- 6/17/2025
Billboard cover star Brandon Lake takes us 24 hours into his life and shows the studio where he created “Hard Fought Hallelujah,” how he was able to get Jelly Roll on the song, where he goes to ground himself and relax from touring, how he first started singing, his relationship with the local church and more!
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MusicTranscript
00:00I think the reason why Christian music is probably more consumed now than maybe years ago is
00:06because there's a greater level of hunger for what's real. People are desperate for something
00:12that is going to lift their spirit, you know, and give them faith to get through another day.
00:18And I don't know anything more true than what we're singing about.
00:30I think touching on different genres isn't something I intended to do, set out to do.
00:42It's just like, I can't help it, honestly.
00:44Growing up on Christian music, country music, fell in love with rock and roll later on in life
00:49because I pretty much grew up, wasn't allowed to listen to much except for Christian music and James Taylor.
00:53And then I'd come home from school and turn on CMT.
00:58And so then I grew up around country and then discovered rock and roll later, got into metal,
01:04got into like, I had like a metal garage band for a little while.
01:07And I just kind of fell in love with all genres of music.
01:11And I think because I was a sponge and just trying to like steal and learn from all these different expressions of music,
01:18it just inevitably like, like that's just who I came to be.
01:23I see the heavens, I'm seeing stars in the sky.
01:31So now like when I go to write a song, I think I'm less focused on like, what does this need to sound like?
01:36And I'm just like, what am I feeling right now?
01:38And just I follow the feeling.
01:40I think the most beautiful things that are created, they're created from relationship.
01:45And, um, in a, I think a space is important, a space that feels comfortable and brings out the best in you.
01:54And this is a, this is a place, this is a house where I feel, uh, I can be most of me.
02:01This is literally my best friend's space.
02:04And that's how I prefer to make music is with those I love the most.
02:08Being in Charleston, I've been tempted so many times to move to Nashville.
02:13I love Nashville, but I kind of like it being a home away from home.
02:18This is where my roots are.
02:19And then being here with those that like, remember 15 year old Brandon is not only like, they know me the best and can pull the best out of me,
02:26but it's also humbling and probably like the healthiest place that I could be.
02:30And they know what I want to go after and not just making music that's entertaining,
02:36but I want to make music that changes people's lives, that helps them, that gives them faith and hope and to keep going.
02:43So it makes the most sense to stay here and make this my Nashville.
02:47All right, if you put that one finger right there, that one right there, that's a G chord.
02:52And we're off to making a record.
03:00When you came back from that writing session, the hardfire writing session, you came and you sat down right here and you played me the demo.
03:12That moment, I knew right away that I was like, this is special.
03:17What's funny though is that that was six months before we even started like really working on the songs.
03:23We didn't know what to do with it.
03:24We didn't know how to approach it.
03:25So right here, we tried, I don't know, 10 different versions of it before we finally kind of landed on what the thing was.
03:33I couldn't sing the demo vocal any better than the demo vocal.
03:36That's what it was.
03:37I just kind of kept it.
03:38The first day.
03:39Yeah.
03:39That's what it was.
03:41And that scream at the end of Hardfire, that's real.
03:43That was you like doubled over like in pain because there's nothing else left.
03:48Yeah, definitely down to like four or five ibuprofen after that.
03:52Yeah.
03:55This place has been more like a therapy session than a song creation place or as much like
04:08Brittany, my wife, often jokes.
04:12She's like, okay, you're going to go see your second wife and I'll come home.
04:17I'm like, man, therapy was great.
04:18You know, we'll just get in here and talk for one to three hours.
04:22And then it's like, that's where, that's where my favorite songs come from.
04:26How many moments, how many tears did it take to write this song?
04:29Oh, that's a song.
04:30Let's write that.
04:31Yeah.
04:32And that's how it happens.
04:33Right there.
04:33Yeah.
04:33Hard Fought Hallelujah has been a wild ride.
04:45I remember writing this song and the guys in the room, Benjamin William Hastings and Stephen
04:51Furtick, guys I write with all the time.
04:53And there's just a synergy there.
04:55And, uh, we kind of carry that same, like, let's not think about the end goal.
05:00Let's just chase something that like lights us up and makes us come alive.
05:03And we start getting into this song and it's kind of like the more I've been writing, the
05:08more I've been like accidentally stepping into this growl and this Southern sound.
05:13And I think that's, what's cool is like, I'm 34 years old and I'm still discovering like
05:20my sound and my voice, honestly.
