I feel like it’s time to be very honest, either within my own stories or the stories my fans tell me. During meet and greets, for example, you get this small chance to get in their lives for a second and. within those conversations, I receive much inspiration.”
Of course there is nowhere else he feels more his most authentic self and his most honest self than in his beloved Chicago. “I was a Florida kid who grew up watching Cubs baseball,” says Ray, who even named his new dog Wrigley. “I have always loved cities that are essentially communities made up of generations of people. I travel all over the place, but for me, coming to Chicago gives me a sense of peace. It’s a place where I can lose myself a bit and clear my head. At the same time, there is an energy that gets you when you here. I love this city.”
Tricia Despres is a local freelance writer.
