[0:00] Hello, friends. Welcome to another episode of Tell Us a Good Story. Today, we get to talk to someone who has an amazing, amazing story. This is another real-life miracle that you’re about to hear. Friends, meet our new friend, Mr. Bay Turner. You guys, Bay had a dream of one day becoming a professional singer. However, after going in for surgery to remove two tumors in his chest, he quickly realized there was something wrong with his voice. After a visit to the ENT, he found out one of his vocal cords had been nicked during surgery and paralyzed by the the intubation tube. He was told he would likely never sing again. And then? And then, after a miraculous healing, Bay gets invited to compete on the hit NBC TV show America’s Got Talent. Where he crushes it!

[0:40] Where he crushes it! And his life changed forever. You guys, we can’t wait for to hear this amazing conversation with Bay Turner. I’m Kevin. And I’m Stephanie. And during our marriage, we have dealt with an electrocution, a brain tumor, brain surgery. Then doctors telling us that children were not in our future, followed by miscarriage, and then Kevin’s cancer diagnosis. However, today, we live a life completely healed and restored with three healthy children who doctors said were not possible.

[1:11] And we’re here to tell stories that inspire, give hope, and brighten your day. Welcome to Tell Us a Good Story.

[1:20] Okay, friends, before we get to this episode, just a friendly reminder to please hit the subscribe button on YouTube and Apple podcast or give us a review. Five stars, please. In our world, this is super, super important because it will help with the algorithm to make it easier for people to find us. And thank you for sharing our posts across your social media. That really helps with engagement and with us getting guests. Yes. So, hey, if you want us to keep working our way up to talking to Chip and Joanna, please Please share us with your friends. But regardless, thank you for listening to tell us a good story.

[1:52] All right, friends, before we get to this conversation with Bae, you have got to listen to a short clip from his audition on America’s Got Talent. We’re going to play about a minute clip for you from the Talent Recap YouTube channel that saves all some of the best moments from this TV show on NBC. Please listen to this man’s incredible voice.

[2:13] I’m really curious about you. You know, you have a quite a boring job. You want to be a singer and that’s it. What am I missing? I actually had a surgery I found two benign tumors in my chest and got them taken out the surgery was supposed to go super routine and The anesthesiologist nicked my vocal cord and paralyzed my vocal cord Yeah, so I’ve spent you know countless hours using voice teachers to be able to get my voice back to where it’s at So this is my first thing about that. Okay, Bae.

[2:50] Music.

[3:36] That was really good, babe. Thank you. You have a really, really beautiful tone. You’ve got great taste. Yeah, it cracked a little bit, your vocal. It doesn’t matter, though, things like that. I think people are going to like you, babe. I hope so. Yeah. All right, Steph. You’ve already yelled at me. Because you said I was too loud. You screamed at the guest as soon as he got on here. I was so excited. I know, but you don’t want to scare him. I don’t think this guy is so cool.

[4:08] And he was already clapping, which you know makes me happy when people clap. That’s true. All right. Well, friends, our next guest is an amazing young singer with an amazing story. This man received a standing ovation during his audition on season 17 of NBC’s America’s Got Talent. And he just released his debut radio single titled Brand New. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to Tell Us Good Story, Mr. Bay Turner. Bay, Bay, Bay, Bay. Hey, guys. Hi. Thank you for saying yes to us. Oh, my gosh. I’m so excited. I love to talk. So this is going to be great. Oh, good. Good. Love it. Well, Steph and I just rewatched the video clip of you on America’s Got Talent. Chills. Goosebumps. Yes.

[4:51] Absolute goosebumps. So how long did you have to wait from the time you auditioned to the time the episode ran that you had to keep it a secret? Yeah. So it was a really last minute crazy thing. So they called me in January. And they said, you’re coming to audition for the show. You’ll probably hear from us in April if everything goes through. I’m like, okay. So April 1st comes along.

[5:13] They say, tomorrow, you’re going to go and sing for the judges. Oh, no. Get on a plane. I go there, and I’m there for two weeks. And then I don’t hear anything until the night before my show comes out in August. So it was a really weird faith thing. Because you just never know how TV stuff is just so strange.

