- 16 hours ago
Brandon Lake has made a mark in Country music, thanks to his profound, faith-based approach to music and collaboration, and his desire to connect with as many people as possible through the power of song. The “Hard Fought Hallelujah” singer joined Katie Neal earlier this year inside our Nashville studio, during the whirlwind of CMA Fest, to unpack his origin story and share how so many meaningful relationships have been forged along the way.
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00:00Well, Brandon Lake, thank you so much for being here and for hanging out with us.
00:05I feel like we are so long overdue for sitting down and having a chat.
00:08So thank you for making the time in the middle of CMA Fest to come here and hang out.
00:13I'm so excited.
00:13It's the best week.
00:14I know it's a great week.
00:16It is a crazy week.
00:17Yep.
00:18I have to tell you normally before an interview, I do like an insane amount of prep, except
00:23the first time I sit down with somebody because I really want to be able to just be curious
00:26and ask you your story.
00:27I also feel like this is a unique situation because in a genre that I am not much a part
00:32of, you are a very, very big deal to a lot of people.
00:35So I feel silly asking you some of these questions.
00:39But again, I really want to get to know you.
00:41I would love if you would just start and tell me how you got into music.
00:45How do you become Brandon Lake?
00:48Man, I don't even feel like Brandon Lake.
00:50I just feel like a kid who's just...
00:54I'm not a kid.
00:55But I think my spirit, I just still feel like a kid who just loves writing songs and puts
00:59them out there.
01:00And God's just like breathed on them and gotten them in front of millions of people.
01:05But it all started with...
01:06I grew up in just the most amazing family.
01:11I grew up kind of in what we call a church plant.
01:14And so it's like my parents felt led to start a church in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
01:19And I grew up in that, watched really just a really beautiful community be formed.
01:25And I feel like I say I'm one of those few people that has been a part of the church
01:30my whole life and hasn't grown bitter of it.
01:34And my parents did it the right way.
01:37So I grew up in a Christian home and my dad had a guitar laying around.
01:41And he taught me my first few chords, G, C, and D.
01:46And I kind of took it from there.
01:48And I was super into sports.
01:51But then once I took to music, it's like everything else didn't matter.
01:54And I just went fully into that.
01:56And then like a lot of people's stories, we needed somebody to sing at church.
02:01And so I got begged to sing.
02:03Sang once.
02:04Hated it.
02:05Felt naked in front of everybody.
02:07I just...
02:08I hated it.
02:08I was like, I'll never do this again.
02:09And then they kept bagging me on.
02:12Finally did it again.
02:13And it was quickly after that that I like kind of...
02:16I watched this thing happen that I'm still addicted to now.
02:19And it's why I've stayed in it as just when people connect with a song,
02:24especially a song that's like bigger than them and gives them hope,
02:28gives them faith to keep going.
02:30And I got addicted to that.
02:33And which I would say, I think I found my calling.
02:35You know, it's like, this is what I was made to do.
02:37And so I'm a sponge.
02:39I just began to like learn from anyone and everyone around me.
02:44And, you know, I grew up on Christian music,
02:46but I come home from school and listen to CMT or watch CMT.
02:49And so I'm kind of this product of Christian music and country music,
02:53which I've come to know more than ever is really...
02:59It's not a leap, a big leap across, you know, from Christian to country.
03:03There's so many similar, same value systems, you know?
03:06And so that's where I've kind of...
03:08I guess I'm trying to fast forward years and years.
03:11I've been doing this a long time,
03:12but I might be new to a lot of people in the country space.
03:17I've grown up on it.
03:18But my only context for writing songs was church to try songs out.
03:21And so I did that for the longest time and just found a lot of success.
03:24And God took those songs all across the globe.
03:28And so really what happened is the last...
03:32This last two years, I started...
03:35We moved out to the country, started a farm,
03:39took over a farm, I should say.
03:41And we do beef now.
03:44And we have many donkeys.
03:46And I should say I've been married 15 years to my beautiful bride, Brittany.
03:49I got three boys, Blaze, Bo, and Banner.
