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'One Tree Hill's' Tyler Hilton making tracks as singerBy John J. Moser
Of The Morning Call
After Tuesday's season finale to the WB show ''One Tree Hill,'' singer Tyler Hilton says he doesn't even know whether he'll be back to reprise his role as aspiring singer-songwriter Chris Keller.
But even if he's not, Hilton already is getting a second life of sorts.
Hilton, 21, in a telephone interview from his Los Angeles home, says a new single, ''How Love Should Be,'' released this week, is getting such a good response that Maverick Records next month will re-press his debut disc, 2004's ''The Tracks Of ?,'' to add it.
''They heard this new song of mine and they're like, 'It probably won't be awhile until you start your second album, and you haven't sold enough albums that it would be disastrous to re-release it with a new song on it. Why don't we try going to radio with that?''' he says.
He said he jumped at the chance to make the album ''feel a little more contemporary,'' and to also add ''When the Stars Go Blue,'' a duet with Bethany Joy Lenz, also an actor/singer from ''One Tree Hill,'' which was available only on the show's songtrack.
''It's rare you get a chance to perfect an artistic project,'' Hilton says. ''I got signed right out of high school, then two years later the album came out. So the tracks that we went into the studio with ? most of them were written while I was in high school.''
Despite the success of ''One Tree Hill'' and a budding movie career ? he'll play a young Elvis in the Johnny Cash biopic ''I Walk the Line,'' due out in November ? Hilton says music is his first priority.
He was a musician for seven years and touring with Hanson when his agent called with an audition that landed him on ''One Tree Hill,'' now WB's top-rated drama.
Hilton says he's looking to get on tour with ''a really big artist'' for fall ? he's already opened for Gavin DeGraw and Kenny Wayne Shepherd.
He says he's also trying out for other movies.
''The chances of me getting a movie are crazy, and if I did get the movie, that'd be awesome,'' he says. ''But if not, I mean I've been doing music for it seems like forever. I'll just keep touring ? that's what I love to do.''