[5:30] You never know how it’s going to work. So you didn’t think it was a practical joke, did you, when they call you on April 1st? April 1st, 1,000% I did. And then they gave me my ticket confirmation. I’m like, OK, I guess this must be real. Real like do they book you they book your flight they book hotel and they keep you there for two weeks like all expenses paid yes all expenses paid they give you a little food stipend but your boy likes to eat so I definitely went over that every day oh was it just you did you have to be by yourself or did they fly anybody else out there with you so it was just me and then my mom ended up coming out to she’s like biggest supporter I mean all my family’s of course yeah But my mom is like, she gets like first priority every time. But anyways, it was really sweet. She got to be there. So you had to wait till August. So basically three months to let people know you even audition and the show’s the next night, right? Yeah, exactly. I mean, I told everybody that probably shouldn’t say this, but I told a lot of people, you know, with my close friends and stuff. But I didn’t post it publicly until August. You’re like, yeah, guys, wait until you see what happened here. Like, I don’t know. I’m telling you, it went really well. It’s so good. Exactly.

[6:42] Okay. So let’s back up a second. So can you share the story with folks about four years earlier or four years from now that you went to the doctor and they found two tumors in your chest? Can you take us from there? Because just an incredible story. Yes. So I was working out and I noticed there was a little bit of like a lump on my chest. And I went to the doctors to get it checked out. Turns out there was a tumor in there. And so the doctor said, we’re going to do some tests. Turns out there was no cancer. Thank you, Jesus. It was completely benign. But then I went in. I had to get it taken out. I had to get it removed. So I went in. The anesthesiologist did their thing. Doctor did their thing. And I came out from the surgery.

[7:24] And my voice was pretty hoarse. And I went to school for music. I sang all over the world as an opera singer. And so I have a pretty good understanding of how my voice works. And I thought, man, I guess my voice just must be tired. So a week goes by and I’m worse. Two weeks go by and I’m even worse. And then a month goes by and I’m pretty much no voice. And so I went to an ENT voice doctor and they told me the anesthesiologist ripped my vocal cord and paralyzed it with an integration tube. And so I ended up completely losing my voice. And you guys are starting to figure out. They told me I cannot, I’m not supposed to sing anymore. But they also said I can’t talk, which that’s not possible for me. Right. Yeah, that was really tough. So I ended up sitting in silence for almost three months. But it’s, man, I’m so thankful for it. It’s so crazy. I just wrote a song called Dear God, Thank You. And the whole crux of the song is, thank you, Jesus, for the pain that led me back to you.

[8:20] And I feel like if it hadn’t been for that time of real heartache and struggle

[8:25] and wrestling with the Lord, I don’t think I’d be where I am as a Christian man. So I’m actually grateful for it now in retrospect, which is a kind of a crazy thing. So bae, how are you communicating for three months? Then? Are you playing charades with your friends? Are you picking up sign language? Are you writing on a whiteboard the whole time? How does that work? There’s a bunch of apps. I ended up using a whiteboard actually, because there’s a bunch of apps you can use on your phone. And they’re just they take too long. And I’m too quick with it. So okay, just write it out and hope for the best. But it was brutal. But it was again, it’s so weird to be thankful for something like that. But I am. Yeah.

[9:00] So when you are quiet, when you are reflecting, are you also upset? Are you angry at the anesthesiologist? Did you have to deal with that? Like what was your thought process during that time period? Yeah. I went through every single possible emotion you can go through. I was definitely angry at first because it’s like an athlete losing a limb or right. I lost the thing that made me, me. And it honestly, the hardest part for me was my identities shift. I thought I’ll never be a singer again. And that’s all I’ve ever been to people. So it was in that silence when I had to really wrestle with God that he began to teach me the difference between who I am as a man of God and my gifting. And I learned the separation between the two, which was, I think, paramount for why I’m able to get up and sing now with a pure heart, because it’s not about doing it really well or impressing anybody. It’s truly ministry for me. So did they tell you no talking for three months or did you just put that on yourself? And then you started like baby stepping it. How did that all work? They wanted me to be in silence for a while, but there was…

[10:03] There was like an industry, like you need to be to shut up. No, no talking. No, you can’t even listen to music because your vocal cords have like sympathetic reactions to music and vibrating without even knowing. And so it’s supposed to be a month of absolutely nothing at all. But after the month, after some diagnostics and stuff, it still wasn’t ready yet. And I still wasn’t ready yet to a thing to come out from this experience, you know? Okay. So you go back to a new doctor to have a reevaluation. Can you walk us through what happened there? Because literally you’re waiting three months for your vocal cords to heal and all that.