03:54And our house is wild.
03:55And we got tons of dogs.
03:57I would say, how many times do you mix up Blaze, Bo, and Banner?
03:59I run around the house going,
04:01Blaze.
04:03Yeah.
04:04And we're all Bs.
04:05And so, yeah, it's crazy.
04:07But it's been such a beautiful season these last few years,
04:10raising these boys, raising animals.
04:12And so I just found myself naturally writing songs about the country
04:17and about my faith.
04:19And what's crazy is, you know, I did this song with Jelly Roll,
04:23Hard Fought, Hallelujah.
04:24And he just began to take me everywhere that he wanted to do this song.
04:28And I'm running into all these country artists.
04:30And they're like, dude, it's so cool you're going country.
04:32And I'm going, oh, yeah, man, you know.
04:36And so then I was like, man, if I'm really honest with myself,
04:39like that is a dream in my heart.
04:42And I think the ultimate dream is like,
04:44I want to influence as many people as I possibly can
04:46with a message that I know the world desperately needs.
04:49And so God really did that through Hard Fought, Hallelujah.
04:53And then I wrote a song, and people demanded that Kojo be on it.
04:58And he heard it and was like, dude, this sounds like my kind of song.
05:01And so he was like, he actually really encouraged me.
05:04He was like, dude, I know you're known as a Christian artist.
05:07He goes, but Bubba, you're writing country songs.
05:10Like there's no reason why you can't do this.
05:13And so he did that song with me.
05:16And yeah, I'm just keep taking steps in that direction.
05:19And I'm just writing songs authentically about my life
05:22and who I am and what I believe.
05:24And, you know, sat down with Lainey Wilson a few months ago
05:28and wrote a song that was really her story, you know,
05:31and that came out as the Jesus I know now.
05:33And so if you look at my whole story, sorry, I'm talking a lot.
05:37No, I'm eating it up, Brandon.
05:38Keep going.
05:39If you look at just a common thread throughout my life,
05:42it has been collaboration.
05:44And a lot of people, you know, who don't know me,
05:46they might look at, you know, my Instagram or something and go,
05:50oh, he's just doing this to grab fame or to whatever.
05:53And I wish they understood the conversations that are happening
05:58behind closed doors with just all these artists
06:00and how God's authentically somehow aligned me
06:04with all of these artists.
06:05Like Thomas Rhett has become one of my best friends,
06:07like who I call when I don't know how to deal with a certain situation.
06:11He's been there and done it.
06:12And he calls me going, dude, I don't know how to,
06:15how do I, you know, in the industry, how should I think about this?
06:18Or man, I'm wrestling with this.
06:19And it's just been all authentic relationship
06:23that has been producing these songs.
06:27And so I'm just, I'm here for it.
06:29I just keep writing more songs.
06:30And so that being said, I'm, I'm working on my next record right now,
06:34which is going to be heavy country mixed with songs that people will
06:38and have known me by and the kind of things I,
06:41and sounds I like to make.
06:43I'm all over the place to be honest though.
06:45But yeah.
06:46That's awesome.
06:46It's so funny to hear you talk about this
06:48because I have been sitting here listening to the other side of that story,
06:51like from Thomas Rhett and from Kojo and from Russell and Lainey
06:55and all of these people.
06:56And so it's now fun to get to hear your side of this.
06:59Cause I was trying to think the very first time
07:02that I heard your name was with Jelly Roll
07:03and it was, we were talking about Hard Fought, Hallelujah
07:06and like how badly he wanted to be a part of that song.
07:09And then I remember my sister called me
07:11and she's like, Jelly Roll's talking about Brandon Lake.
07:13And I was like, I think it shocked everybody.
07:16No, I know.
07:17But then I'm telling you, like, I just,
07:18the number of interviews I have done,
07:21even in just the last six months where your name has come up,
07:23which is where I've started saying to my team,
07:24I'm like, what is Brandon Lake up to?
07:26I heard about this writer's camp that happened
07:28and I keep hearing about it.
