CEDAR CITY — Cedar City resident and country singer Chris Petersen and his dog, Syd, were recently featured on America’s Got Talent performing “Look at You Girl.”
Petersen performed virtually from his truck, parked at his home in Cedar City.
Petersen told Cedar City News he enjoyed the experience and chose the Chris LeDoux song because of its influence on his life.
“One of my biggest influences in music and in my songwriting has been Chris LeDoux,” Petersen said. “And my dog loves that song. That’s her favorite song.”
Petersen said his dog will often “sing” with him while driving, and he hoped the performance would make people smile.
“Singing with my dog is not something I normally show people, but it was just something my dog always did with me in the truck and every once in a while it would make people smile and laugh,” Petersen said. “So I wanted to share that and she did great.”
Petersen has lived in Cedar City for 13 years and started his music career in 2014 when he produced his first album.
“I started writing songs, and I decided I wanted to record an album of the songs I’d written,” Petersen said. “So I went and I talked to a producer that I knew then recorded my first album and released it in 2014, but I still had not performed in public.”
Petersen’s first live performance was opening for Collin Raye in Cedar City in 2015.
“The first time I ever sang in public at all was opening for Collin Raye,” Petersen said. “He talked to me and encouraged me, and because of that, I decided that this was something I wanted to do.”
Peterson said performing live used to make him nervous, but he had support from friends.
“When I moved down here, I met a group of friends that heard me sing and make up songs, and they encouraged me a lot, pushed me, and just made me do it basically,” Petersen said.
After his performance in 2015, Petersen said he performed at open mic nights in Cedar City “almost every single week for an entire year” to help him get past his fear of singing in front of people.
“Eventually, I got to where I was not that nervous anymore and that’s when I started playing with a band,” he said. “The more I did it, the more I enjoyed it, and it ended up being something that I absolutely love. I love sharing music with people.”
Petersen produced a second album that was released last year and is currently working on his third. He said he plans to continue working on his music and hopes to help grow the industry in Utah.
“I’d like to see the music scene grow a little bit in Utah,” Petersen said. “We’ve tried to do our part to build the music scene, involve other bands and just promote music in Utah.”
Petersen said he now enjoys performing and sharing his music to help spread positivity.
“I love to perform because you can look down and see people smile,” he said. “I just hope people can come and take a break from everyday life. That’s what I enjoy about it, giving people something positive to look forward to and good memories.”
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.