[10:38] So I began to wrestle with the Lord, as you guys know. And I literally heard an audible voice that said, go back to the doctor. I have healed you. And I just kind of felt in my spirit, I shouldn’t have gone to this first doctor. He was super negative and just didn’t really care about me or my voice or anything like that. So I went to another doctor and they were like, they were kind of confused because they put the little scope down your nose and looked at your vocal cords. And they were like, we don’t really see what you’re talking about. And I’m like, what do you mean? You don’t see what I’m talking about. They said, there’s absolutely no scarring. The vocal cord is not paralyzed. Like everything looks like it’s in working order. And I went to that second doctor, kind of just walking in with confidence, knowing kind of by faith that it had already been healed, but just got confirmation by that second doctor. So it was really, truly like a miracle working thing. God, God healed me. So were you talking at that point?

[11:29] I mean, I was barely, barely, barely communicating with people if I had to and people didn’t understand what I was saying, but I was really silent up until that point. Yeah. So do you have the scans then from, okay, here was post-surgery, here is the second evaluation and you compare like, okay, this one, I am healed. Yeah. A hundred percent. It almost looks like my vocal cord was like mangled or something. It was disgusting. And vocal cords aren’t very cute to look at anyways, but on top of that, they just looked out of place and wonky. And then the next one, they’re like perfectly white, perfectly intact and healed. And it was like a real true miracle from God. God is still performing miracles.

[12:10] I feel like I hear so many people in the church talk about how they were all in Jesus’s ministry. He performed so many miracles and we don’t see them anymore, but it’s happening every single day.

[12:22] All right, Steph, I’ve got a question for you. What’s your favorite book of all time? Obviously, You Met Her Where. Oh, I thought you were going to say the Bible. Oh, oops. What’s your second favorite book of all time? You Met Her Where?

[12:40] A distant second. Totally distant. It’s a pretty good book. Sorry, God. It’s still a pretty good book. But we’re so excited. Where can people get our book? Okay, I know this. Amazon.com. Yes. Barnes and Noble. Yes. And? And our website, KevinandSteph.com. And what happens if they buy it off our website? What do they get? An autograph from us. Yes. Who wouldn’t want that? So listeners, if you’ve already read the book, thank you so much. We’ve had such good feedback. One thing that helps us, if you can give us a review on Amazon.com, we would greatly appreciate it. Thank Thank you so much. And thank you for listening. Okay. Okay. I’m going to go back to this doctor. So you come in, you might be whispering, you might be doing charades using your whiteboard. He says, what are you talking about? This looks amazing. You can talk now. Like, are you just like, wait, are you nervous to talk? Are you excited to talk? Like what’s going on in your mind right now? How long do you sing as well? Yeah.

[13:42] You know, I was nervous to talk, but I think if God hadn’t already began to give me faith that I was healed, I think it would have been more nerve wracking, but I just already knew that I was healed. It’s like this knowing with this miracle just kind of was placed on my heart and my mind. And I was good. It was like, let’s go. Let’s start. So you just started talking. Yes. And then I think my big thing right after that was, was America’s Got Talent. That was my first like big performance so no one thing after the next yeah and i want to get to that i want to get to that oh my gosh okay okay okay so for all of our guests i like to give a list of fun facts to let listeners know what you’ve done what you’ve accomplished and steph is not aware of any of these okay no so this is going to spurn some conversation so keep me honest if i’m if i’m off on any of these please let me know all right so okay so we had to cut him off there because he He was going to steal my fun fact. I knew he was. All right. Fun fact number one about Bay. A week after the second ENT appointment, a producer for America’s Got Talent called Bay and encouraged him to audition.

[14:46] This led to his very first performance post-surgery on season 17 of the televised talent competition. One week. Okay. Okay. One week. Okay. We got to step it back there. First of all, you weren’t singing, right? So how did this guy know about you? So I auditioned in 2019 in New York I was living in New York at the time and they they said we really really loved you we think you’re incredible and and really were like gung-ho about me auditioning for the show and I never heard back from them and it’s just a lesson on God’s timing I it just wasn’t time for me to do it yet um and so they knew about me then and they actually called me and they said we need a Josh Groban type to come on the show and I’m like okay I guess I can make that happen and so i ended up i was going to sing you raised me up by josh groban oh right and then ended up everything changed last minute and they gave me the song biblical by calum scott which i think.