07:29Everybody was there and everyone talks about it,
07:31like, you know, for lack of better return,
07:33like it was a religious experience.
07:34They were like the creative energy
07:36that was flowing through this.
07:37So talk about like, what was this writer's camp?
07:39Who all was there?
07:40Drop the names, like talk about this.
07:42So here's the overall message
07:44that I want anybody to hear.
07:45You can never go wrong with just loving on people
07:49and serving them.
07:50And that was our only goal.
07:52I was like, I'd love to get great songs out of this.
07:54But I really feel like God put it on my heart
07:56a few years ago when it was like kind of my first,
08:00it was CRS and I was here
08:03and I was doing this like Believer's Breakfast thing
08:05and I just really felt like impressed on my heart.
08:07You might only be here, Brandon,
08:10to just encourage some of these people
08:12and to love them and to be a listening ear.
08:15And so I've not even stepped in going like,
08:18my goal is to have a number one country.
08:20So I really, like, of course I care.
08:22I don't want to say I care less, could care less.
08:25But really, I feel like that's been my goal
08:28is just to, I don't know,
08:30like be a chaplain of country music.
08:32You know, just be a guy who's available,
08:34that can listen and encourage these other artists
08:36who I look up to and who are doing it so well.
08:40And so we went in and I was like,
08:43I want to put on the biggest, coolest writing camp
08:45that, you know, I've ever been a part of
08:48and maybe that Nashville's seen.
08:49And so we booked Dark Horse Studios
08:53and, which is a pretty legendary spot.
08:55And I invited everybody who I'd just been running into.
08:58And so Thomas Rhett, Hardy came through.
09:02And we actually wrote one of my favorite songs
09:03that'll be on this next record.
09:05Really? Okay, great.
09:05Yes, I cannot wait for that one.
09:08Laney Wilson, Tranny Anderson,
09:10who's an amazing writer.
09:12Chase McGill, who's an insane writer.
09:14We had Bailey Zimmerman.
09:16That was the first song we wrote,
09:17which was Just Believe, we put that out.
09:19That was the first day.
09:21Dan and Shay.
09:23Gosh, y'all help me out.
09:25Anyone else I'm missing?
09:26Nick Jonas.
09:27So Nick Jonas heard about it
09:29and said, can I come?
09:31Stop.
09:31And I was like, let me pray about it.
09:33Yes.
09:35Yeah, who's going to turn down Nick Jonas?
09:37And so we end up writing a few songs together.
09:40He's an incredible writer, by the way.
09:44Gosh, Ashley Gorley,
09:46the world's best, you know, yes.
09:49Yeah, yeah.
09:49I think he's up to like 90 number ones or something.
09:51Russell was there.
09:52Russell Dickerson was there.
09:54Obviously, a lot of guys, too,
09:55that I've rolled with.
09:57Jacob Suter, Hank Bentley.
09:59They're like my producers.
10:00Micah Nichols.
10:01Benjamin William Hastings,
10:03who's a guy who's well-known
10:04in the world,
10:04in the space that I've come from.
10:06And so it was really cool,
10:08these worlds colliding.
10:10And, you know,
10:11what's funny is I kind of went in going like,
10:14hey, let me try to write some more country songs
10:15with guys and girls
10:17that have been doing it for a while.
10:19And I think all of them showed up going like,
10:21how do we help,
10:22how do we write Brandon Lake songs, you know?
10:24And I say that humbly.
10:26I think there was,
10:27and not maybe completely,
10:28but there was a lot of that energy of like,
10:29what do these worlds sound like when they collide?
10:32Well, I'm sure a lot of them
10:33wanted to push the envelope
10:34of like faith-based writing
10:36that maybe they're not always
10:37like encouraged to do on a day-to-day basis.
10:39when they're writing
10:40and this felt like,
10:40you know,
10:41the perfect opportunity to do that.
10:43Yeah.
10:43And so we lavished them with gifts
10:45and not like,
10:47not to try to,
10:48you know,
10:49buy their love,
10:50but we genuinely wanted to
10:53make them feel so encouraged.
