WATCH ‘PRAISE THIS’ OFFICIAL TRAILER STARRING CHLOE BAILEY AND ANJELIKA WASHINGTON

Sometimes the music can lift you higher than you’ve ever been.

Five-time Grammy nominee Chloe Bailey, star of Grown-ish and half of the sibling musical duo Chloe x Halle, stars in a new cinematic musical event set in the world of Atlanta’s competitive gospel youth choir praise teams.

From director Tina Gordon, writer-director of Little and the writer of What Men Want and Drumline, Praise This follows aspiring musical superstar Sam (Chloe Bailey), a young woman driven, at almost any cost, to break into the music business. So, when her father (Philip Fornah; Richard Jewel, Better Call Saul), worried that Sam is associating with a dangerous crowd, moves them from Los Angeles to Atlanta to live with Sam’s sunny cousin, Jess (Anjelika Washington; Stargirl, Tall Girl franchise), Sam is …not happy.

But when Sam is forced to join her cousin’s struggling, underdog praise team in the lead-up to a national championship competition, she sees an opportunity to finally make her dreams come true. What she discovers, though, is that ambition can command a high price and that praise is not about glory, but gratitude.

The film also stars comedian Druski (House Party, The Crew League), Grammy-nominated hip hop sensation Quavo (Atlanta, The Crew League), Grammy nominee Tristan Mack Wilds (The Wire, 90210), Birgundi Baker (The Chi, Black Lightning), Loren Lott (Tag, The Young, and the Restless), Kiara Iman Heffner (Resentment), newcomer Ilario Grant, Crystal Hayslett (Sistas, Zatima), Cocoa Brown (9-1-1, Ted 2), Vanessa Fraction (Barbershop 2: Back in Business, Mann and Wife) and Grammy-nominated gospel stars, Jekalyn Carr and Koryn Hawthorne.

Praise This is produced by Will Packer p.g.a., whose films include Girls Trip, the Ride Along franchise, Breaking In, Stomp the Yard, Little, and ten movies that have opened No. 1 at the U.S. box office; by Tim Story, blockbuster filmmaker of Barbershop, Shaft and the Ride Along and Think Like a Man franchise; by Sharla Sumpter Bridgett (executive producer Wild Hogs, Coach Carter) and by James Lopez (Beast, What Men Want).

The story is by Brandon Broussard & Hudson Obayuwana & Jana Savage, the writing team collectively known as Murder Ink (#Reality High), and the screenplay is by Tina Gordon and Brandon Broussard & Hudson Obayuwana & Jana Savage. The film is executive produced by Preston Holmes (Till, Night School) and Johanna Byer, executive vice president of motion pictures for Will Packer Productions.

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Talia M.

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