[15:41] I mean, I love the song, but it was never my first choice. And then I started thinking to myself, oh, my gosh, first thing on national television, I had done some stuff on BET, but like on this big scale was this song called Biblical that was, I don’t think ever intended to be a worship or Christian song, but my heart was definitely set on Jesus while I was singing. So it’s cool. Very cool. So they give you the song. You can’t choose a song? It’s kind of a collaborative process, but they told me that’s like by far and away the best song. And I had to send them, I probably made no exaggeration, maybe a hundred videos of me with a hundred different songs. And that was the one they landed on. And I’m like, I’ve got so many better songs than this biblical song. And it’s just, again, God’s timing. If we’re submitted to him and his will, it just always works out the way it’s supposed to.

[16:28] So on America’s Got Talent, you really don’t have time to train then because it’s April 1st. It’s the next day. Okay. We need to get you on a flight. You’re going to sing this song and you’re there. How nervous are you beforehand? Like, do you even sleep the night before going on stage for this performance? How does that work?

[16:48] You know what? It was a weird kind of out of body experience. The reason I didn’t sleep is because I was so excited. And it’s like God literally made me brand new, which we’ll talk about. Got a new single out called Brand New. And it’s about this story. But God totally made me a new human being. And I was just so grateful and excited for the opportunity to get out in front of people. It’s like he just held me through the whole process I was not nervous at all I remember I had one little like moment right before I walked on stage and it’s like everything went slow motion and the producers that are on side stage are like okay go go go go go it’s time cameras are on everybody’s waiting for you and I had like.

[17:25] Five seconds where I’m like, I’m literally about to walk onto this national stage. Either I’m going to crash and burn or it’s going to be an amazing thing. And I think the choice is up to me. And so I went in and I was like, let’s just go do this thing. And we did it. So you had never even tested your voice to that level since your surgery then. I mean, we had like a little practice and stuff like that. And so I went for it then, but there wasn’t absolutely no world that existed that I I was like really singing, singing, singing until the actual taping of the show, which was the craziest thing now that I’m thinking about it. Cause I’m, I’m kind of a perfectionist, honestly, by trade. I want everything to be like in its place. But at that point in time, I was like, let’s just go for it and give it to them. I’ve been holding this thing back for long. Yes. So once you got on stage, Bay, is that the first time you got to talk to Simon Cowell and Terry Crews? Like, is that the first time you got to talk to anybody? buddy. Yeah, that was my first time. And they were, I was a little nervous to meet Simon and hear what he had to say. But he was the nicest man. And it’s so funny. So my mom came. And she’s, she’s short. She’s like probably five foot or five one. She’s always in high heels. She’s probably like five, three or five, four. And she went backstage to try and come and find me. And she said she ran into Simon Cowell, who was also exiting stage and they were at eye level. She was he was a lot shorter than she thought. I did not know that. Yeah.

[18:48] Was this surreal going out on that stage and just looking at these judges like this is it a month ago, I’m not talking. And now I’m here, you know, being ready to perform in front of these four, like could hold my future in their hands. People, right? Yeah. I think people don’t really understand like the insane amount of buildup

[19:10] that you have leading to this moment. And I think it’s literally built for people to fail because you are recording all day long for multiple days telling your story absolute chaos from morning till night and then the actual show date you don’t really know when you’re gonna sing like they’ll tell you you might sing in the morning you might sing at night you could wake up at five in the morning and have to sing at seven or you could wake up at five in the morning and you don’t sing until like nine o’clock which was my really um and And so 9 p.m. Yes. And so I think there’s just so much pressure that either you are either just ready for it, ready to go and to absolutely crush it or you kind of fall on your face. And that’s when you see a lot of those clips on the Internet where people are messing up or forget their lyrics or whatever. It’s total. That part is inscripted, I think, because there’s just so much pressure, all these different cameras and angles and all this kind of stuff.

[20:00] And you kind of just have to, like, do it. Yeah. You make a great moment, you know. So you’re up there singing, and then people start, like, you just hear the buildup of the audience starting to cheer. And then they’re starting to stand. And, like, are you just, like…

[20:14] Oh my gosh, like this is happening. Like goosebumps covering you. Are you so in the zone? You don’t even realize what’s happening.

