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Keith Robinson captured hearts, and ears with his portrayal of C.C. White in the award-winning Dreamgirls. Keith talked to us about his upcoming TV show, his true love, music, and the album you don’t want to miss!

THE STAR SCOOP:
People know you from Dreamgirls. What can you tell us about what you’ve been up to since?

KEITH ROBINSON:
Well, since then I did a Western, called Comanche Moon, with Val Kilmer, a miniseries. It actually just came out two weeks ago, I think. After that I did a movie called This Christmas which did really well at the box office. It went pretty well, with me and Chris Brown, and Columbus Short, and Mekhi Phifer, and Regina King, a lot of great actors in that one. In the meantime, I’ve been working on my album. I got distracted, I finally had a chance to finish up my record. After Dreamgirls everyone was kind of asking, where’s the record, where’s the record. So we put out a single on i-tunes, called “Red Eye,” which is out right now. We just finished up my final touches on the album, and we hope to have that out this summer. I’ve been pretty busy. I’ve got a new series on Fox, Canterbury’s Law.

THE STAR SCOOP:
What is Canterbury’s Law about, and who is the character you play?

KEITH ROBINSON:
I play a character named Chester. He’s actually a young defense attorney. I kind of liken him to a young a Johnnie Cochran. It’s myself and Julianna Margulies, and Trieste Dunn, and Aidan Quinn, a lot of great actors. I would liken it to an Ally McBeal/L.A. Law.

But it’s kind of centered around these four defense attorneys, and me being one of these attorneys. We’re like the small law firm that takes on the huge cases. There’ve been law shows done, but never really anything around the lawyers and kind of our imperfections and so forth. So you get drawn into the lawyers as well as people we represent…I think the show will appeal to a lot of different [people], depending on what character they get wrapped in to.

THE STAR SCOOP:
As for your album, that’s a huge deal! Has music always been a goal of yours?

KEITH ROBINSON:
It’s always been a goal of mine. That’s the reason why I really came out to Los Angeles. I was in a group. We came out to put out a record, so music is my first love, and I’m glad I’m finally getting a chance to show the world exactly who I am, so to speak.

THE STAR SCOOP:
How would you describe your sound for people who are curious about what the album is going to be like?

KEITH ROBINSON:
I would say it’s soul music. Lot of hip hop, and soul, into a lot of classic R&B. I’m a soul singer. I love Stevie Wonder, Seal, Sting. Kind of a fusion of a lot of soul, grace, R&B, classic soul singers with hip hop. A lot of live instrumentation, everything is live, and really a record that’s organic and flows with a lot of instrumentation, kind of like an unplugged hip soul type of vibe.

THE STAR SCOOP:
With the album, you’ve been writing the songs, and you have that active role. When you’re thinking about your music, where does your inspiration come from?

KEITH ROBINSON:
In general, just my experiences, my relationships, what I want in a relationship, what has happened, what I didn’t want to happen, what I did want to happen. All the people’s relationships, I just kind of record everything consciously and subconsciously that I’ve experienced and seen in my life and put it into music.

THE STAR SCOOP:
Do you feel that because of Dreamgirls, people are going to have really high expectations for your album? Did you feel pressure because of this?

KEITH ROBINSON:
I felt relieved more than anything because I did get the opportunity, and people do have the expectation. It’s not a thing where I’m just an actor trying to sing, they know that’s what I do, and they’re already kind of waiting with open arms. I’m really more excited than anything. I feel like the pressure has been relieved. If that wasn’t there, I’d feel more pressure because I’d have to convince people a little bit harder that, hey, this is what I do, where I started, not just some gimmick I’m taking advantage of because I’m in the position I’m in. This is really who I am; I’m really a musician. I feel good about it.

THE STAR SCOOP:
So you sing, and you act. Do you dance as well?

KEITH ROBINSON:
I dance a little bit. I mean, I’m not gonna give you a Chris Brown, but I’m more of a musician. I want people to get wrapped up in the music. Movement is definitely involved, but when you come to see me live, you’re going to experience just a musical experience, where there’s live musicians, live vocals. I want people to be really wrapped into the song, There’s definitely dancing, but I wouldn’t categorize myself as a dancer. I got rhythm. I’m gonna make you move a little but, but I’m not going to give you any hammer steps or anything like that.

THE STAR SCOOP:
You’ve had the opportunity to work on a feature film, and a TV show, and music. What are you interested in focusing on in the future?

KEITH ROBINSON:
I’m interested in movies, definitely. At the end of the day, I want to make movies. I want to be able to do a soundtrack and be the lead in a movie, kind of like interpret the song from a movie, from a dramatic and a musical standpoint. Movies is ultimately where I want to go, because movies are so popular. If you make a great movie, it leaves such an indelible impression on people who see it for years. I think just like Dreamgirls is a classic…the longer it’s around, the more appreciated it will be. I want to be a part of those types of projects as much as I can.

THE STAR SCOOP:
What do you want to get out there to the fans?

KEITH ROBINSON:
I just want to tell them, thanks for the support. Keep checking for me. The album is coming. The name of the album is called “Utopia.” It’s kind of a parody on my life and looking for my perfect utopia, my perfect love. Every song is kind of like a step towards that. It’s my baby, it’s my pet project, it’s me. It’s not a character. It’s actually Keith Robinson, and I’m excited to introduce myself to the world, and look out for that. They can pick up the single, “Red Eye” right now on i-tunes, kind of as an appetizer. Look for the new show, Canterbury’s Law, in April, on Fox.