10:55And so like,
10:56we gave everyone a Bible
10:58with their name on it.
10:59It was actually one of the first songs we wrote.
11:01It'll probably be on my next record.
11:02It's called Bible with Your Name on It.
11:04And it's like,
11:05the idea is like giving your son about,
11:07you know,
11:07it's like maybe the better kind of gift
11:10you could give him
11:11than a hunting trip with his buddies
11:12or the,
11:13you know,
11:14you know,
11:15truck from the lot kind of thing.
11:16And so,
11:18and we,
11:19and we just made all these cool,
11:21like I have a Western brand as well
11:22called Saints Western.
11:23And so we hooked up everybody
11:24with custom hats,
11:25like had my guy come in
11:26and like measure everyone
11:28and give them custom hats.
11:30And it was just really fun.
11:31It was a beautiful few days.
11:33And I think more than anything,
11:33the conversations
11:35that came out of that
11:38and just the whole spirit,
11:39the whole thing is why
11:41you've heard some of the guys are like,
11:43I'm going to do my own camp there.
11:44And literally since then,
11:46they've had songwriting camps
11:47there trying to do the same thing.
11:48That is exactly what Russell said he did.
11:50And Dan and Shay,
11:50when they talked about it,
11:51were just like,
11:52Dan said that him and Shay
11:53were like standing outside,
11:54like one of the nights
11:55that they were there.
11:55And he was like,
11:56we will look back on this
11:56as being like one of the most
11:57like creative moments in our life.
11:59Like it was just so beautiful
12:00listening to everyone talk about it.
12:02So cool.
12:02It is so cool.
12:02And we ended up getting great songs.
12:04Like we wrote 47 songs
12:06in four and a half days.
12:07That's crazy.
12:08Yeah, it was nuts.
12:09Like how do you even,
12:10now you're working on this record,
12:11like what are you going to do?
12:12I literally had a meeting
12:13last night with my whole team
12:15and we listened through
12:16every single song
12:17and was like,
12:18okay,
12:18like which ones are the ones
12:19for this next season?
12:20Because we can't do them all,
12:22you know?
12:22Or maybe we can.
12:23So will these songs
12:24and you can like,
12:25because you know,
12:26you're working on this still,
12:27but like do you think
12:28this will be like
12:28very heavy collab
12:29or will it just be like
12:30collaborative
12:30in the songwriting elements?
12:32No, it'll be very heavy collab
12:34vocally.
12:36It's just,
12:37I can't get away from it.
12:38I love it.
12:38I love sharing.
12:39I think it's just better together.
12:42And so,
12:42not every song.
12:45You know,
12:46there are some that are
12:47pretty emotional
12:47that I think,
12:48you know,
12:49maybe putting an extra voice on
12:50kind of just distracts
12:51from the emotion of the song
12:53and some that are just
12:54really personal to me
12:55that I didn't write with them.
12:56But yeah,
12:57ones that I wrote
12:59with a particular artist,
13:01it usually just makes
13:02the most sense
13:03to do it together.
13:04And it's just so fun.
13:05I want to know about the song
13:05that you wrote with Hardy.
13:07Yeah.
13:07Hardy's my favorite writer.
13:08I could give it away.
13:09It's called Bones and Boots.
13:12And it is a Hardy type song,
13:15but also feels like me.
13:17And the whole idea is like,
13:19you know,
13:19when I'm dead and gone,
13:20like I'll be in heaven.
13:21Like if you come looking for me,
13:23all you're going to find
13:23is Bones and Boots.
13:25I have chills.
13:26That's such a Hardy song.
13:26It's real fun.
13:27The last time Hardy was here,
13:28we were talking about like,
13:29Hardy, you love death.
13:30You love death.
13:31Like he just like,
13:32but he loves writing
13:32about immortality
13:33because he's like,
13:34that is the one great equalizer.
13:35Like we are at the end of the day,
13:36we are all going to die.
13:37You know what I mean?