[20:21] Okay. So it’s funny. I haven’t ever actually said this, but I recorded the whole thing one time. Okay. And that was the most out of body, crazy thing. I just like close my eyes and sing to Jesus and hope for the best. And it all worked out. And then the judges left and the producers made me sing the whole thing again. Really? Just in case. I don’t really know exactly why I had to sing it again. Maybe they really, Liked my story and wanted to make sure they got a good take. I have no idea But the second time I sang and i’m like, oh my gosh I am on america’s got talent stage. There are literally 150 cameras all over the place There are thousands of people watching me like that’s when the nerves actually hit It’s the second time I had to sing it through and I don’t think they ever aired that portion What you saw was like my first the first take sure. Yeah Okay, so yeah Yeah. Here’s what’s wild to me, Bay, is I watched the video clip. You get a standing ovation from the audience. You get a standing ovation from all four judges. Terry Crews off to the side, right? Is like, wow. Like that’s incredible. Okay. Then I come to find out that you are not one of the semifinalists. You don’t make, you don’t make the top 55.

[21:30] So for me in your shoes, I would be like, how does this dude who’s like eating fire, how does he advance? And I don’t, after getting a standing ovation and just killing it on stage. Like how shocked were you when you didn’t advance? You know, it’s so, again, whatever God has for us is for us and it’s the right thing. And if I had gone on further, I would have never met my label home, Centricity, because the rest of the season was taped in a time when I got to go to this like little independent artist retreat thing where I met them and was discovered by them. And if I had been on the show for longer, I would have missed my opportunity to be with them. So that started a whole other thing that completely changed my life. So again, totally God’s plan. I had total faith.

[22:15] If I was not meant to move on for the show, it was for good reason. And you know, there’s a lot of weird contracts and things that people have to sign. Who knows? Maybe I wouldn’t have met my label home, but if I did, maybe they wouldn’t have wanted to take me on because of all the crazy stuff with, you know, contracts and stuff like that with the show. I mean, right again, just God’s plan. I’m so thankful that it all worked out the way it was supposed to. too.

[22:37] All right, Steph, I’m going to test you again here. What is your favorite book of all time? Obviously, it’s the Bible, Kevin. Yes. Nailed it. Very good. This time you didn’t say the book we wrote called You Met Her Where. But it’s still a really good book. That is true. And it would make a great gift for friends or relatives on their birthday or for Christmas. Friends, you can order your copy of our book titled You Met Her Where at kevinandsteph.com. And we will make sure to personally sign a copy for you or whoever you want. And as always, thank you for listening to Tell Us a Good Story. All right, Steph. That was a long fun fact. That was a long fun fact. That was a good one. That was. Okay. No pressure on your next one. Second fun fact. Bay was originally trained as an opera singer, like you mentioned. After earning his undergraduate degree, Bay became a rising star in the Young Artist Program, affiliated with major opera houses throughout North America and Europe. Bay then relocated to New York City in pursuit of a career in classical music. So I’m not trying to offend anyone here, but you might be the skinniest opera singer I’ve ever seen.

[23:43] In my mind, you cannot be different from leading worship at like Hope City Church to an opera. So what’s the biggest difference? What’s the challenges of going from opera to leading worship at a church? Oh my gosh. This is a really great question. Thank you for asking this. It is a really difficult thing so i loved and i was so grateful for i ended up as an opera singer kind of on accident i mean i was not good at math i was not good at science i didn’t really care about school and i was only really good at music so when i had my college decision making time i went and decided to be like to go for music and i had no idea that that meant that i was going to be an opera singer okay so i ended up in school and they handed me my very first day They handed me 12 arias and were like, here you go.

[24:30] Here’s the German one, a French one, an Italian one. Figure it out. And because I’m competitive, the competition guy in me was like, well, okay. I got this. Yes, you do. Challenge accepted. Yeah.

[24:42] I hit the pavement. I began learning how to sing as an opera singer. And I worked with some incredible musicians and coaches. And the thing about opera singing is it is using your voice in its most mathematically perfect way. Every single part of your mouth and your tongue is perfectly aligned so that you can make this incredible sound. Because with opera, you’re not using microphones and you’re in front of 5,000 people. Oh, that’s true. You have to be able to be heard. I didn’t think about that. I didn’t think about that. No. Yeah, you’re not using a mic. Yes. Yeah, you’ve got to find out how to use your voice in this really powerful way. And you learn how to sing really well and you know how to kind of master your voice. And so I could get up in front of people and sound like a country singer or a jazz singer or an opera singer or whatever you needed. But I think the mindset behind it is what I needed the most help with. And honestly, the transition came after I lost my voice. It was like, I don’t really care about singing anything else. I just want to make music that furthers the kingdom. And then God kind of began to do heart surgery on me. And here we are. Wait, I have a question for you. Because on America’s Got Talent, didn’t they say that you work for like a law firm?

