Paul Walter Hauser on How God Led Him to Create New EP Murder for Higher as Alter Ego Signet Ringer

Paul Walter Hauser fans, it's time to meet Signet Ringer.

After making a name for himself as an actor in projects including Richard Jewell, Cruella and Apple TV+'s new series Black Bird, Hauser is venturing into the world of rap under the stage name Signet Ringer. His debut EP Murder for Hire was released Friday, and the music video for his bombastic, trap-influenced single "5'10" featuring Bear James premieres exclusively on PEOPLE.

A longtime fan of hip-hop music, Hauser dabbled in freestyle rap and lyricism for years before trying his hand in a recording studio for the first time in 2018 — but the "rough draft" creation wasn't up to his standards. It wasn't until he was stuck inside amid the COVID-19 pandemic's peak that he met producer Aleks James and decided to make and release a project of his own.

Emma McIntyre/WireImage

"That rough draft led me to this end product that I thought, 'Let's make sure this feels like something you could actually have licensed in a film or a commercial or a TV show. Let's make sure this is something somebody can roll the windows down to and blare while driving," Hauser says of his goals while crafting Murder for Higher over the last 16 months.

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In an interview ahead of the EP and video release, Hauser spoke to PEOPLE about the inspiration behind his stage name, drawing inspiration from his own sobriety journey and creating the self-directed "5'10" visual with friends and his 14-month-old son, Harris.

Courtesy Signet Ringer Paul Walter Hauser aka Signet Ringer

How did you come up with the artist name Signet Ringer?

I read a bible verse about signet rings and I was like, 'What is a signet ring?' I looked it up, and it's loosely defined as this sort of sculpted thing that, years ago, kings would dip in ink or blood and stamp a parchment and give approval. And then the word ringer in sports is like, "Oh, that guy or gal, they're a ringer." They come into the sport, pretend they don't know how to play, but they're actually just waiting to show their skill and win a game to cheat somebody out of their money. I believe I've been led by God to tell stories through song, and that's the king's seal of approval, the signet ring. I think I'm a ringer for hip-hop. I look like a novice, like I wouldn't know how to do it whatsoever, and then I come out blazing.

Are there any other rappers or musicians you were influenced by while creating Murder for Hire?

Kendrick Lamar, Run the Jewels, and Chance the Rapper. More than anyone, I'm just inspired by Kendrick Lamar. He marches to the beat of his own drum, he's fearless in the content that he puts out, and his relationship to God, his family and his community means more than his relationship to the entertainment world.

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How do you feel about coming into the rap space as a white guy?

I mean, it definitely breeds insecurity. It's definitely reticent knowing that there are really only a handful of white rappers that ever did well on a national basis. Audiences are less concerned about it than I am. I build that up in my mind as if it's an actual problem, but in truth, I think culture has come far enough to not really care about that kind of thing.

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Drugs and alcohol come up a few times throughout the EP and its visuals, and you're eight months sober. Did you draw from your own experiences?

Yeah. I'm so grateful to be sober. I dabbled with being sober while shooting Black Bird, because I was just getting a little out of control while playing that character. Then, I officially jumped into the meetings and got a sponsor in the autumn. I don't vilify drugs or alcohol at all if you can do things in moderation, but I cannot do things in moderation. I'm an all-or-nothing kind of guy, so I thought, 'I'd better eliminate this from my life so that I can be a better dad, a better husband, and a better creative.' What you're hearing on Murder for Higher is a man recognizing his demons and trying to identify his problems. I plan to put out a full album on October 26th, my one-year sobriety anniversary, and the name of the album is Sober. It's a continuation of the journey and my personal story, and you can expect to hear some lighter tracks.

Have your wife Amy and son Harris been a part of the music-making process or served as inspiration?

They were kind of in the dark regarding it. My closest friends, I would go in their car and say, "Hey, let me play you the rough cut of this song," but I kept it from my wife. Then, I ended up using one of her close friends, Cade Ellis, on "5'10", and that triggered her to be like, "OK, you need to play your music for me. My husband and my friend are on the same track. I need to hear this song." She was into it, and it grew on her over time. I think at first it was pretty jarring. It's not something she knew she was signing up for, but she knows I'm completely out of my mind, so hopefully it feels like a natural progression for that.

Emma McIntyre/WireImage Paul Walter Hauser and Amy Boland

Is there a particular song on Murder for Higher that feels most representative of who you are as an artist?

The title track of the EP is the most exemplary piece of art I've put out as far as it pertains to me. "Murder for Higher" begins with a skit that's a little comedic but very dark about the idea of your demons bullying you and you ask them, "Am I a pinata because I'm celebratory?" And they're like, "No, you're a pinata because we like beating on you." Then it goes into the verse, and it's me rapping about my spiritual disposition. "Murder for Higher" has my humor, my self-deprecation, my struggles, my point of view.

The "5'10" music video was filmed around Los Angeles, and it looked like you had a ton of fun making it with friends. What was that experience like, and how was making a music video from working in film and TV?

We didn't have to pay for audio, that was nice. I loved not paying a sound guy. [Laughs] No, the real answer would be, making the "5'10" music video was very DIY. I was putting my assistant, Simon, in it as the guy getting the autograph. My co-director, Andrew Lewis Caldwell, plays Curly in the Three Stooges bit in the car with the powdered sugar, and my son, Harris, is in the bathtub with me. It was fun to just pluck people I love from my life and put them in the video, and it's definitely me getting to show my directorial side. It was a labor of love, man. I had to whip it together, and I loved that. I want to do that more in the future and be the ringleader rather than the follower.

Can fans expect music to become a part of your acting career at all going forward?

I hope so. I am attached to two different projects. One is a podcast, one is a studio feature, and both are very music related. Whether or not those projects happen or not, I have to wait and see. But as people see my fearlessness and — hopefully — skill as it pertains to music, I hope I get more opportunities in the way of somebody like Josh Gad getting to sing in Beauty and the Beast or Frozen or Book of Mormon. I would love to do something like that.