NRT Now Podcast

It's entirely possible, likely even, that you were introduced to Anthem Lights through one of their medleys or mashups on social media. With close to 8 million followers across all platforms, their passion for creating family friendly entertainment is resonating with so many. The group stops in to share with us about why they have poured so much into these projects and about incorporating mainstream music in along with the Christian songs. If you've noticed that they've been a little quiet lately, it's because they have been focusing on their upcoming album of original music! The song "God Gave Me Freedom" has recently been released to radio, although the guys of Anthem Lights didn't expect it to be their next single. The group shares the story and the life behind the song and about the upcoming project. We couldn't end the episode without talking about influential vocal groups and boy bands. Anthem Lights talks about the groups that were most influential to them being at the spot they are today.

The Ward brothers have been doing ministry through music for longer than they haven't at this point, which means they have lived a lot of life cooped up in enclosed spaces together. Funny enough, Caleb, Jordan, and Josh share that they were probably better behaved on the road when they were younger and their parents were their means of travel. The heart behind their hit song First Things First comes from the ups and downs of being brothers on the road: in the moments when they're getting on each other's nerves the most, keep the first things first. The Wards talk about the lessons their dad taught them and the influence he had on them. They share about their parents' legacy of church plants and support for their music career. They also talk about growing up together and which one of the brothers was the instigators and who got injured the most.

Sometimes life hits us hard and in the ways we least expect it... and it can surface wounds we forgot that we had. When this happens, we can either sit in the hurt and the pain, or we can run to our God that can heal us. Blanca shares about her journey of healing coming out of some of the toughest seasons of her life. Blanca also chats with us about her Latin heritage that is infused in her music and her ministry. Part of her healing was discovering who Blanca really is, which included a trip to visit the places where her parents grew up. The healing journey she has been walking through has taken her from walking through life on autopilot to walking in joy in her identity, both heavenly and earthly.

Tobymac Hits Deep Tour. Newsboys Stand Together Tour. K-Love Live at Red Rocks. Along with quite a few festivals and other shows, Cochren & Co. has had a busy year. Michael Cochren shares his journey from a regional opening artist to taking the stage of some of biggest tours. Podcast host Jake had the chance to attend a few of these shows, Michael and Jake reminisce about some of these incredible nights. Somewhere in the middle of this busy season, Cochren & Co. found the time to write and record a new album. Michael shares about the life and the lessons that went into this album, both the musical influences that shine through and the lyrics that point people to run home to God.

The CoJo Show has taken the Internet by storm with videos like "K-Love Dads" and "The Steven Curtis Chapman Song", a video that led to a huge surprise while in the K-Love studios. Coby James and Joseph O'Brien sang that they wanted to write a banger like Steven Curtis Chapman... they got the chance to just a short while later! Coby and Joseph talk about the experience of the whirlwind experience. In a CoJo Now Show challenge, Coby gets the chance to redeem his loss to Joseph in Way Nation's Best of 2022 Song Battle. The duo also share how the podcast got started and the reason why they are passionate about releasing content that is fresh and creative while continuing to point people to Jesus.   Video links: K-Love Surprises CoJo Show Way Nation Best of 2022 Song Battle

In this installment of the Next Big Thing series, we would like to introduce you to CLINE. The group is comprised of the siblings Darrick, Garrett, and Jacquelyn Cline. Garrett and Darrick are brothers, Jacquelyn is Garrett's wife and I'm sure they would all say she's there to make them sound and look good. While they are relatively new to the CCM and worship space, they are no strangers to the music industry. Jacquelyn has been in and out of studios, and Garrett and Darrick have been in the mainstream Country space as a part of Dylan Scott's band for almost a decade. The Cline's share their experience of being Christians in music and how they keep their faith strong in a mainstream band. They also share about listening to the assignments God gives you to share his word, whether it's staying home with kids, serving in your church, or on the road in a bar. The Cline's also share their journey in CCM to this point and how working with others and co-writing has been the key to finding their identity.

Ben Fuller's song "Who I Am" has made an impact on so many of us... as evidenced by how long it dominated the charts at #1 and recently earning an NRT We Love Awards nomination. Behind that song is a man who has fought through addictions in a primarily unchurched part of the country. After moving to Nashville, Ben had an encounter with Jesus that broke the chains of addiction.   Ben chats with us about the peace he found once he surrendered his life to Christ. Through his relatively short time as a Christian, he has seen God restore relationships in his life, break addictions, and restore mental health. One of the relationships that has been restored is one with his Dad, a relationship that is now open to emotion. We chat about how important it is for guys to express emotion and to find the kind of friends you can be raw and authentic around.

The term Selah traditionally refers to a rest, most often in a musical context. This is ironic as the group Selah has done everything but rest this past year. They've released 3 full albums, spent time on the road, and celebrated their 25th anniversary. Selah member Todd Smith shares Selah history and stories from their 25 years. One of the albums released this year was their third volume of hymns... but why hymns? He talks about the heart behind their love of hymns and why they are intentional about sharing them with this next generation. Todd also gives us the story behind his Santa Wars rivalry with author Jon Acuff.

A lot has happened since we chatted with Tasha Layton about this time last year: she released her debut album, there were #1 songs, the tours... and then on top of all that, she released a second album for Christmas. While she's found success and received the accolades, she is more focused on following the call that God has on her life. Plaques fade and a career could be gone in an instant, but loving her family and sharing Jesus lasts long after the lights go down. Tasha shares some of the moments that this year has brought, from an Opry debut to spending time on the road with her kids. She also tells us how some of the seasons in her life she thought were detours were actually just stops on the journey to get her to where God was leading her.

