Contest TV shows are certainly one of the most useful platforms for artists of all genres in their way to stardom. In the case of “America’s Got Talent” – widely known as “AGT” – there were countless singers and performers who, despite not winning the competition, were able to catch the audience’s hearts and build a successful career in the entertainment world afterwards.
One of those cases is Brian Justin Crum, who despite having a more than impressive career as a Broadway actor, only became a countrywide sensation after showcasing his unbelievable singing talent ON the “America’s Got Talent” stage in 2016.
So what is Brian doing now? Is he still singing, has he returned to his origins as an actor, or has he retired entirely? Stay here to know all about Brian’s life now, and other interesting details about him.
Where Is He Now?
While appearing in two seasons of “America’s Got Talent” took Brian Justin Crum directly to stardom, he has been using his time away from TV to create his own projects and build his own path in the entertainment industry.
Since debuting on TV in 2016, Brian has released albums such as “BJC:DIVA” in 2021, and the 2022 single “Other Side”, which he described as a ‘cathartic song’, as it expresses some difficult experiences he had been enduring while writing the lyrics: ‘I had pushed myself to the limit in so many ways. I’m still working on finding the balance, but I feel a little bit more free’, he shared in a TikTok video.
Besides his original music, and usual live shows around the country, in recent years Brian has been working on his theatrical show “Reverie” and shares some cover songs on his social media. All in all, Brian is active with lots of fresh ideas and creativity to share with the world.
What Is “Reverie”?
As someone whose beginnings in the entertainment industry date back to his time acting and singing in theaters, it’s unsurprising that Brian Justin Crum is still pretty much inclined to that way of self-expression. His live show “Reverie” premiered in mid-2021 is proof of that love for theatrics, but it’s also a tribute to life, dreams and creativity.
Although the concept of “Reverie” might not be easy to describe in a simple way, Brian himself was very clear about what he wanted his audience to feel: ‘When you come in, it’s going to be an immersive experience. There’s going to be a cast of characters leading you around the space,’ he explained in an interview with Into More.
Some of the other stars of the show have similar artistic influences as Brian, and also belong to the LGBTQ+ community. They all took part in “Reverie” to communicate a strong, relatable message: ‘life doesn’t always look exactly the way that we had hoped’, as Brian admitted, saying that the heart of “Reverie” was not giving up, and appreciating life for what it is: ‘when we allow ourselves to celebrate the lessons that we’ve learned and to celebrate where we are in life, that is living the dream’, he affirmed.
“Reverie” ended in late 2021, but was a good start for Brian in producing his own shows.
Other Recent Shows
Prior to starting his “Reverie” adventure, Brian Justin Crum had recently appeared in the play “Children Of Eden” in 2021. The show was a revival of the musical of the same name released in 1991, which featured biblical themes and love-related topics. The 2021 edition was produced in Chicago, and besides having Brian playing the role of the Biblical characters Cain and Japheth, it also had other talented stars such as Cristian singer David Phelps and Broadway actor Norm Lewis.
Aside from Brian’s recent deeds in theaters, his music has taken him to a different kind of stage with performances in important sport events for the Women’s National Basketball Association, and Men’s National Soccer Team.
Who Is Brian Justin Crum?
We know Brian for his astounding creative talents, yet there are huge parts of his personal history and beginnings that most people haven’t got to know yet. So who really is Brian Justin Crum?
Beginnings
Native of San Diego, California, Brian Justin Crum was born on 28 May 1988, and unsurprisingly always loved music and everything theater-related. At the very early age of six, he was already performing in community theaters all around San Diego, having his first singing audition at seven years old for a “Peter Pan” play: ‘I was so scared I peed my pants’, he admitted in an interview with HotSpots Magazine.
Growing up with such an immense artistic inclination, Brian eventually took his first professional singing lessons at 11 years old, with the veteran music and theater mentor Leigh Scarritt. According to an interview she gave The Times Of San Diego, back when he was mentored by Leigh, he already showed signs of having a bright future: ‘When I met him, he was a young boy beaming with talent and a passion for the arts that was contagious’, she said.
Nonetheless, no artist would be complete without developing and changing, and that’s also the case for Brian: ‘As he has evolved as an artist, I have watched his kindness and compassion for other artists manifest as well’, Leigh affirmed.
Brian attended the San Diego-based School of Creative and Performing Arts, yet at some point moved to Oregon with his aunt, to get away from the bullying he suffered back home. However, not even those hard times were enough to cause his love for arts to fade away.
Beginnings in Theater
Despite having moved to Oregon, Brian Justin Crum eventually went back on track with his artistic career in his late teens. At only 17 years of age, Brian debuted on Broadway by taking part in the musical “Wicked”, and then toured with the cast all around the country.
His first gig on Broadway was so successful that Brian was definitely established in New York at 17 years old. From then on, he appeared in other musicals and plays, such as “Grease”, “Altar Boys”, and the then newly opened “Next To Normal”, which was Brian’s favorite job at the time: ‘There were only 10 actors in the show, but it was such an incredible learning experience for me’, he told HotSpots Magazine.
