Can you tell us about your latest project? What inspired it, and what can your fans expect from it?
My latest release is called He Knows Your Name, and I wrote for people battling suicidal thoughts. It was inspired by Psalm 139 which talks about how God is the one who created each one of us. Most suicidal people have become convinced that their existence was an accident or mistake, but God doesn’t mess up. My prayer is that God will use this song to bring much-needed hope to people who have been struggling with thoughts of taking their own life.
Songwriting can be a cathartic process. What emotions or messages do you hope your music conveys to listeners?
Love, joy, peace, and hope. There is far too much darkness and deception in the world, so I write music that brings light and promotes truth. Music is from God, and I write music to help people encounter their Creator.
How has your musical style evolved over the years, and what do you hope to convey through your music now compared to when you first started your career?
When I was younger I didn’t believe in Jesus, and I used music selfishly to get attention and access to “the party”. But God changed my life 9 years ago, and now I use music to serve him by trying to reach people that don’t know him yet. Only Christians listen to Christian music, so I write music that sounds quite different from mainstream Christian music in the hopes that it will reach the ears of the people who need to hear God’s truth.
Stylistically my music has become much more diverse than my early stuff. If you listen to my last 3 singles, God of Vengeance, On the Rock or the Sand, and He Knows Your Name, you’ll see what I mean.
Many fans look up to their favorite artists as role models. What advice do you have for aspiring musicians who hope to make a name for themselves in the music industry?
If your motives are selfish, you might experience some success but you will feel empty inside. God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble, so stay humble. Big egos have been the downfall of far too many musicians to count.
In the age of streaming and digital platforms, how do you navigate the challenges of making a living as a recording artist, and what advice would you give to aspiring musicians trying to break into the industry?
At this early stage in my career, the bulk of the money I make from music comes from playing live shows. As technology has made it much easier to produce music, the digital world is saturated with more songs than ever. The barrier to entry is so low that you are competing with over 100,000 songs released to streaming platforms per day, and with AI-created music ramping up, we ain’t seen nothing yet. But there is much less competition in the live music space. Just because someone has the ability to produce a song in Garageband doesn’t guarantee they can entertain an audience by playing it live. So by playing a lot of live shows I have made FAR more money than streaming revenue. Is it possible to make good money through digital streaming? Absolutely, but very few musicians are able to pull that off, just as very few athletes are able to play professional sports.
To break into the music industry and make a living in it, you’ve gotta embrace the business side of music, hustle like a small business owner, and come to terms with the fact that no matter how good your music is, nobody is going to hear it if you don’t.
Your image and style often become part of your brand as an artist. How do you approach your personal image and fashion choices to express yourself and connect with your fans?
It’s interesting that you asked this question at this time in my career, because I honestly didn’t give image and style the attention it deserved until recently. Personally, I don’t give style and fashion much thought, but professionally I now realize how important it is. So I have been intentionally upping my game in this area over the past few months. My wife has a great sense of fashion, and I trust her to recommend styles that fit me. I have asked a couple fashionable men who are friends of mine to speak into it, and they’ve been helping me too.
The future is always uncertain, but what are your long-term goals and aspirations as a recording artist, and what can your fans expect from you in the coming years?
As long as God keeps me on this mission, I am going to keep writing and releasing music that glorifies him and draws more people to him. I am working on recording my second album to be released next year, and I have a large backlog of songs and ideas to finish. Currently I am a solo-artist, but I do pray that I will have the opportunity to collaborate with other musicians, play full-band performances, and get onto bigger stages where more people will hear music that helps them encounter their Creator.