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Remember, it's Tyler, not ChrisBy DAVID PENCEK
Norwich Bulletin
These days, it pays for a pop star to have more than one career.
They've become a generation of actor/singers.
Or singers/actors, depending on the person.
Whether it's Hilary Duff, Lindsay Lohan or (gasp) Ashlee Simpson, they've made their mark in movies and television, as well as on the radio.
"I've always had both," singer/actor Tyler Hilton said during a recent phone interview. "They fill two different holes in my life. In high school, I was into theater and studied theater a lot, but I was doing gigs on the side to make money. Acting is so much fun, but music is my job ... If my acting career goes nowhere it doesn't matter. It's just for fun."
Hilton is having fun at his real job too. He released his major label debut album, "The Tracks Of," last fall and he's performing on the "One Tree Hill" tour, which makes sense since he's appeared on the WB show.
Hilton opens for The Wreckers featuring Michelle Branch and Jessica Harp tonight at the Fox Theatre at Foxwoods Resort Casino.
The 21-year-old Hilton made his debut on "One Tree Hill" last fall. He played Chris Keller, an aspiring singer-songwriter, and he has two songs on the show's soundtrack including "When the Stars Go Blue," his duet with one of the show's stars Bethany Joy Lenz.
Hilton will also appear in the Johnny Cash biopic "Walk The Line" where Hilton plays a young Elvis Presley.
"I'm more nervous about that than anything," Hilton said. "You can't mess around with that. I did a lot of studying and reading."
When he hasn't taken "time off" to act, Hilton has been on the road almost continually for the last year.
Hilton released an independent album in 2000 and eventually signed with Maverick Records, the same label as Branch and Harp. He began recording "The Tracks Of" two years ago, but the album didn't come out until last fall and Hilton began to wonder if it was ever going to be released.
"The label had other artists coming out with new albums like Madonna and Michelle Branch," Hilton said. "It became an anxiety thing for me. When the record finally came out it was a big moment for me."
The raspy-voiced Hilton is often compared to another guitar-playing singer-songwriter, Ryan Cabrera. But where Cabrera has a definite pop sound to his music, Hilton brings in more acoustic folk into his music.
While appearing on "One Tree Hill" has helped Hilton's music career, it also makes him wonder who fans are coming to see when he performs live.
"I hope people don't get me confused with Chris from the show," Hilton said.
