The “Praise This” Cast’s Singing Skills Are Very Real

Short answer: yes, Chlöe is definitely singing. She’s been performing with her sister, Halle Bailey, as part of the Grammy-nominated duo Chloe x Halle since 2011. Together, the sisters have dropped three EPs and two studio albums and earned five Grammy nominations throughout their career. In 2021, Chlöe dropped her debut solo single, “Have Mercy,” and went on to release other solo singles like “Treat Me” and “Surprise” ahead of her debut solo album “In Pieces“‘s release on March 31.

While appearing on “Jake’s Takes” on April 4, the “Grown-ish” star said she was “happy” to combine her love of acting and music in her role as Sam in “Praise This.”

Anjelika Washington, who plays Jess, does everything herself in this film, including playing the drums. In an April 5 interview with Critqal, Washington said the entire cast went through boot-camp training in order to prepare for their roles. While others primarily focused on singing and dancing, she also had to learn how to play an instrument.

“I had three weeks of drum training before we shot that scene of me on the drums. It was me the whole time, by the way. There was no double. No hands. It was all me, and I’m really proud of it because it was really hard for me at first,” she said. “I don’t read music. I don’t play any other instruments, so I was really excited that I got to do that.”

Druski may be known as a comedian, but he’s gradually been branching out into the music world in recent years. He’s appeared in various music videos, including Drake‘s “Laugh Now Cry Later,” Lil Yachty’s “Oprah’s Bank Account,” and Jack Harlow‘s “Tyler Herro.” Before starring alongside Chlöe in “Praise This,” Druski also teamed up with her and Latto for their “For the Night” music video.

In an April 5 interview with Movie Times, Druski said he always wanted to dabble in music and TV, and “Praise This” gave him the best of both worlds with his role as Aaron. “My mom, she started me off so early. She used to encourage all the behavior just [by] recording me. I was acting early on,” he said. “I remember, I have a video of me in my underwear and my tighty-whities and I’m rapping as if I’m a real rapper.”

Music has been a big part of Kiara Iman’s life ever since she was a kid. Her love of performing began when she joined a local theater at 8 years old. Iman then attended a performing-arts school as a teenager. After graduating, she went on to study theater at Kennesaw State University before transferring to Augusta University. Her role as Jackie in “Praise This” marks her first major acting project.

Iman opened up about her filming experience in an October 2022 interview with The Official Black Magazine. “I definitely had a great time singing and challenging myself to dance,” she said. “Also, I enjoyed acting alongside such an incredible group of castmates. Everyone is extremely talented.”

“Praise This” marks Ilario Grant’s breakout role. Although not much is known about his acting and music background, director Tina Gordon said the entire cast gave it their all with their musical performances in the film, so there’s no doubt Grant did his own singing. “There are so many phenomenal singers in this movie,” she told NBC Insider.

In fact, because the cast are so talented, Gordon said she actually had to tell the actors to hold back during certain scenes depending on the context of the film. “It’s hard to convince a singer to not be amazing in every instance,” she said. “So we were constantly going back to the story and remembering where we are in the story and how the song has to function as a character, basically.”

Gordon explained she had to figure out when it was appropriate for the characters to go all out with their performances. “Every song would come out sounding amazing and sometimes you don’t need that,” she said. “Sometimes you need it to be a moment that serves the story.”

Baker is a graduate of Howard University’s musical-theater program (some of her singing clips are available on Soundcloud), so it goes without saying she’s actually singing in the movie.

Carr is a Grammy-nominated gospel recording artist, so she’s for sure using her real-life singing skills in “Praise This.”

If Koryn Hawthorne looks familiar to you, that’s because she was a finalist on the eighth season of “The Voice.” Hawthorne was just 17 years old when she appeared on the show. Although she didn’t win, Hawthorne got signed to RCA Inspiration and went on to live out her dream of becoming a gospel singer. She dropped her debut self-titled EP in August 2017 and then released her debut studio album, “Unstoppable,” in July 2018. The record earned her two Grammy nominations. In September 2020, she released her second album, “I Am.”

In “Praise This,” Tristan Mack Wilds takes on the role of Pastor Nick Goodman, so he doesn’t do any singing. But he could have if they needed him to. While he’s starred in various films and TV series over the years like “The Wire” and “90210,” Wilds also has a successful career as a singer and music producer. In September 2013, he dropped his debut studio album, “New York: A Love Story,” and in April 2017, he released his second album, “AfterHours.”