Emery Kelly Balances Acting and Singing for Life After Forever In My Mind

The rousing chorus of remember you are not alone, drives Emery Kelly’s track, “The Answers.” Recorded for the film, Max Winslow and the House of Secrets — a sci-fi thriller the singer currently stars in — the song lodged itself in Kelly’s heart so much, he wanted to release it as his first solo track. “It’s technically not a single, but I loved the song so much I just had to put it out.” Kelly tells American Songwriter.

Kelly co-wrote the track with Jeremy Ryan and Cooper Anderson, who also produced it. With its soft instrumental and Kelly’s sharp vocals, the song’s lyrics are an uplifting reminder of strength and encouragement. Kelly plays Aiden Ross in Max Winslow and the House of Secrets, which co-stars Chad Michael Murray and sees a group of high-schoolers compete in games to win a mansion and the chance to work with its owner. It’s the latest role for the 23-year-old, who became a fixture on the Emmy-nominated Netflix series, Alexa & Katie. 

He’s been juggling his life as an actor and singer, ever since his breakout on X-Factor in 2013. While Kelly didn’t win, he was selected to be part of the boyband Forever In Your Mind, alongside Ricky Garcia and Liam Attridge, which signed to Hollywood Records. The Disney fan favorites toured with Demi Lovato, Fifth Harmony and Jesse McCartney. Their songs aired frequently across the Disney Channel, including the theme song for “Best Friends Whenever,”and collectively, singles like “Smooth,” “Enough About Me,” and “Compass,” picked up over 70 million YouTube views. 

Being part of Forever In Your Mind laid the foundation for Kelly, but he’s been building his life beyond that chapter for the past few years. “To be honest I learned a lot of valuable lessons and experienced some amazing things being in that band,” he says. “I didn’t use any of what I learned, I basically switched everything up and started from scratch.”

Acting is just one part of that. The role in Max Winslow is one he thoroughly enjoyed. “I was sent to go audition for the role, and over a couple weeks of doing callbacks and chemistry reads, I got the part. Funny enough, I actually found out I booked the movie when I was working in the studio in New York,” he says. He’s also currently starring in the Disney+ drama, Big Shot, alongside John Stamos. 

While he enjoys acting, and has built up a solid resume of parts, Kelly says he gets something different from music. “Music opens me up to different perspectives of sound and I just love all types of sonics. Music to me is so dear to my soul,” he says. He’s turning more of his attention to his solo music, preparing to release a full-length album. He has decided to call it Some Of My Emotions (S.O.M.E).

“I’m truly excited for everyone to hear this project. It’s a new era that is made for the decade of 2020,” he says. “I’ve spent so much time working on every single detail in every song. This project is a part of my heart and soul so when people listen to it I hope they can groove with it just as much as I do!”

Photos courtesy Emery Kelly