Christian Porter is a multi-talented singer-songwriter that has captured the hearts of many fans from around the world. (Photo courtesy of Christian Porter)
By: Jacob Elyachar
Singer-songwriter Christian Porter is the latest artist to have a conversation with Jake’s Take.
The 21-year-old Pennsylvania singer-songwriter has an incredible voice and is multi-talented as he can play the guitar, piano, drums, bass and even the ukulele.
His passion for music has lead him to record his first album: 2008’s One Reason and his 2012 EP: All About You.
Christian had the privilege of opening up for several pop rockers including Gavin DeGraw, Ryan Cabrera and American Idol finalist Bo Bice.
His hard work paid off when he performed a cover of LMFAO’s “I’m Sexy and I Know It” that caught the attention of Shakira, Usher and Blake Shelton on the fourth season of the hit NBC series: The Voice.
Christian took a break from his touring schedule to talk about his early career, both of his albums and his time on The Voice.
Jacob Elyachar: How did you get interested in music?
Christian Porter: I have always been interested in music from a very early age. My mom played the piano and both my dad and uncle played the guitar and sang around the campfire. Music has always been around me, but I never thought of it as something as a career. For most of my life, I was interested in playing soccer and baseball. That all changed when I was 14-years-old, my parents bought me my very own electric guitar. I took it upon myself to go on the Internet and taught myself everything I know to this day.
For years, it was just a hobby and I would play at family events and small parties. But when I was 15, it started to become a bit more serious. I started to play at professional open mics and after some months, I was offered gigs to perform at some bars, restaurants and venues. I also opened up for artists like Kellie Pickler and Gavin DeGraw. Then, I had my experience with The Voice and to think that all of this would have never happened if my parents did not buy me my electric guitar.
JE: Who are your major musical influences? How have they made an impact on you as an artist?
CP: Growing up, I loved listening to John Mayer, Jack Johnson and Jason Mraz. I was also introduced to the Beatles and two of my big musical influences: Billy Joel and Elton John. They are very involved with their careers and are not artists that have songs written for them go out and perform them and make fame and fortune out of them. These artists write 50 or a 100-percent of their music and they perform everything themselves and they do not rely backing tracks. They put their heart and soul in everything that they do.
JE: Could you please describe your songwriting style to my readers?
CP: A lot of people have different approaches to songwriting. They start out with lyrics, music or whatever it maybe. For the most part, when I am writing a song, it goes back and forth between the music and lyrics. 90-percent of the time I am playing with the guitar and then, I will find a chord that will hit me. It could be a major or minor chord that triggers everything. I will start playing and I would write the song musically to get the flow going.
Once I get that flow going, I try to determine the song’s subject matter before I start writing verses. When you are writing a song, watching a movie or reading a book, there is that title of a song, book or movie that people know what the climax of the story is going to be. Then, I fill in the details to how I got to that point. After that, I dig deep to find specific lyrics that relate to that subject matter. Sometimes I would write a song in 15 minutes or it could take a couple of weeks. But, most of the time, my songs come from those 15-minute sessions.
JE: What were some of the challenges that you faced while recording your first EP: “All About You”?
CP: My biggest challenge on that EP was that I did all of the instrumentations. It is great that I had control in where the music is going to go energy wise and everything like that. But at the end of the day, you have to be very careful on not messing with it too much. When I am playing with the album material by myself, things can get lost easily. It is a challenge to make sure that I differentiate myself in every part of the song.
All of Christian’s hard work paid off when he caught the attention of Shakira, Usher and Blake Shelton during “The Voice’s” fourth season. (Photo courtesy of Christian Porter)
JE: Let’s talk about The Voice. Why did you decide to audition for the show?
CP: I go by this “What If” factor when I know something about the first audition. I have to ask myself: “What if I win?” “What if I was chosen?” I auditioned for all of those TV shows and I have always gotten denied. Music is my life and The Voice seemed like a great opportunity to share that passion with people. I had a friend of mine was going to audition for the show during the open casting call and she posted on Facebook that she was going to audition. I literally asked her if I could jump in the car and go to the audition with her the night before.