13:37He's like,
13:38if everyone can relate to one thing,
13:40it's this.
13:40Yeah.
13:41That is.
13:41Oh,
13:42I'm excited.
13:43So it's really cool.
13:44It's got,
13:44you know,
13:45yeah,
13:45it's like how we wrote about heaven
13:47in this style of song.
13:49I don't know,
13:49but it really is.
13:50It's super fun.
13:51And it sounds like kind of
13:53when you just hear the title,
13:54Bones and Boots,
13:54what you would imagine.
13:55So I'm so excited to hear that.
13:57Yeah.
13:57I want to talk to you like individually
13:58about some of the artists
13:59that you were working with
14:00because when we have you
14:01on a co-host of the show,
14:02we're going to play some of their music,
14:03your music.
14:04So talk to me.
14:05You mentioned a little bit
14:05about Thomas Rhett,
14:06about how you have become
14:07really close friends
14:08and you call each other.
14:09And he said that to me.
14:09He's like,
14:09I call Brandon about marriage advice
14:11and all these things.
14:11And I just like,
14:12I adore that man.
14:13I do too.
14:14He's so lovely.
14:15He's a,
14:16he's a,
14:16he's an angel,
14:17man.
14:18He,
14:19um,
14:19he's always so happy.
14:20He's always so happy.
14:21He's so encouraging.
14:23And yeah,
14:24that's actually,
14:25I'm trying to remember
14:26when we first connected.
14:27I can't remember,
14:28but I've found myself quickly
14:30like answering the phone
14:31and it'd be two hours later.
14:33And I'm like,
14:34you know,
14:34my wife's like,
14:35what are you doing?
14:36And I was like,
14:36I'm talking to TR.
14:38And it was similar to Jelly Roll.
14:40It was like,
14:41we,
14:42we didn't talk about music.
14:43We,
14:44we just talked about life
14:45and being fathers
14:46and trying to be the best husbands
14:48that we can.
14:49And,
14:49and if we talked about,
14:51it was more about like,
14:52how do you navigate this industry
14:53and make sure that you always
14:55put your family first
14:56while,
14:56you know,
14:57there's a game to play
14:59in a sense,
14:59or how do we not play the game
15:01and be authentic
15:02to what we feel
15:03God's putting on our hearts.
15:05And,
15:05and he's like,
15:06man,
15:06I,
15:06you know,
15:07I'm,
15:07I want to be more outspoken
15:09about my faith
15:10and,
15:10and I'm,
15:11and I'm going,
15:11dude,
15:12I want to,
15:12it'd be a dream
15:13to,
15:14to have some songs
15:16that crossed over
15:16because I,
15:17like,
15:18I'm unapologetic about,
15:20I want to reach
15:21as many people as I can
15:22and I don't think
15:23that's going to happen
15:24by me staying
15:25where I'm at.
15:26And,
15:27and so,
15:29you know,
15:29I'm,
15:30I'm only going to go
15:30where there's an open door,
15:31but it's guys like that
15:34have opened the door for me.
15:35Yeah.
15:36And so,
15:37and then,
15:37yeah,
15:37he and I were golfing.
15:38We were on a golf trip
15:39a few weeks ago
15:40and with Jordan Davis
15:41and he's a gem.
15:43That was another one
15:44I was going to ask you about
15:44because I know you guys
15:45got up and did a performance
15:46of Buy Dirt together
15:47and he said the same thing.
15:48He was like,
15:49my,
15:49at least right now,
15:50Brandon is my number one,
15:52like on my list
15:52of who I want to collaborate with.
15:54It's crazy.
15:54Like we're going to write a song.
15:55Which is crazy to me.
15:57It's so wild.
15:58Yeah,
15:58we got,
15:58we went on this golf trip.
16:00It was really fun
16:00and it was all,
16:01and to support TR's organization
16:04that he and his wife
16:06are a part of,
16:06Love One.
16:08And Brittany and I
16:09have become now
16:10a big part of just supporting
16:11what they do in Uganda
16:12and so we went on this golf trip
16:14and just had a blast
16:15and I think what a lot of people
16:18want to realize is like
16:19we're just normal dudes.