The magic formula for how to reach the next generation seems to be the most elusive item in the modern church. Every youth group and students ministry has had to struggle with how to best reach students. In modern times, it seems even more of a struggle as social media is ingrained in culture and there are so many voices and ideologies tugging at our young crowd. At 23 years old, Zauntee is working hard to reach his generation for Jesus. He shares his heart for reaching Gen Z and what makes this generation tick. Zauntee talks about how Gen Z wants to be a part of a movement and to be a part of something real... how they desire authenticity and consistency in how people talk about Jesus and live for them. He suggests that it's not complicated to say, but it can be tough to live out. Zauntee also shares stories about mentors in the music industry that have helped shape who he is as an artist. He talks about guys like Mark Hall (Casting Crowns) or Tauren Wells who have been consistent in the message they share on stage and the life they live when the lights go down.

In a recent interview, Bart Millard of MercyMe was asked if he felt like he was preaching to the choir sometimes. His response was that now he absolutely is preaching to the choir because it's divided and splintered. With their time on stage, their hope is that maybe the few thousand people there can agree on something for an hour and a half when it seems impossible to agree on anything.  Although we'll still have our own opinions and viewpoints, the heart of MercyMe is to guide the Church to unity on the foundation of Jesus. This theme is woven throughout Always Only Jesus through songs like "To Not Worship You" and "Then Christ Came."   Bart shares parts of the journey in writing the album and the moments in the studio that were special to him. He also shares a hint at a potential special album in the near future?

In this installment of the Next Big Thing series, we are introduced to Todd Rukes. Todd is a Worship Pastor turned HR Director turned Recruiter turned Recording Artist. From his unique vantage point as a recruiter, Todd shares some wisdom for both churches and potential worship pastors as they search for the match for their ministries. Todd also talks about his journey and why he has chosen now to release his debut album after years as a worship pastor in churches. In the process of recording this album, he has had a team behind him that has pushed him forward and was honest when things were not up to par. We chat about the power of having people who can speak truth into our lives and walking through tough seasons in our churches.

Since his debut in 2018, Peabod has become known for his unique, poppy brand of hip hop. While Peabod didn't start out in hip hop, he has found freedom in the genre to explore new ways to create. Just as his career in music was starting to take off, he got thrown a curveball when the pandemic took hold. As a newlywed, there was a silver lining since he was given a season to spend with his wife before being on the road as a full time musician. In this episode, Peabod shares about his start in music and some fun stories along the way. He also talks about marriage lessons he's learned and his jump to a full time career in music.

Andrew Greer offers the thought that in our efforts to become more diverse, maybe we have become homogenized than we intend. We must speak, act, think the same in order to be heard, and humans are not designed for this. We are created to have relationships and exchange thoughts in a manner that is enriching to one another... but do we have the habit of putting God in a box that looks strangely more like our own opinions and judge people from that standard? What doors would open and who would we meet if we pursued God for how big he is and followed how Jesus taught us to live with each other?   As we chat about a recent project Andrew has produced, an album tribute to the late Rich Mullins, maybe that's what made Rich so relatable. In this episode, Andrew talks about Rich's legacy and the process of recording "Bellsburg." Andrew also shares about other projects that strangely seem to revolve around conversations, including "Empty Stage" and "Dinner Conversations with Mark Lowry and Andrew Greer."

What is the NRT Now Podcast? In each episode, we spend some time with your favorite Christian Artists (or introduce you to an artist... maybe your new favorite artist?) and share stories. Whether it's a story from their journey or the music itself... we share a laugh, encouragement, and deepen our faith one conversation at a time.

A couple years after releasing one of the biggest songs of 2020 with his wife Kari Jobe, Cody Carnes is set to release a live album declaring this truth: God Is Good. In a time where everything seems so complicated, there is power in the simplicity of that truth. There are so many depths of that truth to explore, but it is truly that simple. Cody talks about his heart behind sharing that message through this live album. Cody shares his journey that started at Gateway Church in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex (TX).

When Hope Darst introduces a new song as part of her church, she can gauge how the song is impacting and how people connect with it. When Hope released her debut solo album in 2020, not only was she stepping out in faith in becoming a solo artist, she released the songs in a period where she couldn't be in the room to see the connection. As she is starting to get out on the road, she's discovering what she was missing as she hears people singing her songs and sharing stories about how her songs have impacted people across the country.   Hope also shares about writing for her church, The Belonging Co. She shares about the heart of why the church pursues excellence in creativity.

After several years of meeting in nightclubs around LA, Fearless Church finally found a building and was getting ready to move in at the beginning of 2020. Though the pandemic delayed their move into the new building for services, Pastor Jeremy Johnson shares how they used their building and the area around it to serve their community faithfully so that the city even took note and partnered with them to help distribute food. In a period where so many issues tried to darken their area, they chose to be a light and build their foundation on Jesus. Jeremy shares these stories and the season the church has been through that birthed the songs from the Hope St. Revival album.

It's hard to believe that it's been 20 years since Kutless released their debut album. To celebrate the album's 20th anniversary, Kutless re-recorded 3 songs from the album and added a 'Kutless in 2022' flavor to them. As we continue the 20th anniversary celebration, Jon Micah Sumrall and James Mead join us to share some stories. Whether it's near death experiences or epic tour pranks, there has been a lot of life lived since Kutless released that first album. Jon Micah and James talk about the history of the band and the members who have left a mark on the band's legacy. They also give us some hints as to what the future holds for Kutless, although they aren't leaking too much out just quite yet.

In this installment of the Next Big Thing series, we are introduced to Sean BE. Sean invites us to step into his story as he talks about his journey from Next Gen pastor to recording artist. Sean shares with us about the leaps of faith it took to get to this season, as well as some of the challenges he faced growing up as a pastor's grandkid.