Luke Evans’ Singing Career Keeps Getting Bigger (And Better)
Luke Evans is one of the few openly gay actors in Hollywood to land roles in action movies. He's now looking for musical stardom.
Luke Evans is known for many things – his appearances in major films, his talents on the stage, and for being a total hunk. But how many people are also aware that he’s not just someone who can act, but who has a whole side career as a vocalist?
That’s right – in addition to starring in movies, TV, and theater, Evans is also a singer, and as his career progresses, he’s finding more and more success in yet another field.
This week, his sophomore full-length A Song for You debuts at No. 4 on the U.K. albums chart, which is a huge win for the superstar.
The title becomes his first to break into the top 10 across the pond, and it comes in behind only the new releases by Drake and 21 Savage, Taylor Swift, and First Aid Kit.
A Song for You is full of Evans’ soulful voice taking on a number of standards and well-known tunes, such as Josh Groban’s “You Raise Me Up,” Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” and Judy Garland’s unforgettable “Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz.
The set even includes duets with opera-pop favorite Charlotte Church and Oscar and Emmy-winning actress Nicole Kidman (yes, that Nicole Kidman).
Evan’s latest offering comes three years after he dropped his debut album, At Last, a collection similarly filled with classics that audiences never seem to tire of. That release barely missed out on becoming a top 10-charter in the U.K., stalling at No. 11 in November 2019.
In addition to his own musical output, Evans has demonstrated his vocal talents in connection with a number of his acting gigs, and his early successes are likely what spurred him to decide to devote more time to recording and releasing music.
In 2017, he landed a role in what would turn out to be a real star-making project, the live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast. In the film, he played the dashing Gaston, which meant he had a chance to show off his singing chops. The soundtrack itself was a huge success, reaching the top 10 in many countries, and it has racked up hundreds of millions of plays on streaming platforms.
Just how important was Beauty and the Beast for Evans’ singing career? Well, his three most-played tracks on Spotify – “The Mob Song” (15 million streams), “Gaston” (59 million streams), and “Belle” (82 million streams) – are all from that album.
While some may love him for his musical abilities, Evans is largely regarded as an action star, which seems to be in stark contrast with what he records in the studio. He built his brand in films like Clash of the Titans, Robin Hood, The Three Musketeers, as well as several titles in the Fast & Furious franchise and all three of the Hobbit films.
He is one of the only openly gay actors in Hollywood to continually land roles in action movies pushed by major studios, and now he’s looking for musical stardom as well.
Evans’ albums perform so well in the U.K. because he’s originally from Wales. When he was just a teenager, he moved to Cardiff, the country’s capital, and began taking vocal lessons. From there, he moved on to the theater, mixing acting with singing in productions like Avenue Q, Taboo, and Rent.
Clearly his homegrown fans are eager to support him, and with each new release, he soars higher and higher on the charts. It may only be a matter of time before his music finds an audience globally, and who knows where it might go after that.
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