I got into the car and drove an hour to the audition. I expected to hear a “No” because of all the times before. But here I am today and anytime these opportunities arise I have to go for it, no matter what the situation is. I choose the auditions carefully and I never want to ruin my career in any kind of way. The Voice is not only a very popular show, but they represent artists in such a manner that if you make the show, your career will escalate. I went to the show looking for exposure and that is what I got.
JE: What was your reaction when Shakira, Blake and Usher turned their chairs around after you covered “I’m Sexy & I Know It”?
CP: I was under so much stress building up to that moment that it is hard to honestly remember the audition. I was not expecting them to turn and I chose that song because it is a fun tune and no matter if they did or did not turn their chairs around, I was going to have the greatest time of my life. I did not plan on reacting in any kind of way because I was not expecting them to turn around for me.
Christian Porter and the Swon Brothers’ Battle Round showed off beautiful blended vocals and made their coach proud. (Photo by NBC)
JE: One of my favorite performances of the season was your collaboration with the Swon Brothers on Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down.” Could you please describe your preparation for that battle?
CP: If you saw the reality part of the pre-battle performance, you could see that I was struggling with the song. I know of the song and I heard this song before but I never sang it. When we went into rehearsals, the song was out of my range. I am not the greatest singer in the world, so it was such a challenge for me to work with such great musicians like the Swon Brothers. My cracked vocals were real and none of it was television, it was all 100-percent me.
I enjoyed working with the Swon Brothers because off-camera, we worked together at the hotel to make sure that we could all hit the notes and made sure that our harmonies were tight. We made sure that our Battle Round felt like a trio performance and not so much a battle. It was the greatest time of my life and you could see that I progressed in that entire segment. I am glad that Blake and the show gave me that chance to perform that song because I broke out of my comfort zone with my own voice and I was able to hit notes that I would have never thought hit with confidence and conviction.
JE: What were some of the lessons that you learned during your time on “The Voice” and how will you implement them as you move forward with your career?
CP: Many people have said it before that the music industry is such a tough world and for years, I just shook my head and said that it was not true. But, after my experience with the Voice and the industry in general, it was reiterated into my head. It is a cutthroat business and that I needed to stay focused on my music. I also have to stay true to myself and I cannot forget to enjoy what I do.
It is easy for artists to get caught up in the same injunction of the business. Artists should not lose sight of what they are there to do and that is to create music that allows you connect and not lose yourself. For years, I was an outcast and shy individual, but music allowed me to express my thoughts and feelings with no fear and The Voice allowed me to do that across such a wide audience.
The show has taught me so many incredible things musically and technically. They helped trained my voice during both the battle and reality segments, but also the ability to strengthen my abilities off the show. The Voice also taught me how to work with other artists such as the Swon Brothers, musicians like the show’s band, how to treat others with respect and most importantly how to support fellow artists. The Voice is literally life changing!
JE: You are currently on tour. What are your favorite aspects about touring?
CP: Touring is the whole point of the industry that I am in. I wanted to travel and play my music physically in every part of the world. I have so much fun and it is so beneficial to my career. So many people can see me on TV and purchase my music on iTunes, but for me to be physically present and to share my gift with other people face to face is the greatest thing in the world. I want to do it for the rest of my life.
JE: If you had the chance to meet with aspiring artists who want to work in the music industry, what advice would you share with them?
CP: Nobody else can be you but you! The only way to differentiate yourself from others is to be you. Everybody has different musical tastes and you will never be compared or be better than somebody else, focus on what makes you stand out from other artists. I’m Christian Porter and I enjoy what I do. I write, perform and sing the way I want to. Nobody else in the entire world is like me!
My advice for aspiring singer-songwriters is to be themselves, learn from your role models and see how they created their own success stories and learn from both successes and mistakes. Always be the first you and not the next somebody else!
For years, people told me that I sounded like John Mayer or Jason Mraz. That is definitely humbling because they are all incredible and unique individuals. But, the days that I feel like I have succeeded in my career are the days that people tell me I cannot figure out who you sound like. That is because I sound like me and that is what aspiring singer-songwriters should do.
To learn more about Christian, visit his website: http://www.reverbnation.com/christianportermusic
You can also see some samples of Christian’s work on YouTube by visiting his channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/christianportermusic