[25:50] I did. Yes. I was working in New York at the time as I worked as like a receptionist at a law firm, and it was miserable. Also, it was in the middle of, I mean, I had lost my voice for COVID. And so all the work that I had to do was completely remote. I had to change from working for the law firm because there was no way that I could speak to people. And so I had a real interesting work history before I went on America’s Got Talent. Thank you, Jesus. I’m a full-time musician now but oh that’s good that’s good that had to work with me before that i had i have horror stories there was i i worked for um this is really funny do you guys know a bed what is it even called bath and body works yes yes it’s it’s here in columbus it’s based here in columbus yes yes okay so for like a month and a half i worked for them before the law firm because i walked in to try and just get a candle or something and they were like oh my gosh you’re a man and you you care about smells and stuff so we want to hire you to pay five extra dollars an hour so i’m like great i started working for him but i got fired because it was like national hot dog day or something and i this is so embarrassing to say i didn’t want to put the hot dogs in the trash and leave them overnight right there was no place for me to put them out take them out outside of the building so i was like i’ll just flush them down the toilet so i flushed them down the toilet and i come back the next day there’s maintenance people in the pipes up above our heads And the hot dogs got stuck. Like, all the way up, he got stuck and leaked all over. And I ruined the whole entire back of the bodywork store. No.

[27:20] Needless to say, you’re out. You’re done. You can’t work for us anymore. So retail is not for me, I don’t think.

[27:26] No, it’s not your calling. But he is really good with candles. And he’s such a good singer, though. Like, his sense of smell is amazing, y’all.

[27:35] Oh, my goodness. All right, next fun fact. fact, while living in New York back in 2018, Bae began leading worship alongside the iconic Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. So, Bae, can you please share the story of how you’re just like, apparently walking in Brooklyn, you hear this amazing melody and it just, you go find it, and it leads you to the church. Can you please share that story, how that came about?

[28:04] Yes. You know, in New York, it’s tough. Either you love Jesus or you hate him. There’s no in between, no gray area that exists. Like in a place like Nashville, where you can kind of grow up culturally Christian and love Jesus, but not really walk it out. And again, I don’t want to sound too churchy, but it is the truth. There’s kind of a gray area that exists in these kind of, you know,

[28:23] Southern Bible belt places. In New York City, in these big cities like Chicago, New York, LA, Miami, you love the Lord or you don’t. And I was kind of in between, if I’m being honest, because I grew up culturally Christian and I had a lot of questions and began really wrestling with God, just a faith level. I hadn’t heard about Jesus my whole life, but didn’t really know him for myself. And I will never forget, I was walking around Brooklyn and I was like, okay, Lord, if you are real, I need you to reveal yourself to me because I just am doubting you. There’s so much that is weighing on my heart and my mind, and I just need you to bring revelation of who you are to me. And I hear, Lord, I will lift mine eyes to the hills. And I’m like, what is this song?

[29:09] It was familiar to me from when I was a kid. And I began to follow the sound and I ended up in this church. And they kind of usher you in, there’s a long hallway and I’m getting kind of cattled into this place. And I sit down in my seat and then all of a sudden Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir stands up and starts singing. And it was like all the doubt I ever had in my life, all the fear I ever had about if God’s real or if he loves me just left the building. And I’m like, okay, Lord, I hear you. I see you loud and clear.

[29:38] Three months later, I was leading worship with him. So you were leading worship. Yeah.

[29:44] No, no, no, no, no. We have so much to uncover with that. How do you go from sitting there to then leading? Like somebody when I heard you singing and the audience like how does that happen yeah I walked up to the very front of the stage at the end of the last service and there was a lady there um Holly and Bradley night Bradley was the music director at the time and this was his wife Holly I had no idea and I walked up and I’m like how do I join the choir um I I’ve got to be a part of this thing um she was so gracious and kind just pay attention for the audition day and just go sign up and do it and it’s, Lo and behold, that next week was the audition date. And they don’t audition very often. It was like once every six months. And it just happened to be that next week. And I went and sang for Carol Cimbala and kind of created a relationship there. And then bada boom, bada bing. I was there singing with them. Wow. That’s incredible.