16:20And so like,
16:21we didn't even write
16:21when we were there
16:22and you would think
16:24you'd be all trying
16:24to write a song.
16:25We actually just,
16:26we played some songs
16:27around,
16:27you know,
16:28around the dinner table
16:29and just cut up
16:31and yeah,
16:33they're just,
16:33they're bros.
16:35I love that.
16:35Some of my favorite moments
16:36like working in this industry
16:37are just like
16:38when we're sitting around a table
16:39and somebody's got a guitar.
16:40Oh, I know.
16:40I'm like,
16:41if people could experience it,
16:42like it is,
16:43it's so beautiful.
16:44Yeah.
16:45Especially no stage lights.
16:47Yeah.
16:47It's just like,
16:49yeah,
16:49kind of the best way
16:50to receive a song like that.
16:52It really is.
16:52Talk to me more about
16:54like the time
16:54that you have spent
16:55with Jordan.
16:56Yeah.
16:56So he came out
16:57and did,
16:58well,
16:59so I invited him
17:00to the camp.
17:00I think he had something
17:01going on.
17:01He wasn't able to be there
17:03and so we really
17:04were trying to make it happen
17:05like after that,
17:06how do we link up?
17:07He came out.
17:08So By Dirt
17:11was me and Brittany's song
17:13for,
17:14I came off of this tour,
17:16we thought we were living
17:17in our dream spot
17:19in Charleston
17:21and I just felt claustrophobic
17:24and I come home
17:25and it's like,
17:25we live on Daniel Island.
17:27It's a beautiful place.
17:29It's insane.
17:30We thought that was our dream
17:31and we bought the cheapest house
17:33literally on the island.
17:34Everything in Charleston
17:35is so expensive.
17:36We're here.
17:37We've made it.
17:38We're here on the island
17:40and it was like two years later
17:42and I came home from a tour
17:43and I'm like,
17:43man,
17:45I need to get away.
17:48I feel claustrophobic.
17:49I can't go anywhere
17:50and I promise I love people
17:52but when you come home
17:53from a tour,
17:54you just need a little space.
17:55Yeah, you need a minute.
17:56And so simultaneously,
17:59my wife is the biggest animal lover
18:01you will ever meet
18:03and I really mean that
18:04like down to like
18:05if there is a palmetto bug
18:07which it's a cockroach,
18:09okay, let's be honest,
18:10I have to catch it in the house
18:12and release it.
18:13You know,
18:13like she just loves animals
18:16and she said one day,
18:17she's like,
18:18babe, I want a cow.
18:19I was like,
18:20for beef, milk?
18:22And she's like,
18:23no, just to give it kisses.
18:24And I was like,
18:25oh, you want a pet cow?
18:27And so it's been my dream
18:29to like make her dreams come true
18:30and she's been so supportive
18:32and I promise it's going to get back
18:33to Jordan.
18:34But, you know,
18:36finally she verbalized,
18:37she's like,
18:37I think my dream
18:38is to have some land
18:40and raise our boys
18:41in the country
18:41and to have a cow.
18:44And if you know me,
18:45I don't do anything,
18:47you know,
18:48short of full send.
18:49And so I was like,
18:50you know,
18:50I bought her a cow.
18:51We end up buying a farm.
18:53And then you end up with a herd.
18:54And we have a herd.
18:55Now we have a herd.
18:56And yeah,
18:57we have a bunch of cows and stuff.
18:58But in that season
18:59of like putting an offer
19:00on this country house
19:01and waiting,
19:02which we thought
19:03was just going to be
19:03like a weekend spot
19:04to get away,
19:05we end up going out there
19:07and never went back.
19:08Sold our Daniel Island house.
19:10And I watched it
19:12like heal me
19:14in ways I didn't know
19:15I needed healing
19:17and connect me to God
19:19in ways I didn't know
19:20I needed through creation
19:21and quiet
19:22and being just,
19:23you know,
19:24just resting.
