EXCLUSIVE: Big Time Rush’s lead singer Kendall Schmidt is taking a solo sabbatical, and the results will be turned into a feature documentary he’ll make with producer Garret Grant. Grant — whose credits include Hairspray, Rock of Ages and Justin Bieber: Believe — will join Schmidt on his upcoming debut tour with solo band Heffron Drive, which takes Schmidt through 20 major cities throughout November and December. Schmidt is the first of the current boy band stars to go solo, and though he’ll make himself available for Big Time Rush reunions, putting the results on film is a way for him to broaden his horizons.
“It’s awesome to have Garret along to document this crazy time in my life,” Schmidt says. “It’s scary, it’s new, but it’s a really special moment, debuting Heffron Drive, heading out on tour and reuniting with all the amazing fans. It’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
The 23-year-old, who grew up acting, is taking his film ambitions further. With partners and producers Rob Minkoff, manager Michael Cammarata and brother Kevin, Schmidt will be part of the animated film The Great Migration. He’ll be joined by Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale and Ashley Benson. That group will voice the lead characters and score the original soundtrack. They expect to start production in the winter and release the film through the newly formed CMI Entertainment group.
News broke last week that Kendall Schmidt — one quarter of Big Time Rush and one half of Heffron Drive — would be chronicling his transition from boy bander to solo artist in a new documentary.
Eager to find out more on this soon-to-be feature length, we caught up with Schmidt on camera (and hours before his Heffron Drive set in NYC) to discuss why he’s decided to document this crazy time of his life on film, which will be produced by Garrent Grant.
“I think there’s something really interesting about the transition between, and also being part of, two bands,” he explained. “I think it’s an interesting phase in somebody’s life, and if people want to watch it, then that’s cool.”
Even though he’ll be followed around for the month of December touring as Heffron Drive, he’s still committed to Big Time Rush in the beginning of next year. He also stressed that the filming is a bit tricky because he wants to make sure that his fans are happy with this new transition, as well as his label. “It’s hard to manage [both Heffron Drive and Big Time Rush], and I think this whole documentary is about many the ups, and of course the obvious downs that come along with transitioning between a really huge band and into something that’s your pet project.” He added: “To a fault, I’m extremely stubborn but also really concerned with people’s feelings, and I wouldn’t want to cause pain to somebody else in general, of any sort.” See? He may be strong-willed, but at the end of the day, he wants to make everyone happy!
And for those of you concerned that he will give up Big Time Rush — don’t be. “I’ve made it very clear that I really love both bands, and I’m happy to do both,” he stated. “Fortunately with music, you can do both, and I’m just trying to make it happen the best way possible.”
Hope HD finds success!