Brandon Lake, Nick Jonas Launch Surprise Collaboration, Stunning Concert Fans
Michael Foust
Audio By Carbonatix
By Michael Foust, Crosswalk.com
One of Christian music’s biggest names shared the stage with one of the biggest stars in pop music over the weekend—and their new song is already winning over fans. CCM artist Brandon Lake welcomed Nick Jonas onstage during his King of Hearts Tour stop in Charleston, S.C., shocking most fans in attendance, who were then treated to a live performance of their new song, The Author, which was released that day without any promotion on their social media platforms.
The song reads like an introspective reflection—even a prayer—ending with the chorus, “Who am I to question the pen in the hands of The Author?” It tallied more than 250,000 streams on YouTube in three days. Jonas and Lake later opened up about the collaboration during an interview with K-LOVE.
“We have mutual friends and people that we work with that teamed us up, and I got a text about a writing camp … and they said, ‘Would you want to join?’” Jonas explained.
Thankfully for fans of the two singers, Jonas had a few free days on his calendar.
“I showed up and we got right into it -- and I felt a real connection right away,” Jonas said. “We have a similar background. Musically, I think there's a lot of things that overlap for us, too.”
He added, “It’s just been incredible.”
The song was released on music platforms hours prior to the concert without the two artists promoting it—an unusual move in today’s music industry. The goal was to make Jonas’ appearance at the concert a surprise.
“That was … really fun, just to see who's found it without us saying anything,” Lake said.
The song, Lake said, wrestles with questions of identity and purpose.
“People in our situations [who] have been given a platform -- people assume that we don't ask the same questions your everyday person were to ask, and we actually absolutely do, maybe even more,” Lake said. “Because I'm getting up on that platform really dependent and scared, and I'm asking that question, ‘Well, who am I?’
“But also on the other side, ‘Who am I to question the pen in the hand of the Author?’ Like, ‘If You've called us to do these certain things, why would we doubt that we're going to fail,’ —or even if we fail, ‘Don't we trust Him enough where He can turn that into something beautiful?’
“Who are we,” Lake asked, “to doubt that He's writing a better story than we could ever write for ourselves?”
Photo credit: ©SWN/MichaelFoust
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.