05:23And we start writing this song and I just felt like it was a soul song.
05:28It just felt like, man, this is like my story.
05:30Like, and so many people need to hear this, like connecting with God.
05:35Like most days I don't feel like doing that.
05:37Most days my, my attention's fixed on like what I need to do when I need to get done, the
05:41storms in life, the trials, all of that.
05:44Like how many people would resonate with this song?
05:46It is a song of faith, but it's wrapped up in struggle.
05:50And so it felt special when we wrote this song.
05:52So we released this song and, and then I felt like this is too special to not share this
05:56song with somebody.
05:57And immediately thinking about the lyrics, I'm like, man, I think jelly roll, I don't
06:03know him.
06:03This is a long shot, but I think he would resonate with the story of this song.
06:07I ended up reaching out and his management asked him, Hey dude, like, have you heard of
06:11this song?
06:12Would you, you know, this guy Brandon Lake wants you to hop on it?
06:14And he's like, Oh my gosh, I love this song.
06:17I've already, I've been waiting for it to come out.
06:19Yes.
06:19I've been praying for a song like this.
06:21I'd love to do it.
06:22So we hop on the phone.
06:24We didn't talk music for like the first hour.
06:26And we just instantly became brothers and talked about life and parenting and touring and traveling
06:32and family work balance and all those things.
06:35And, and it was like a real friendship just right off the bat.
06:39And, uh, and even to this day, it's like, he calls me every few days and we just check
06:43in.
06:43And, and so it's been an honor to like carry this song because it's like I said, it's
06:47like the most beautiful things come out of real relationship.
06:50And it was never a play to have a bigger song.
06:52It was like, I just want to share this with somebody who really gets this story and who's
06:55lived it.
06:56He said it best.
07:04And he said it first, he goes, Brandon, if this song can do for millions of people, what
07:10it did for me, getting me to worship and connect with God in a way I haven't in 10 to 15 years.
07:17He's like, I'm in for that.
07:18Let's do it.
07:26Well, this is where it all started.
07:33Uh, I'm a product of the local church was raised in church.
07:37My dad planted a church.
07:38My family planted a church in Myrtle beach, um, when I was really young.
07:42And so I just, I remember seeing the kid play guitar who was probably like 15 years old,
07:49like a few years older than me.
07:50I would've been 12 at the time.
07:52He's playing guitar on stage.
07:54And I just remember, I remember his name was Will.
07:56And I was like, that dude's so cool.
07:57I want to be like Will.
07:59And my dad had a guitar at home.
08:01And so I asked him to teach me how to play guitar.
08:04He taught me a few chords.
08:05And then I just kind of took it from there.
08:07And so like music wasn't even, I didn't feel that calling.
08:10I wasn't like, I'm going to devote my whole life to this.
08:13I just wanted to be cool, like Will.
08:15And maybe I could get a girlfriend if I play guitar, you know?
08:18And it wasn't like a, it didn't feel like this spiritual calling until years later.
08:22And my story kind of, of starting to sing and write songs, like people were just begging
08:28for somebody to sing at church.
08:30And somebody overheard me singing in like a small group in someone's living room.
08:35Begged me, begged me, and begged me to sing.
08:37I finally was like, all right, I'll give it a shot.
08:40Sang for my first time in church.
08:42Hated it.
08:43Felt naked in front of everybody.
08:44I was like, I'll never do this again.
08:45But I'm grateful for the experience of growing up and like getting my chops like in church
09:01because it was always safe.
09:02And I just had amazing people around me and people to look up to.
09:06And I've been a part of this church now for, gosh, since I was probably between 13 or 14
09:13years old, we moved to Charleston and, uh, it was the best place to have this just raw,
09:20young, green talent be placed in the, in the hands of some trusted leaders.
09:25And they just like encouraged me and gave me opportunity after opportunity to fail and
09:30just learn and grow.
09:31And this is where I learned how to write songs.
09:35I would take my little pieces I'd work on at home and I'd bring them.
09:38And this guy, Martin would, who really taught me how to like put a song together and just
09:45started to teach me like what it looked like to, to write my own stuff.
09:49And then they gave me a shot at trying these songs out in front of people, which is like
09:55crazy, you know, like I'm sure they looked through my song to make sure it was like accurate
09:59and truth and all that.
10:00But like, they really gave me a shot and just kind of let me like, let me, you know, dare
10:07to be dumb and, and, and potentially fail.
