Good Day Atlanta viewer information September 23, 2020

Chris Daughtry describes his “Masked Singer” experience in two words: As Grammy-nominee Chris Daughtry to describe his experience on the FOX hit “The Masked Singer,” and he can do it in two words.

“Very hot,” he laughs.

Performing on the show’s second season as The Rottweiler, Daughtry consistently scored praise from panelists and fans thanks to his pitch-perfect performances.  But the singer says behind-the-scenes, everyone on the show takes the “masked” part of the title very seriously.

“We never saw the other contestants.  A lot of the producers didn’t even know who we were.  So, we had to show up fully covered, with face shields, gloves,” the singer, songwriter, and Daughtry frontman says.  “You put on this mask and all the sudden you feel like you’re singing in a paper bag.  You’re sweating bullets, and you’re trying to do choreography, and you can’t really…understand how much of a lack of visibility you have until you’re in this thing.  You don’t know what side of the stage you’re on!  It was terrifying.” 

Terrifying, perhaps, but Daughtry says his time on the show — which resulted in a finish as runner-up — was also liberating.  

“You’re not sitting there thinking about what they may think about what you’re performing based on who they think they are.  You’re just free to do whatever,” the singer says.  “I had a blast.  I recommend it to any artist out there that’s even thinking of going it, it’s absolutely worth it.”

Season four of “The Masked Singer” premieres tonight at 8 p.m. on FOX 5 Atlanta.

Country singer finds “Shelter” in new music:  When country singer Justin Fabus opened for New Kids on the Block last year, he was faced with 20,000 screaming fans expecting nothing less than perfection.

“It was insane, because they’re so loyal,” Fabus says.  “And here I was, doing a country version of one of their hits, so it’s like, if I go out there and screw this up, they’re going to let me know!”

Thankfully, that didn’t happen.  And now, with the release of his new EP, titled Shelter from the Storm, the Pittsburgh native is poised for another career breakthrough.

“It’s exciting, because you’ve worked so hard,” he says of the EP’s release, set for Friday.  “It’s also nerve-wracking, too, because once you’ve put that out into the world, it’s out there.  You can’t change it.”

Recorded mainly during the pandemic, Shelter from the Storm features seven new tracks; the project’s opening song, called “Your Body’s a Blessing,” was co-written with the artist’s fiancé, Julie Grant of Court TV.

“She was in Atlanta at the time, shooting for Court TV, and I was working on the song, and I got stuck on a line, and luckily she had called me while I was working on it.  I was writing it with my guitarist, Miguel Garcia, as well.  And I said, ‘We’re stuck on this line, what do you think about this?’ And she just gave me this perfect line, and I was like, ‘Wow…congrats, you’re a songwriter!’”

And speaking of songwriters, Fabus also worked with one of the greats — Grammy Award winner Richard Marx — on a track titled “Somebody Like You.”

“For the last six years I’ve kind of been willing my way to write a song with him.  And how crazy — our schedules never met up — and how crazy it is during a pandemic, finally, when everything kind of stopped, it was like, ‘Okay, let’s write a song together.’”

And what’s next for the singer-songwriter’s career?  Fabus says he’s looking forward to touring and performing the new songs when it’s safe to do so.

“My shows are very interactive.  And I want people to be able to be interactive, and be close and join hands, and be able to vibe off each other and vibe off me.  And I just feel like until we can really have that, I can’t give 100-percent, because I don’t know how to do it any other way.”

Shelter for the Storm will be released on Friday, September 25; click here for more information on the project.

Curry Up Now opens new location at Madison Yards: Curry Up Now started as a food truck, much like the vendors selling Indian street snacks on the streets of Mumbai, the menu features many popular street food items. They now have a second location at Madison Yards in Reynoldstown. The restaurant is celebrating with a grand opening giveaway this Thursday, by offering 50% your entire order when placed in the app or online.  That coupon code is "celebrateatl" You can find the new Curry Up Now location at 915 Memorial Dr SE, Suite 210, Atlanta, Georgia 30316. To check out the menu click here. 

Actor Faly Rakotohavana talks about his latest role in upcoming Disney+ movie:  Secret Society of Second Born Royals  follows Sam, a teenage royal rebel second-in-line to the throne of the kingdom of Illyria, who discovers she has super human abilities and is invited to join a secret society of similar second-born royals charged with keeping the world safe. Faly plays the role of Matteo, a sweet, smart and shy second-born royal who has a slightly awkward super human ability that is repulsive to some but surprisingly more useful than one can imagine. The film also stars Skylar Astin, Niles Fitch, and Peyton Elizabeth Lee. It is set to premiere on Disney+ Friday, September 25 and you can watch the trailer here. 

Niecey Shaw from Classix 102.9 joins us to talk about the return of rapper/actor Method Man.  For more information on Niecey Shaw or Classix 102.9 click here.