[30:34] All right. Next fun fact. Yeah. Bae’s musical journey has led him from the opera to the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, to signing a label and publishing deal with Centricity Music, to performing on America’s Got Talent, And performing on season 10 of BET’s Sunday Best. And getting to sing with Gary LaVox from Rascal Flats. Oh. Okay. So a lot of questions here. First off, how did you get on BET? Like, did they not know what you look like? Did you forget to send in a picture with your application that they saw you were a white kid? Like, how did that work? I sent a video in. I applied for it because I was like, you know what? but I grew up singing these gospel songs. I want to get in front of people and sing them. And this was the only format that I saw people really sound like me. And so I ended up singing, sending a video in and they invited me to come to Atlanta to tape the show and got to hang out with Kirk Franklin and the whole nine. It was, that was a really surreal experience. I bet. That’s amazing. Okay. Then what about Gary Levox? How did you connect with him? Cause I saw you singing like a hymn with him, a hymn with him, right on Instagram. So do you have a good story about that? I got a really good story. Oh, please share. So I moved to Nashville.

[31:49] Oh, I’m excited to tell this one. So I moved to Nashville with really no like indication that I was going to get signed to any sort of record deal or whatever. I just knew that I was supposed to be there. Again, I had like a just a feeling in my spirit. I’m like, let’s get to Nashville. We’ve got to be there. And I moved there and nothing happened at all. I mean, I had I met a couple of friends and, you know, started having a couple of meetings, but there was no like real breakthrough. And I’m like, well, I’ve got to have a job. So I began working a million different jobs. I worked at a restaurant. I worked as a house cleaner. I worked for a moving company. I did a bunch of different things and I was working for this moving company, which by the way, shout out to all the people that work at a moving company, the most difficult, terrible job. Better be, if you’re not strong already, you’re going to be strong. Yeah. And your Tetris game is going to be awesome. Right? I got done with the day and my, even my like fingernails were sore. But I was upset this day. I woke up. You got to get up at like four in the morning to get to the trucks. And I was upset. I’m like, Lord, I moved to this town and nothing’s happening for me. Like, what is the deal?

[32:53] And I went to my this move and I moved this really sweet lady and her daughter. And we got everything loaded into the truck. And as I’m kind of getting, you know, you have to like kind of prepare the truck after the moves over with just like get ready to go the next thing. And I start humming this hymn because there’s kind of good acoustics honestly in the back of this truck and I hear somebody say wow that’s an incredible voice you have and I’m like oh thank you so much whatever you know I’m Christian love singing about the Lord whatever.

[33:21] And so it turns out this was Gary. And he was like, hey, man, you know, you’re an awesome singer. You should come out to my farm and hang out sometime. And I’m like, OK, whoever you are, man, I didn’t put two and two together. And by the way, I’ve listened to Rascal Flatts my entire life. I don’t know how my brain didn’t put two. You didn’t know this was him? Yeah, not at first. And I was like, well, are you in music? Like, do you do music or something? I’m like, he’s like, yeah, you know, I dabble. He’s a humble guy. He’s dabbling in music here and there. and he gave me his number and I you know I text him and he was like hey man this is Gary and then it like hit me that this is like the dude from Rascal Flatts and I ended up going out to his farm and he is the nicest most kind hospitable wonderful human being I think I’ve met this far so far in the industry really I brought my my buddy Brent who’s a songwriter when we wrote a bunch of cool songs, which hopefully some of these songs will come out one day. And he’s become a real like mentor in my life. He’s a really awesome guy. That’s amazing. So it wasn’t just that one time. He’s actually kept in touch with you and vice versa then.

[34:28] Yeah, yeah, yeah. We’ve we go back and forth. You know, you see each other every couple of months. Okay. You know, it’s like you never, never broke contact. It’s he’s just, just the most awesome man. Yeah. I love that. He’s an an ohio guy he is an ohio he’s a big ohio state fan i believe yeah oh yeah yeah he’s got a urinal that’s got ohio state on it too so he’s oh he’s probably got michigan on it i would imagine yeah okay i have a question before you go to fun facts where do you get your name from bay.