19:25And also getting my hands dirty.
19:27Like literally,
19:28my therapy
19:29is getting on the tractor
19:30and cutting grass.
19:31And By Dirt
19:33by Jordan
19:34was our soundtrack,
19:36was our song
19:37for that season
19:38of like,
19:38okay,
19:38this is what we're going after.
19:39So we just like play it.
19:40It was always on.
19:41And so I had him
19:42jump out on my tour,
19:44the King of Hearts tour
19:45and the acoustic set
19:46and share that song.
19:48And that was just
19:49a sweet moment for me
19:50kind of full circle
19:51like dang,
19:52you know,
19:53like,
19:54of course,
19:55we've listened to it
19:56since then.
19:57But when we listened
19:58to that song the most,
19:59it was on the other side
20:01of the promise
20:03that has been fulfilled
20:04and we're living in it now.
20:06And so it's just cool
20:07that songs do that.
20:08And then I get to know,
20:10you know,
20:10I was very intimidating
20:10when I first met him.
20:11I was like,
20:12dude,
20:12you're 6'8 or something?
20:14He's so tall.
20:15He's so tall.
20:16But he's a big teddy bear
20:18and he's just,
20:18he's an absolute sweetheart.
20:20And I think that's
20:21what's blowing me away
20:21is like,
20:23you know,
20:23meeting guys
20:24that I look up to
20:25that are doing the thing
20:27and them being like,
20:29oh,
20:29dude,
20:29you know,
20:29or even getting nervous
20:30around me.
20:31And I'm like,
20:31what?
20:32You know,
20:32like,
20:32you want to do a song
20:33with me?
20:34Like,
20:35and I feel like
20:35that's just something
20:36only God can orchestrate.
20:38And so
20:40everyone that I have met
20:42has been so,
20:43so kind.
20:45And
20:47it's just happened
20:48so organically.
20:49And so,
20:49so meant to be
20:50in every way.
20:52Yeah.
20:52I want to talk more
20:53about your relationship
20:54with Jelly
20:54and what that has
20:55blossomed into
20:56because this is really
20:56like what led to this
20:57like crossover moment
20:58that's happening for you.
21:00Talk about your friendship
21:00with him
21:01and how that's evolved
21:01over the years.
21:02like the conversation
21:03with TR,
21:03it was like the first
21:04phone call we had.
21:05You know,
21:05of course,
21:06our teams talked.
21:08I had written this song
21:10with Stephen Furtick
21:12and a few other friends,
21:13Benjamin William Hastings,
21:14guys I typically write with.
21:15And we just knew
21:16something was special
21:17about this song.
21:18It was a little different.
21:19It wasn't necessarily
21:20like a church song
21:21but it was a song of faith.
21:23And I was like,
21:24I mean,
21:24I really identify with it.
21:25I got to put this out.
21:26I teased it on a tour
21:28and people demanded
21:29that I release it.
21:30And so,
21:30we worked quickly,
21:31got it out there.
21:33And I'm simultaneously
21:34watching Jelly Roll's story
21:38and all these different moments
21:39where he'd get on the stage
21:41and he was just honest
21:42about his story,
21:43honest about his faith,
21:44that he doesn't have it
21:45all together
21:46but he's really trying
21:47and blah, blah, blah.
21:48I just was,
21:49I loved that he just,
21:50he wears it all on his sleeve,
21:52you know?
21:53And he gets,
21:54I remember I was watching
21:55CMA Awards
21:57a few years ago.
21:59He's doing a song
22:00with Brooks and Dunn,
22:01the Believe song.
22:03Yep.
22:03And I watched
22:04that entire room.
22:05I actually fell asleep.
22:06I was staying up
22:07to watch that.
22:08I fell asleep.
22:09I woke up to my brother-in-law
22:10sending me a video.
22:11Did not talk to him
22:12about this.
22:13Sent me the video
22:14of them performing
22:15that song that I missed.
22:16I remember it was amazing.
