Brandon Lake isn’t trying to be the next Carrie Underwood, but he’s clearly learning from her playbook. The Contemporary Christian artist has been quietly building momentum in Nashville through collaborations with country heavyweights like Jelly Roll and Lainey Wilson, and now he’s preparing to release his own country album. It’s the kind of crossover move that would’ve seemed risky five years ago. Now it feels inevitable.
Speaking with Rolling Stone’s Nashville Now podcast, Lake offered insight into how he’s navigating this liminal space between two genres that share more DNA than most people realize. The conversation revealed someone deeply thoughtful about his role as an artist, even as he wrestles with questions that plague the entire intersection of faith and popular music.
The Gospel Has Always Been Country Music’s Silent Partner
Christianity didn’t crash into country music recently. It’s been woven into the fabric since the beginning, though sometimes quietly, sometimes loudly. The Louvin Brothers sang “Satan Is Real” back in 1959. Carrie Underwood doubled down on faith with her 2021 album “My Savior.” Even the most secular country songs often carry traces of spiritual yearning—lost souls looking for redemption, prayers whispered at the bottom of a bottle, grace appearing when all seems lost.
Lake’s entry into this space feels different because he’s approaching it with genuine crossover credentials. He’s not a country artist trying to add Jesus to his toolkit. He’s a Grammy-winning Christian music artist from South Carolina who’s become curious about country’s particular dialect of spirituality. When he sings with Jelly Roll or teams up with Wilson for their Good Friday release “The Jesus I Know Now,” he’s not abandoning his lane. He’s expanding it.
Where Religion Gets Complicated
The real conversation Lake brings to the table isn’t about music at all. It’s about the collision between faith and politics, a space that has become increasingly volatile and murky over the last several years.
According to Rolling Stone’s Nashville Now podcast, Lake acknowledged the legitimate concern: “I’m human, so yes I worry. I believe that God’s bigger than it all. I think he’s above it all. And I think he sits with everyone on every side—if there are sides.”
That last parenthetical matters. “If there are sides” suggests Lake understands that the binary thinking people impose on faith and politics might be exactly the problem. His response isn’t to retreat from the issue but to reframe it, insisting that God transcends the political categories we’ve created.
It’s a diplomatic answer, sure. But it’s also a distinctly countercultural one in an era when religious artists are often pressured to pick a lane and defend it aggressively. Lake’s refusal to do so feels less like fence-sitting and more like a genuine theological position: that the sacred exists beyond the secular squabbles we’re all caught in.
Connection Over Conversion
When asked about his core mission as an artist, Lake’s answer was refreshingly humble. His greatest hope, he says, is that listeners “get somebody that’s here to listen and here to love, and I’m trying to figure it all out myself.”
That last bit is crucial. He’s not positioning himself as an authority figure who has all the answers. He’s a fellow traveler, someone working through these questions in real time, just with a microphone and a record deal. Songs like “Hard Fought Hallelujah” and “When a Cowboy Prays” seem designed to create space for that kind of honest uncertainty rather than demand absolute faith.
This approach runs counter to a lot of contemporary Christian music, which often feels more concerned with reaffirming belief than exploring its complications. Lake seems interested in the latter, which might explain why he’s finding success in both the entertainment world and among people who might otherwise dismiss contemporary Christian music as preachy or one-dimensional.
The Podcast Worth Your Time
If Lake’s perspective intrigues you, the full conversation is worth your time. Rolling Stone’s Nashville Now drops new episodes every Wednesday, featuring artists like Vince Gill, Hardy, Kings of Leon, Lukas Nelson, and others navigating their own complicated relationships with entertainment, legacy, and cultural moment.
The beauty of a format like this is that you get to hear artists think out loud rather than deliver pre-packaged answers. Lake clearly respects that opportunity and uses it to explore genuine tension rather than smooth it over.
Whether Lake’s country album succeeds or fails, something interesting is happening here. An artist is refusing to compartmentalize his faith, his doubts, his politics, and his ambition into neat little boxes. He’s doing the messy, complicated work of being human in public, which might be the most radical thing a musician can do right now.
