“Is that really your voice?”
“How did you make this music?”
Those are good questions. My music doesn't come from the traditional songwriter path, so I want to be transparent about how these songs come to life—and, just as importantly, what my role is in the process.
Every song begins with something on my heart.
I write my own lyrics, drawing from my faith, Scripture, personal experiences, and the things I believe the Holy Spirit is placing on my heart.
For me, songwriting is part of my worship.
I don't simply sit down and decide to write a song. Many times, the words come from something I'm wrestling with, praying about, thankful for, or wanting to say to Jesus.
For me the Holy Spirit is very much a part of that process.
The songs begin with a conversation between Jesus and me.
Once the lyrics are written, I determine how I want the music to express them.
I consider the genre, mood, tempo, instrumentation, arrangement, vocal approach, and overall feel.
Every song is different because every message is different.
I want the music to complement the words, not compete with them.
This is where I use the creative tools available to me to help turn the song in my head and heart into something I can actually hear.
I use AI music technology as one of the tools in my creative process.
It gives me something I didn't have when I first wrote Most Holy Place: the ability to hear my lyrics become a complete musical recording.
But the technology isn't where the song begins.
The message comes first.
The music serves the message.
And the Holy Spirit is a major part of the process.
The result is a finished recording that allows the song to be heard by people beyond the page where it began.
“Is that really your voice?”
No.
The vocals on my released recordings are AI-generated vocals.
I'm not a traditional recording vocalist. I'm a songwriter who has found a way to bring my songs to life through today's technology.
I choose the vocal character and approach that I believe fits each song, but I want to be completely honest about what you're hearing.
I'm not trying to hide the technology. I'm trying to share the song.
I didn't begin writing music because I wanted to become a recording artist.
I began writing because I wanted to worship Jesus.
Then I discovered that I could turn those prayers into songs.
And eventually, something happened that I never expected.
Other people began singing them.
When my church sang Most Holy Place, I realized these songs could move beyond my own personal conversations with Jesus.
They could become an invitation for someone else to have a conversation with Him, too.
That's why I create.
I want the songs to be heard.
I want them to point people toward Jesus.
And I want them to encourage people not only to talk with Him, but to live for Him and shine His grace into the world.
I also believe in being clear about the rights behind my music and how the recordings reach you.
Lyrics
I write my own lyrics, and my original lyric works have been registered with the U.S. Copyright Office.
Publishing
I maintain my own music publishing company and manage my publishing interests.
BMI
My works are registered with BMI for performance-rights administration.
Recordings
My commercially released recordings were created while subscribed to a paid Suno plan, under the terms applicable to those recordings.
Distribution
I distribute my finished recordings to Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, and other music platforms through DistroKid.
The technology is interesting.
But it's not why I do this.
I write because I have something I want to say to Jesus.
And sometimes, I believe the Holy Spirit puts something on my heart that needs to become more than words on a page.
So I write it.
I shape the music around it.
I bring it to life.
And then I let it go.
Maybe it becomes someone else's conversation with Jesus.