Tank BoastsHell's Kitchen'Got the Right One' as He Teases Broadway Debut: 'I'm Built for This' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Tank.Photo:Prince Williams/WireImage

Prince Williams/WireImage

For most people, stepping into a Broadway musical that’s as critically acclaimed as the Tony Award-winningHell’s Kitchenmight be intimidating. But when you’re a Grammy nominated artist, producer, singer and songwriter likeTank, it’s just another way to expand your artistry.

“They got the right one,” the singer, born Durrell Babbs, tells PEOPLE of hisBroadway debut. “I love it, it’s what I do. I work out twice a day and go to the studio. So I’m there, I’m built for this.”

Come the evening of Tuesday, March 11, the “Please Don’t Go,” singer will be stepping into the shoes of Davis — the father of the musical’s protagonist, Ali, inHell’s Kitchen.Loosely based on the life of fellow musicianAlicia Keys, the musical — now open at the Shubert Theatre in New York City — is a coming-of-age story about 17-year-old Ali, as told through Keys' beloved catalog of songs.

Tank is replacing original starBrandon Victor Dixon, who exited the show on March 9. During his own time in the show, Dixon was nominated for a Tony, a bonus Tank says he used to guide his own interpretation of the character.

“I studied what he did,” the singer admits. “The guy’s nominated for a Tony, that’s a guy you want to take notes from. Some of those character ideas that he embodies — you want to nail some of those things, you want to grab some of those things.”

In fact, Tank says the pair had a shadow day in which Dixon walked him through the ropes and essentially passed the baton.

“He didn’t put it in a space where it felt competitive. He put it in a space where, it honestly felt like love, man,” Tank shares. “It felt like he’s giving me the approval, like, ‘Hey bro, I want you to come in and do an amazing job. And anything that I can do to help you do that, let me know.’ And once it’s in that space and it’s love and it’s welcome to the family, all the competition part of it kind of goes out of the window and in a sense, you just want to make people proud.”

Alicia Keys during the opening night curtain call for ‘Hell’s Kitchen’.Bruce Glikas/WireImage

Bruce Glikas/WireImage

As with any Broadway play, the reputation for those tough rehearsal and performance schedules is ever-present. But that never dissuaded Tank from pursuing the opportunity.

“In terms of the workload and maybe the accommodations and all these things, nobody ever paints a great picture of it for some reason,” he tells PEOPLE. “That’s all I had to hold on to, was just what some people would say, ‘Oh man, you’re working all week man’, and all that.

“But when I saw it, I [knew] I just needed to figure out a way to be part of this. And in being part of it I’m going hard or going home. Once I’m in it, I’m in. So it wasn’t about showing anybody else anything other than myself.”

With a repertoire as hefty as his, it’s only natural to expect his presence might cause a stir, especially since the play is a musical. However, Tank says in order for him to deliver the performance that audiences and fans of the show deserve, he had to essentially become a student again.

“I’m very much a [team] player,” he shares. “I come from sports, so my first thing to directors and to the conductors and everybody is like, ‘Coach me hard. Don’t coach me like an artist, coach me like an actor. And interrupt me, like cut me off [when you need to].’ "

Tank performing.MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty

MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty

Still, one can’t overlook the fact that Tankisone of the greatest R&B singers of our time.

Asked whether or not he brings his famous adlibs, crisp falsettos and enamoring riffs to the production, the singer says that the fans are going to get what they want.

“I get to act up a little bit,” he jokes. “There were moments where Alicia and [musical supervisor Adam Blackstone] are like, ‘Hey bro, do the thing. You know the hallelujah church thing that you come from? Do that,’ and I was like, ‘Okay, let me loose.’ "

The original Broadway cast of ‘Hell’s Kitchen’.Marc J. Franklin

Marc J. Franklin

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Tank’s run inHell’s Kitchenis currently scheduled for just 13 weeks.

Tickets forHell’s Kitchenare now on sale.

source: people.com