Anthony Evans has a golden voice that has graced many churches and Christian radio. Things changed for him when he made waves as a contestant on NBC's The Voice. Anthony talks to NRT's Dwayne Lacy about that experience, his new album, Real Life/Real Worship, marriage and more.  

What did your time on The Voice do for you musically?

Musically, it broadened my mind. My time in Los Angeles and on The Voice made me think bigger. The casting director for NBC's reality TV shows in my audition (before the blind audition) dropped her pen and asked, "Why are you 28 and I've never heard of you before?"

That one question opened my mind to thinking outside the four walls of church. Not leaving church, but asking, "Could it be that God gave this ability to use it both in and outside of the church?" That's what it did for me; it made me think outside of the box.

Having time with Christina Aguilera was valuable. Even though we are so different on a foundational level, she's had so much experience. They would just sit me down with her and talk about my career, etc. She would tell me that I need to be a trailblazer. My whole career has been about me doing what I'm "supposed" to be doing and people would follow me. I always followed my heart. Jewel told me, "Being a Christian is only the tip of the iceberg for you Anthony. I want to know what's beneath the surface." That started me writing some of the songs that are on this record. 
 
What about spiritually?

Los Angeles is not the "Bible Belt." That is a place where if you feel it, do it. I have been able to make decisions because they are my decisions--not because I'm Tony Evans' kid or that I'm a church worship leader and everybody knows me. In L.A., they don't care. I have to make sure that I am spiritually balanced because Los Angeles can easily throw you off balance. It's opened me up to a lot of different thoughts.

Most people don't know that The Voice hired me to be a talent producer for the show. Most of my friends in L.A. are not Christians. So spiritually I had to learn how to relate and I've learned how to do so on a real life level. When they ask me how I handle certain things in my life, I get to tell them about my faith. This has made me so much deeper spiritually. 

Real Life/Real Worship is a type of album that you normally don't hear. It's either one or the other. Why was this important for you to have an album about life and worship?

It was important because it was about me being honest. Secondly, it was important because I don't like when we separate worship from our real-life experience. Sometimes it takes real life experiences to understand what it means to really worship. There are people who "go in" in worship and that's because they are going through real life scenarios. Most of those scenarios (for me) were relational,but that is what creates the tears in worship. That is what creates a deeper longing to be close to the Lord. It's real life that creates that, so why would you separate the two? I want to acknowledge the experiences that have driven me into a deeper worship experience. That is real life.
 
You have always been a pretty versatile artist, but it seems as if songs like "I Found You" and "Greater is He" stretched you even more musically.

These were produced by the young and up and coming producer, Max Stark. Tell us about that experience. I got introduced to Max by a friend of mine whom I was on The Voice with. She was like, "You really need to meet this dude."

I was nervous at first because he was 23 at the time. He had never done a full record. So I handed him one song and he handed it back. I was like, "This is gonna work." He's never done a Christian record before."I Found You" was a song that goes straight into that EDM stuff. I wrote it about my friends in L.A. I wanted it to sound like L.A. My friends in Los Angeles have taught me so much about faith. "Greater Is He"--well I would sing vocals into my phone and send it back to Max. I would tell him, "Do whatever you want and send it back in a couple of days." It sent it back and it was just fresh. It made me excited about my music. 

You have a very close knit family. Your sister Priscilla (Shirer) is an amazing speaker and your dad, Pastor Tony Evans is one of my heroes. With you now being in Los Angeles, how often do you get to see your family?

I come home once a month to see my family. We're close and we're connected. I don't take it for granted that I have a father whom I can ask any question and he will sit down and talk to me about it. I just got off a plane with Priscilla. We did an event together in Florida. We're doing one in New Orleans and one in Dallas. We get to travel together and I'm also close to my other siblings. I'm thankful for my family. This record features Priscilla on one song and my mom on another. 

I wanted to say this: L.A. created something inside of me that wants to take chances. People in L.A. take big chances and reap big rewards. This applies to my friends who are on the road with Beyonce or the ones who are on TV shows on NBC. They all took risks.

One of the risks that I took was texting Martha Munizzi because I wanted fresh ideas. I hadn't talked to her in years. I asked her if she would like to write on this record. She texted back and said, "Yes I would love it." That's a risk for me because I don't like bothering people and she's busy. We--Martha, her daughter Danielle and I--sat down and wrote half the record. I've never had a writing session that was that organic and I've never had people respond like they have when I do these songs live. We did a show last night and you would have thought the record had been out for a whole year. I'm not tooting my own horn as much as I am encouraged by it. If you are a Christian, you can take big risks as long as you don't compromise your faith. You can go after that big rewards. It's about not living with regret. 
 
You have the song, "Somebody to Call Home" on your album and we know you believe in family. Does Anthony Evans want to get married?

I do. I have commitment issues and that's a whole other conversation. I've been doing this road thing for years. At the end of my life, having a bunch of CDs and a bunch of shows is not the only legacy that you want to have. Not to discount that at all. I do see that, but I want to be mature about it because life at that point will change. I will have to be in a scenario where I'm set up and willing to make the sacrifices that it takes.