Making The Most of This Moment:
by Dan Kimpel

Singer/songwriter Levi Kreis is a joyful independent artist. "I'm a businessman, not just a musician. It's not a responsibility; it's a freedom, because we get to decide how far we go nowadays. The difference in the industry is fantastic. I don't have to sit around and wait for 20 suits to decide my fate anymore." A series of indie releases has established Kreis as a recording artist while providing a bounty of material for film and television projects. Most recently, he wrote and performed three songs-two penned with co-writer Darci Monet- in the feature film Kiss The Bride, starring Tori Spelling. "I met (music supervisor) David Quan through a group of friends. We were drawn to each other because of our histories," recalls Kreis. "I didn't even consider what he did, but we got a call from him asking to hear some songs for a film. He knows people I worked with in Nashville. I love that we have a common past, not only in a business perspective but also from a personal standpoint. And now here we are in the present and he's got my back. I'm very grateful."

    Born in East Tennessee, Kreis broke into the business as a Christian singer/songwriter in Nashville. "I was comfortable with the camaraderie, I felt inspired by the excellence of musicianship they require. But being the product of a very religious background, I felt there were certain things about the church that weren't ringing true. Eventually, the rub inspired me to redefine my views about God and the universe, and although I am thankful for Nashville and its spirit of religion, I wouldn't want to live there again," notes the Los Angeles transplant. In conversation, Kreis speaks with the fervor that echoes evangelistic cadences. "if I were to say that we were created in the image of God, then I believe that we are every bit of the creator that God is. But the challenge of that for us as artists and singer/songwriters is that when we start out pursuing dreams, it's not an easy task. There are always rejections and obstacles. Over time, we begin to build internal judgments about ourselves, about the world, and about how much success we may or we may not be able to achieve. So the goal is to realize that we should dismiss these internal judgments and let the universe have the last word. And standing right here, connected to the divine, say, 'Why not me? Why can't I have all this? I'm not going to listen to these internal judgments. I am meant to create, to serve what God has blessed me with the ability to do.' Just as he has blessed us all with a very special specific ability that we then have the responsibility to take to somebody else."

    Post Music City, Kreis was groomed for a major label signing in New York City. "It was all looking so fantastic, but there was some shady shit that I was too naive to navigate my way through," he confided. Stuck in New York, with no release imminent, Kreis snagged an appearance on the television series The Apprentice on an episode where XM Satellite radio challenged the two teams to find an unsigned artist and deliver a produced song to be heard on XM Cafe. "I had about seven minutes on TV," says Kreis. "I had to make the most of this moment. I had all of these ballads the label didn't want, so I sat down at a piano and made the CD (One of the Ones) for $200. I went to a friend to do graphics, borrowed money to manufacture CDs and set up a website. The show aired and I couldn't keep up with thousands and thousands of requests for this album." Kreis is now completing a new CD, titled Where I Belong. "This truly represents who I am as an artist. I feel like I'm coming home to the gospel roots that I've grown up with and the country influences, too. I said a lot of heavy things on my last album, so I feel good. I can celebrate the moment in front of me rather than wading through the past."