BIAS To Perform Oct. 12 at Rison’s Fall Festival
RISON - The guest on this week's episode of the Free Range Conversations podcast may be making a name for himself on television and in Music City, but he grew up just a "hop and a skip" from Rison.
Grant Bias, known professionally as BIAS, is a White Hall native who competed on the 2023 cycle of NBC's The Voice making the Top 9 under the coaching of mentor Gwen Stefani.
Bias joins podcast co-hosts Douglas Boultinghouse, Britt Talent and Roy Phillips for the latest episode in advance of the Rison in the Fall Festival on Oct. 12 where the musician will take the stage at 4 p.m.
The podcast episode is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and at clevelandcountyherald.com
Though Bias now resides in Nashville, Arkansas will always be home to him and he's looking forward to seeing family while in town for the festival. In fact, his brother Brooks will join him on the stage for his performance.
During the podcast, Bias shared his journey from graduating high school and attending the University of Mobile in Alabama, an arts school where he studied music, traveling the world in an acapella group.
After leaving school to pursue music full time, and getting married, he and his wife settled in Chattanooga where he served as a worship leader.
One night while watching television, the idea to audition for The Voice hit him. He said, "What the heck? Why not?" and submitted an audition tape.
That proved successful for the rising star as he gained experience and advice from coach Gwen Stefani as well as encouragement from artists like Reba McEntire and John Legend.
Since appearing on the show, Bias said he has been able to follow his dream of quitting the "nine to five" and play music full time, writing, and producing.
"That is a dream come true in itself," he said. "Not everyone gets to say they do it full time." During the free range conversation, he shares how he finds inspiration both on and off the stage from Vince Gill. He even covered Gill's "Go Rest High On The Mountain" on the The Voice. Attendees at the Rison in the Fall Festival can expect to hear some of the songs Bias performed on the competition as part of his set, as well as original songs he's released this year.
One cover fans will definitely hear is Bias' rendition of Johnny Cash's "God's Gonna Cut You Down." Other stories shared during the podcast include learning to play "He Stopped Loving Her Today" on guitar gifted to him by his grandfather, playing music and performing in plays at Pine Bluff First Assembly of God, where his father was the worship leader.
Bias is an independent recording artist and calls 2024 his "year of singles" as he is releasing songs that will eventually make up a full-length album next year.
In the meantime, he's exploring more songwriting and collaborating, something he digs deeper in during the conversation.
Since the recording of the podcast, Bias won the Unsigned Only country category for independent songwriters with his single "Lake of Fire." His next single, "Bent But Ain't Broken," is expected to be released ahead of his performance at Rison in the Fall.
Next week's podcast will feature a conversation with GRAMMY-nominated country singer Rissi Palmer.