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Brandon Lake spoke about teaming up with Jelly Roll and other country artists on a new episode of Rolling Stone’s Nashville Now podcast.
The Texas-born contemporary Christian artist discussed the rise of the genre and its growing overlap with country. Lake, who grew up listening to Christian and country music, said during his conversation with Senior Music Editor Joseph Hudak that TikTok and other social media platforms have shown that “people are looking for just great music,” regardless of the genre, and end up discovering songs with “hopeful” messages. He also said it’s “crazy” that TikTok connected him to Jelly Roll.
“What’s crazy about TikTok is that’s how Jelly Roll heard my song. …‘Hard Fought Hallelujah.’” Lake shared on the podcast. “He heard a clip, thought I was a completely different artist, just happened to hear the audio of that song on TikTok. Two weeks later, he throws his phone in the river here in Nashville. So, had he not heard that clip, I don’t know that we ever would’ve done that song together, which just won a Grammy. Had it not been for TikTok, he heard that clip, and then it was probably, maybe a few weeks later that my team reached out and was like, ‘yo, hey, do you want to jump on this song with this guy, Brandon?’ He’s like, ‘is it that “Hallelujah” song?’ And he’s like, ‘yeah, I love that song. I want to be a part of it, and I’ve been praying for a song like this.’”
Lake reflected on the first conversation he shared with Jelly Roll, which didn’t focus on “Hard Fought Hallelujah.” Instead, the hourlong talk focused on their experiences as fathers, and balancing family life with touring.
Lake’s crossovers between contemporary Christian music and country music continued after the Grammy-winning collaboration with Jelly Roll. Lake said he didn’t necessarily intend to create more country music, but then he wrote “When A Cowboy Prays,” and thought, “man, this sounds like Cody Johnson.” He teased the song on tour and on social media before its release, and “everyone” told him, “you have to get COJO [Cody Johnson] on this song,” and Johnson agreed. The pair released the collaboration earlier this year, and Lake’s experiences in country music and in Nashville continued.
Lake told Hudak about a “writing camp” he’d planned in Nashville, which included more than 25 artists and songwriters. The attendance list included Lainey Wilson, Thomas Rhett, HARDY, Bailey Zimmeman, Dan + Shay, Russell Dickerson and many others. Lake said his team “absolutely crushed it,” and the group wrote dozens of songs within just a few days.
During the podcast, Lake teased that his next record will include “a lot of friends, it’s gonna be a lot of country, and a lot of very hopeful, faith-filled messages.” Listen to his full conversation on Nashville Now here.