10:09But in that, I just grew and just tried to get better and better.
10:13And, uh, it's been the most incredible experience.
10:16And to this day, this is like, this is where my roots are.
10:20And, uh, this is what keeps me like tour is such a big thing.
10:25And it's, it's just not a realistic lifestyle to live all the time.
10:28You have to have something that grounds you.
10:31And I believe there's a scripture that talks about like a tree that is planted by streams of
10:36water is one that'll flourish.
10:37And that's what the church has been for me.
10:39It's not only been my upbringing, um, but it's my constant.
10:43It's like, I feel called to be faithful to the church and to continue to exercise my gifts
10:48in the church and to serve and to love on people because it's changed my life.
10:52And it's probably the easiest opportunity for me to help influence other people and, and
10:58change their life.
10:59And what's crazy is being in this room.
11:02And, you know, this is a normal context for me weekend to weekend, but in this context
11:08of like, kind of going back through my life and thinking through, um, different seasons.
11:15This is where my first dream happened, where my dad looked at me.
11:20He's like, son, what do you want?
11:22Oh, what do you want to do with your life?
11:25And what's like your greatest dream?
11:26And get this, my greatest dream at 15 years old was just to get to lead worship for the
11:32adults on the main stage.
11:35And that dream was realized by the time I turned 16.
11:40And that taught me to start praying bolder prayers, ask God for bigger things.
11:46Cause that was realized in no time.
11:48Now I sit in this room and I think about my first tour I ever did sold out everywhere,
11:56every city.
11:57And this is where I ended it.
11:59It was, this was the last date of the tour and we sold out this room.
12:05And then a few years later, we would move to selling out credit one stadium, 12,000 people.
12:12And it's just the faithfulness of God and a whole lot of hard work by not just me, but
12:18my team.
12:20But it's kind of crazy just to see the hand of God on all of it.
12:23And then to think about how many thousands of people and now millions of people have been
12:28blessed by this music and goodness gracious.
12:31Like if I could go back and tell that 15 year old Brandon, like what he would get to be
12:37a part of, and maybe 70 year old Brandon would be gone.
12:42If I could only look back at 34 year old Brandon and just say, this is still just the beginning.
12:47If you handle it well, you stay healthy.
12:50You give all the glory to God.
12:52You steward it well.
12:54Like this is still just the beginning.
12:55Like King of hearts will be a blip.
12:58You'll remember it so well.
13:00I know it's going to change a lot of lives, but like, this is still just one more notch in
13:04your story, um, of hopefully changing other people's lives.
13:15It's funny how like some of the most helpful remedies for me, whether it's mental health
13:22or like physical health are like, you would think they're like super spiritual and they're
13:28actually just super practical.
13:29There's a reason why I moved outside the city.
13:32I live on a farm and creation has just healed me.
13:36And that's a community.
13:37There's a reason why I still live in Charleston.
13:40I could live anywhere now.
13:51We moved out here like two or three years ago, kind of between like learning the new rhythms
13:58of touring and like the crazy pace of my career and life right now.
14:03And just the physical toll, mental toll that touring and all this takes on you.
14:07We knew like I needed a space to be able to come out and heal and, and just like be alone
14:13with my family.
14:13And this place just like healed me.
14:16My wife's like the biggest animal lover and getting miniature donkeys.
14:19And I got three boys.
14:21So we needed a place where like my kids could run wild and just have dogs and animals.
14:26And it was like my wife's dream.
14:29And I didn't realize that my wife's dream would end up healing me.
14:32And I think I've fallen in love with it even more so than she has.
14:37And I was like, I didn't realize how badly I needed this.
14:41Yeah.
14:42It's healed me from the inside out.
14:43And now we love hosting.
14:46Like our, our long-term dream is to be able to host people out here.
14:50And this would be a place of respite and revival for people and people who are burnt out.
14:55Like I've got friends all over the place that are needing a place to get away to.
15:00And we just want this to be like our house of miracles where miracles take place and people's
15:05lives, they're revived and kind of restored.
15:09And it's already doing that.
15:10And we have people out here all the time, but before healing other people, it healed me first.
15:16I pray I get to write many, many, many more songs out here and get to host a lot more people
15:22because what it's done for me, I want it to do for other people.
15:26And I mean, that's pretty epic.
15:29If you get to come out here and feel like your soul gets healed, but also you produce
15:33some songs that could change a lot of other people's lives, that's ultimate.
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