Good Afternoon Rayvon! Thank you so much for talking with us! What was a typical dinner or family meal like for you growing up?
I always loved everything my mother or family would cook growing up - it was typically soul food like fried chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy. I also loved when we’d have spaghetti and meatballs or sloppy joe nights!
Do you come from a musical family and was music ever a part of family gatherings or dinners?
The funny thing is I am the only one in my family that does music professionally or as a main passion. While my family does love to bust out to gospel music or Whitney Houston, I usually was the music/entertainment at family gatherings.
Do you cook as much as you can when off the road from touring or do you prefer eating out?
Not at all...Haha. I am not a big cook. I love to eat out. I need more patience to cook, but I love to eat! :)
If you designed your own walking food tour of Nashville, which restaurants/food sellers would be on your list of places to visit?
Well, this is tough because I’m vegan now. My suggestions pre-vegan would be to hit up Jackson’s for brunch, Jack’s BBQ (or Martin’s) for lunch and then, my fav, Burger Up for dinner...and if you’re feeling like a fourth meal or late night snack, PM is amazing. Now I would add The Wild Cow, Graze, and The Southern V to the top of my list.
So then we have to know, who has the better food scene, Nashville or L.A.?
Woo... this a tough one. For vegan life, LA has the better scene... but very few places can do southern food and hot chicken better than Nashville. The food in Nashville is just top notch all around and hard to beat.
Born a Southerner, what’s your favorite food that's deep fried?
ANYTHING FRIED. Oreos, pickles, not-real chicken. Anything fried is amazing and better than not in my opinion.
One junk food you know you could never give up?
French fries all day. Never giving them up. Ever.
What are three things you can always find in your refrigerator?
non-dairy yogurt, pickles and fries (in the freezer)
You’ve received some great praise on both of your new track’s “Volume” and “Gold” from tons of music outlets. That must feel pretty special?
Yes, “Volume” and “Gold” have been well-received and I’m grateful for that. Knowing that people are really digging the new music makes me happy.
What pushed you to try out for American Idol?
I had auditioned many times before and never made it through the auditions, but my mother actually encouraged me to give it one more shot. I’m glad she did.
Do you feel like, no matter what happens, American Idol has positively impacted your career?
Absolutely. I have learned so much and have been given an amazing platform to do what I love. It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I feel so blessed and fortunate to have experienced.
What else do you two have planned for 2018?
More new music is on the horizon as well as some live show dates... stay tuned! :)