A Passion for Performance

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – While Caleb Chevis shines as a sprinter on the track, he dazzles as a singer on the stage.

From a young age, Chevis was exposed to music as a member of his church choir. He continued to sing through junior high and high school where he developed a passion for the musical art.

Chevis enjoys the expression that music provides.

As a sprinter, fans see the work and dedication that goes into preparation for a meet. There are clear results. But producing words to describe how you feel is not always easy, so Chevis uses his music to convey his emotions.

“Track is where I am able to express my outer self and all the hard work I put into my physical body,” Chevis said. “With singing, I can express everything I feel on the inside such as my emotions, personality and things I can’t put into words. It is an expression of my inward self and a way for me to let out what I feel inside.”

The Arkansas-Little Rock transfer isn’t the only singer in his family.

Chevis’ twin sister, Caitlin, and their older brother, Colby, are also involved in music. Their parents are singers themselves.

Singing became a family affair, uniting the Chevis’ together.

“Once we started singing and realized we are actually good at it, the love just grew,” he said.

There’s a clear musical love in the Chevis family. For Caleb, he finds the true joy of singing in performing for others and having his voice heard.

He has had the opportunity to sing in choirs growing up, talent shows, the National Anthem at sporting events and be a part of acapella groups such as Phoenyx A Capella at the University of Miami.

His proudest moment on stage was performing a solo in London as a senior in his high school’s choir.

This past summer, at his parents’ 25th wedding anniversary, his mom composed a poem for a book that her and his father wrote about marriage. She asked her son if he could turn it into a song.

With that, Caleb got to work with a producer out of San Antonio to turn it into a love song called, “44 Summers of Love” by the Chevis 5.

The results: a published song on Spotify and Apple Music.

Although most of his musical connection is done off the track, he does carry his joy for it with him into his meets.

“When I’m running, a lot of it is focused on cadence, rhythm and consistency. That goes a lot with music, especially up-tempo songs,” Chevis reflected. “A lot of times when I’m training or running, sometimes I have a song in my head, and I am just moving to the beat of the song to stay in a cadence or a rhythm. In other cases, there are some songs that are bigger or bolder that may be slower but have things that make the song more powerful.

“I listen to that music before I get on the track, so that in my mind I am already thinking big powerful movements because being a short sprinter that is pretty much all my running is about. It translates lot. Singing is performing just like track is performing. It really does all connect to me.”

A pre-physical therapy major at The U, Chevis’ true dream is to pursue music as a career as both a singer and writer.

Chevis’ goal is to do what he loves for the rest of his life, something only music can provide.

“I am majoring in something I can for sure do for work, but singing is something I want to do long term,” said Chevis. “I tell people this all the time, track is my biggest passion. I am always thinking about it, and it is always on my mind, but I can only do it for so many years while I can sing for the rest of my life. If I could find a way to make a career out of this passion, something that I love, that I can do for the rest of my life. Not a lot of people can say that they love what they do for work. To be able to sing and make music for the rest of my life would be perfect for me.”