22:17And I woke up
22:17and it was the first thing
22:18I did and I pressed play
22:19and I watched the entire room
22:21like so many,
22:22like thousands of people
22:23lifting their hands
22:25and tears rolling down
22:26their face
22:27and I was like,
22:28what just happened?
22:30Like these guys just,
22:32I don't even know
22:33if they realize it
22:34but they just led
22:35this entire room
22:36in worship
22:39and I don't think
22:40anyone saw that coming.
22:41And that's what gave me
22:42the,
22:43I think the fire
22:45to reach out,
22:47take a chance
22:47and be like,
22:48maybe he would consider
22:49being on this song with me.
22:51And so what's crazy
22:52is he had heard
22:53that song on TikTok
22:54a few weeks before
22:55I actually released it
22:56and a few weeks before
22:58he threw his phone
22:59in the river.
23:02So switches to a flip phone.
23:04Had he not seen that
23:05on TikTok,
23:06he probably wouldn't have,
23:07I mean,
23:08he didn't even know
23:08who I was.
23:09He thought I was some
23:10He thought you were
23:10another artist.
23:11He told me that.
23:12And so when we reached out
23:14he was like,
23:16he was like,
23:17dude,
23:17I've been praying
23:17for a song like this
23:19and even later on
23:21he would say
23:21at the Opry
23:22when we performed
23:23it together,
23:24he said,
23:26I was praying
23:26that God would send
23:28someone
23:29and I never realized
23:31like,
23:31but like God sent me
23:32Brandon Lake
23:33and has encouraged me
23:35in my faith
23:35more than anyone else
23:37and blah, blah, blah.
23:38And I'm just like
23:39in tears
23:39and a wreck
23:41because most
23:42of the conversations
23:42that we've had
23:43have been real ones
23:46and just,
23:48you know,
23:49and it's cool.
23:50It's been like
23:51equally encouraging.
23:52Like he really has
23:52encouraged me
23:53to be like,
23:53dude,
23:53you've got to create
23:54boundaries
23:54or you're going
23:55to burn out,
23:56you know,
23:56and I'm able
23:57to encourage him
23:58in his faith
23:58and there's a lot
24:00that people don't see
24:01and they don't know.
24:02Just like he's
24:03telling me a story
24:04about how he's
24:05literally teaching,
24:06I won't say who,
24:07but just somebody
24:08that's crazy
24:09influential,
24:09like literally
24:10teaching this dude
24:10how to read the Bible,
24:12you know?
24:14And I think that
24:16what I love about Jelly
24:17is he represents,
24:18I think,
24:21what really most of us
24:23are like on the inside
24:25that maybe we're just not
24:26willing to be honest enough
24:29about it
24:29and he's just brutally honest
24:31about where he's at
24:32and a lot of,
24:33we're all the same.
24:35He's just not faking it
24:36and so I knew
24:39that his story
24:41is so powerful
24:41and I was just honored
24:43to do a song
24:44and to see him
24:46step into a song
24:47that was going
24:47to give people faith.
24:48Like there's always
24:49so much,
24:49there's already so much
24:50trust with how honest
24:51he's been about his story
24:53that I knew it would,
24:54I was thankful
24:55that he said yes
24:56and then took me
24:57under his wing,
24:58took me everywhere
24:58and that's kind of
24:59really why I'm
25:00here now.
25:02Just divine timing
25:03and such a beautiful story.
25:05Yeah,
25:05it's not really anything
25:06you can just make up.
25:07No,
25:08definitely not.
25:09Thank you so much
25:09for sharing all of this.
25:11Of course.
25:11Like I said,
25:12I have literally sat here
25:12for the last six months
25:13and I've truly been like,
25:14what is Brandon Lee?
25:15Talk about this writer's camp.
25:16I'm so happy that you came in
25:18and we got to spend this time.
25:19Oh, honored.
25:19And I'm so happy
25:20that we'll get to support you.
25:21Hopefully it won't be the last.
25:22No,
25:23the first of many.
25:24Yes.
25:24Brandon Lee,
25:24thank you so much.
25:26Thank you so much.
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