Overall, Brian’s time as a Broadway performer was of great impact for his career, as it not only accustomed him to the world of entertainment, but also offered the best environment to take his artistic skills to the next level, influenced by his co-workers: ‘Broadway is an incredible experience. There are so many performers I respect, because of what they learned doing theater’, he affirmed in the same interview.
#FBF to my incredible week in #PTown! Missing summer… I'M COLD! pic.twitter.com/uOLKIBG3kt
— Brian Justin Crum (@BrianJustinCrum) February 8, 2019
First “America’s Got Talent” Experience
In his mid-20s, Brian Justin Crum had already made a successful career in theater. He had performed in several musicals such as “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “We Will Rock You”, a favorite of Brian due to his known love for Queen and Freddie Mercury.
Nonetheless, at some point Brian went back to California, establishing himself in Los Angeles, and on the look out for new opportunities for two years. His chance finally came at 28 years old, when he hesitantly auditioned for the 11th season of “America’s Got Talent”: ‘… hesitant as I wanted to do it the old-fashioned way. Then I thought about it and said why not, and I went for it’, he told HotSpots Magazine.
Joining the show was the best decision in Brian’s life. His rendition of “Somebody To Love” by Queen gained him a direct pass to the next round, when he performed “Creep” by Radiohead, which gained him not only a standing ovation but also a place in the quarterfinals. The following episodes saw him performing “In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins, “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by British band Tears for Fears, and Michael Jackson’s “Man In The Mirror”, yet his second rendition of “Creep” wasn’t enough to place him in the season’s top three contestants.
“The Champions”
Even though Brian Justin Crum wasn’t the resulting winner of his “America’s Got Talent” season, being in fourth place opened other doors for him – in 2019, he took part in the spin-off “The Champions”, which included finalists and winners from previous “America’s Got Talent” seasons, and other international shows of the franchise.
His return to the TV stage saw Brian performing Elton John’s classic “Your Song”, which earned him his first standing ovation of the season. His astounding performance placed him as one of the highest voted-for contestants, immediately gaining his pass to the finals. The next time he set foot on the stage was to sing “The Show Must Go On” by Queen in duet with Christina Ramos, winner of “Spain’s Got Talent” along with the performance of Deadly Games.
Although the group’s performance didn’t win any of them a pass to the finals, it was a great experience for Brian: ‘I loved doing the show, and I made very good friends with the crew and producers. As a whole they respected me and what I did’, he told HotSpots Magazine in 2017.
https://www.facebook.com/agt/photos/a.10150241297874760/10154225973354760
Life Post-Show
Since his debut on TV back in 2016, Brian Justin Crum has been working on many original projects, and collaborating with other talented people in the industry. Right after his first “America’s Got Talent” elimination, Brian briefly joined the cast of the musical “Superfruit” by performing “Rise” by Katy Perry, along with singers Mario Jose and Mary Lambert.
Later in December, Brian released his first original song entitled “Light”, followed by a cover of Swedish singer Robyn’s song “Show Me Love”, which entered the top 100 Billboard charts for Dance Club music.
The next years saw him making a guest performance in “America’s Got Talent”, attending Florida’s Pride Parade and releasing “Wild Side”, a song quite personal for him as it was deeply related to the LGBTQ+ community the societal accepted views about sexuality: ‘I want to show people out there it’s nothing to be shameful for, that we should be proud and celebrate’ he told Huffpost in 2017.
Other remarkable achievements of Brian’s during those years was releasing “Circles” the day after his “The Champions” elimination, and introducing his first album, “BJC:DIVA” to the world in 2021.
Personal Life
Appearing in “America’s Got Talent” served not only to show Brian Justin Crum’s talent to the world, but also to gain him the heart of audiences all around the world with his resilient story. Ever since his debut on TV, Brian has been open about his sexuality and the struggles he’s faced because of it. Brian has admitted having to move out of San Diego due to the constant bullying he received during his teens due to his sexuality and overweight appearance.
Nonetheless, despite Brian’s terrible past experiences, he wasn’t interested in hiding who he was when he set foot on the “America’s Got Talent” stage: ‘It’s just who I am. I will not pretend to be someone I am not just to try and achieve a level of success’, he told HotSpots Magazine.
That being said, Justin openly expresses his sexuality through his music, videos and social media. He’s also in a long-term relationship with a man named Samer Fawaz, whom Brian described in 2022 as a businessman ‘emotionally intelligent and kind and generous’.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CXteiSZlJdc/
Music Inspirations
Brian Justin Crum is not only a great singer and actor, but is also a songwriter and creator, who loves the music of many fellow musicians too, such as Lady Gaga and Britney Spears.
However, there are two artists who especially influenced Brian’s love for music – Adam Lambert, who Brian met when he was 15 years old as both of them took classes with the same vocal coach at some point. Brian finds Queen’s legendary frontman Freddie Mercury deeply inspiring both as a musician and as a queer icon: ‘You can feel the angst, you can feel the unworthiness that we feel as queer people moving through the world. And he speaks to that so eloquently and so beautifully’, Brian told Billboard in 2019.
All in all, Brian Justin Crum’s career has been unstoppable since appearing in “America’s Got Talent”, yet what’s most important about his artistic work, is the positive message he conveys to his audience and everyone else who has the luck of hearing his blessed voice.
