It’s good to have friends. It’s better when those friends include rapper Chingy.

“Actually, the only person I know [out of the performers playing at the spring concert] is Chingy,” said 24-year-old musician Tyler Hilton, who will play alongside Chingy, Augustana, The Starting Line and Jo Dee Messina at the April 26 Spring Fever concert at Chaifetz Arena. “I presented a Teen Choice Award with him … It will definitely be an interesting show.”

Despite the relative success of Hilton’s first major label album The Tracks Of (Maverick Records, Sept. 28, 2004), the folk-pop singer is better known for his acting chops.

Playing the drug-addicted Elvis Presley in the Academy Award-winning Walk the Line and the wife-stealing musician Chris Keller in the CW’s “One Tree Hill,” two of Hilton’s biggest acting roles came with ready-made opportunities for him to combine his two passions.

“I always decided that if I wanted to do acting, I didn’t want [the roles] to have anything to do with music,” he said. “Then Walk the Line came along, and I was like, ‘Well … I have the chance to play, literally, my favorite musician of all time.’

“‘One Tree Hill’ was kind of the same way. I just went on to promote my record and I was like, ‘God, I really love this show.'”

In addition to the 16-episode stint that spanned three seasons on the CW drama, the role alongside Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon and a role in this year’s Charlie Bartlett, Hilton is also starting to gain a following in the digital world.

“I started [Tyler TV on my website] before video blogs were even video blogs,” Hilton said. “My dad, [musician] Curtis Peoples and I just had a video camera [and started shooting]. When YouTube came about, it was only natural to go that route, too.”

Hilton’s online time has taken a backseat as of late, however, as he works to complete his second major studio album.

“I really want to put out something good, something honest,” Hilton said. “I don’t feel in any rush . Hopefully, the more well-known I become, the more people can relate to [the music].”

One of the ways Hilton works to close the gap between musician and audience comes from his choice set of songs.

The singer has been known to cover popular musicians during select shows, including the likes of Mario, JoJo and 50 Cent. He does it to keep things interesting-not only for his band, but also for the fans in attendance, Hilton said.

“It’s just a good time,” he said. “There’s not dancing or anything like that … [but] every show is different.”

After taking a lengthy break from touring, Hilton called the upcoming Saint Louis University show part of “a great vacation,” as it will be one of only two shows Hilton and his band will perform in April.

“Chicago, St. Louis and that area are all great towns [to perform in] because they have great audiences,” he said. “I’m sure it will be a great crowd.”

Hilton is scheduled to be the first performer of the night, followed by rapper Chingy.

Tickets are available at the Office of Student Life (Suite 335 in the Busch Student Center) starting on Sunday, March 31. The show will begin at 6 p.m., with doors opening at 5 p.m. Tickets for Saint Louis University students are free with a student ID; general admission tickets may be purchased at MetroTix.com, for $25.