Actor and musician Dennis Quaid is in the final stages of completing his new gospel album that will feature praise songs that he grew up with in church. The 67 year old actor said in a recent interview that the much anticipated record will include both original material and traditional songs, as well as a slew of collaborators including Billy Ray Cyrus.
Quaid explained to the Chicago Sun Times that he has "always been spiritual" growing up in the Southern Baptist church. However, he did admit to eventually becoming "disillusioned with it as a teenager." At that point, he turned to Eastern religions and philosophies," read the Bible twice, read the Koran and traveled to India nine times. When he made his way back to Christianity, he realized that "it's really the same all throughout the world."
"People are people with the same sort of yearnings. We're all spiritual beings whether we know it or not," Quaid remarked. "So that's what I speak to: one's relationship with God or non-relationship with God."
According to Faithwire, Quaid's new gospel album will feature traditional "spiritual songs I grew up with in church" and original material, including a track called "Fallen, " in which Cyrus is featured. In a new version of his original "On My Way to Heaven," Quaid is joined by country singer Tanya Tucker, singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson and Grammy Award-nominated artist Brandi Carlisle.
Quaid wrote "On My Way to Heaven" in 2018 for a film he starred in titled "I Can Only Imagine." He shared that the song was a tribute for his 91-year-old mother. At the time, he told CBN News how much he admired his mother's faith, which he described as "unquestionable, so solid."
Quaid is also set to perform during a solo, intimate concert on Wednesday in Chicago's City Winery, the Christian Post reported. The actor admitted that it would be the first time for him to perform on his own since he was 19, as he would often be with his band called The Sharks. His venture into inspirational music in recent years has pushed him to become his own frontman.
The actor turned musician described the experience of performing solo as "[going] to the edge of the cliff and just [jumping] off." Nonetheless, he said that fans should just "come and have a good time."
When asked about what Heaven would be like, Quaid said that people "get a little taste of it here on Earth through prayer and meditation," which is "good news" that people can "feel it here on Earth."
Aside from his acting and musical career, Quaid is also busy hosting "The Pet Show with Dennis Quaid and Jimmy Jellinek" podcast, which is described as a "twice weekly guide to the brave new world of emerging pet culture." The podcast features celebrity guests who speak about their relationships with their pets and tackles topics in the "pet-centric universe."
