Welcome to the NRT Now PodCast, giving you the latest in Christian music news, topics and artist interviews directly from the largest Christian music site online, NewReleaseToday.
One of the things that Jesus is known for is that he had conversations with people who were in opposite corners of society from him. Although it may be contrary to our human nature, there is power when we do the same. This is a message that Legin has preaching through his music, spoken word, and relationships in his community.
For about 20 years, Zach Williams missed moments that Jesus was there and moving in his life. Zach wrote the song 'There Was Jesus' as he looks back on those moments he overlooked. As we turn the page on 2020, it's easy to focus on all the negative that happened, but Jesus was still here and moving in 2020. Zach talks about his collaboration with Dolly Parton, Williams Family Christmas, and what he's looking forward to in 2021.
This episode is all about This Christmas... the holiday, yes, but also Francesca Battistelli's new Christmas album. The song 'Behold Him' was written the year previous, but Francesca felt it wasn't the right time to release it. Little did she know, God had better timing for the release of this song. We chat about the album, this song, and talk about Christmas fun.
It's so easy to find your identity in the gifts and talents you're given, and worship leaders are not immune from this. Being a worship leader can also provide a buffer to hide anything that's happening underneath the surface. Joel Vaughn had given up music to work through placing his identity in the creator of his gifts and to allow himself to be healthy spiritually. While he thought he might pick up music again as a small-time worship leader, he didn't expect a full-blown music career including Billboard chart hits. We chat about his journey, parenting, and his new music coming out.
It's that time of year where we here at NRT start the celebration of the past year in Christian music. We do some things differently than other awards, starting with our emphasis on celebrating the nominations just as much as the winners. While we may pare down our nominations based on several data points, it's the fans that choose our winners. Over the last few years, Visible Music College has become an invaluable partner in putting this celebration together. It's only fitting that we here at NRT catch up with VMC and talk about this year's awards. We also hear from VMC students and Madison Line Records artists Devin Westbrook and Hope VanDouser about their experience at VMC.
In 2019, Skillet's frontman John Cooper started a journey of sharing truth in today's culture through a series of social media posts. While he was initially unsure if anyone wanted to hear this from him, the response he received answered that question with a resounding yes. He is taking his journey of speaking about truth a step further with a book that is set to release at the end of 2020. In this episode, we flashback to episode 12 where John talks about the social media posts and then hear from John about his new book.
This Thanksgiving episode features Dove Award-winning artist Jordan Feliz. Jordan's eyes were not focused on the top of the charts when he wrote his latest album, his task was to put out the best work he could. Nevertheless, the single "Glorify" has landed at the top of the charts. Jordan discusses the process of the album and the heart behind a pair of the leading songs. Jordan shares how he and his family go hard for Christmas, and why he is not likely to release a Christmas album.
In this installment of the Next Big Thing episodes, we are introduced to Seth and Jenna of Him + Her Worship. Their latest album was finished as they were stuck on the road during lockdowns. We get to know this new artist and their journey around the country in their 13ft trailer.
In 2010, Sanctus Real released a song called 'Lead Me' which took CCM by storm. The heart of the song is a wife asking her husband to lead her and the family, which is part of a real experience from the band's frontman at the time, Matt Hammitt. The message of the song landed deep on Matt's heart, so much so that he left the band to live out the song. In 2020, he released a book co-written by his wife that is open and raw with all the experiences around that song. He also talks about the story of Bowen's Heart, a journey with his son Bowen and the health complications he's had in his childhood.
Before we had any idea as to what season was ahead of us, Citizens had the idea to record songs with nothing more than their phones and acoustic instruments. Fast forward, these phone demos would become a picture of what many churches were facing. We chat about the full album 'The Joy of Being' along with some fun anecdotes from small hometowns.