[34:58] So my mom would probably kill me for saying this story but my parents they’re divorced but before they had me i can’t believe i’m about to say this.

[35:08] Usually i just brush people off but whatever we’re here to tell stories so, They had a really wonderful night drinking Bailey’s Irish cream. Okay. And ended up creating me. And they were like, well, this is my dad says this. He says that they were like, well, we made him with Bailey’s Irish cream, but we’re just going to call him Bailey. So I ended up just going by Bailey my whole life. So, yeah, such an embarrassing story. It’s the last thing I want to think about. But it’s a cool, like, music name. name it actually is thank you yes it is the coolest music name you don’t need a stage name no like you were born to be a musician i love it no you gotta love it yes i love it yeah i love it now i was not expecting that bae and i love how you say the night they created me that’s funny i’ve never heard it that way but that’s a very nice way of saying it as soon as you said bailey’s i was like oh i know where this is going.

[36:08] If you like what you hear please tell someone about us as soon as this episode is over go tell your spouse your closest friend a parent a co-worker or share one of our posts on social media however if you don’t like what you’re hearing please do not don’t tell anyone don’t tell anyone don’t tell anybody just disregard this message don’t worry about it about us yeah go on with your merry day and to get more information about us or our entire catalog log of episodes, be sure to check us out at kevinandsteph.com. Thank you for listening to tell us a good story.

[36:38] All right, Steph, final fun fact. Yes. Bae is currently headlining 16 community worship nights. I think he actually mentioned a different number just a minute ago in eight states and recently released his debut radio single titled Brand New. He’s also written or co-written over 90 songs preparing for his first album. Oh, I love it. So, Bae, can you tell us more about your song,

[37:02] your music, where listeners can find your music? Yes. Oh, my gosh. I’m so excited. So this whole format is to talk about telling stories. And that’s literally what we do as songwriters and musicians is tell stories and just put them to melody. And my very first single was actually supposed to be a song called Stories. I signed with Centricity. And I think like, what is what would you guys say is like the opera of Christian music, the opera operatic genre? Oh, and I’ll tell you the answer. Oh, thank God. I don’t know. I don’t know. So I feel like Southern gospel music with opera because there’s these big grand melodies and big high notes and all this stuff. And so I thought that’s kind of the lane that I was going to end up in this like gospel, Southern gospel thing.

[37:49] And so we got this song Stories, which is written by Ann Wilson and produced the whole thing, photo shoot done. And I went on a water fast for seven days because I was like, you know what? This just does not feel like me yet. I feel like I’ve got more to offer and more to say. And the very next day I wrote what I just released, which is this song called Brand New. And I wrote it with my buddies, Sajan and Turner. And we just I shared my story about my voice and how God literally like made me. He performed a miraculous healing in my voice. But I feel like more than that made me brand new, like at a heart level and at a soul level. I just felt like he just transformed me as a human being.

[38:27] And I just want whoever listens to this song to just be infused with joy and just be able to laugh and have fun. So whoever streams it, please just give me some feedback and let me know if you thought it was a fun time because that was kind of the goal. But it’s out everywhere. You can listen to it on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube. It’s going for radio ads here in the middle of June. So hopefully it’ll come to a radio station near you pretty soon. So we’re working on it. That’s exciting. That’s very exciting. Oh, my gosh. Congratulations. Yes, that’s amazing. Congratulations. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Well, listeners, for more information about Bay, you can go to his social media pages on Facebook and Instagram. It’s at Bay Turner Music. On YouTube, his channel is the same, at Bay Turner Music. And his website is bayturner.com. Well, Bay, you’ve been fantastic. You did make me nervous when you started asking us questions and quizzing us on the opera. Oh, yeah. No, no, no. We’re the ones asking you questions, brother. No more questions, Bay. Don’t flip the script on us here. No more questions. No, for the next time. This is great. And I absolutely love what you’re doing, man. We’re going to keep following you. So thank you so much, bae. Oh, man. I love you guys. This is so fun. I could do this all day long. Don’t tempt us with a good time. We’ll do it, bae. Baileys. Baileys. Baileys.

[39:48] Oh, my gosh. You guys are so fun. This is awesome. Bae, thank you so much. Friends we want to encourage you to please follow us wherever you listen to this whether it’s on the apple podcast app iheart radio spotify or one of the other platforms you guys it’s completely free and while you’re there feel free to give us a rating or a nice review thank you for listening to tell us a good story.