Latest / Crosswalk Talk: Celebrity Christian Interviews / Surrendering Every Little Corner, Josh Baldwin on Worth Everything
Transcript
- 0:02Speaker 1: Life Audio. Hey Josh, thanks for joining me. It's good
- 0:07Speaker 1: to be here, yeah. Thanks for having me.
- 0:09Speaker 2: Josh Baldwin, dub nominated artist, known for such songs as
- 0:14Speaker 2: Made For More, Evidence, Stand In Your Love.
- 0:16Speaker 1: I love all three of those. Has a new album.
- 0:19Speaker 2: You're welcome. Has a new album as well. Worth Everything
- 0:21Speaker 2: is the new album. It releases October the 16th. Has
- 0:24Speaker 2: about 10 tracks on there, I think. I want to
- 0:26Speaker 2: talk to you about your career, Josh, but I wanted
- 0:28Speaker 2: to chat about the new album first. You've described this
- 0:31Speaker 2: new album as a project that reflects where you are
- 0:34Speaker 2: right now, I guess, in your life.
- 0:36Speaker 1: What was happening in your life when you wrote these
- 0:37Speaker 1: songs and what shaped them? Well, I mean, I think
- 0:42Speaker 1: where I am is part of that is where I
- 0:45Speaker 1: currently am. And then where I am is also just
- 0:47Speaker 1: where I've kind of always been. I'm a worship leader.
- 0:52Speaker 1: I started out as just a worship leader, just a
- 0:54Speaker 1: worship leader. I mean, but, you know, a worship leader.
- 0:56Speaker 1: And so I think I've always had albums where I just...
- 1:00Speaker 1: a lot of the songs were like worship songs. Then
- 1:03Speaker 1: a lot of them were more artist songs or singer
- 1:08Speaker 1: songwriter kind of stuff, you know? And this album just
- 1:11Speaker 1: felt a little more like all of them are like
- 1:14Speaker 1: worship songs to me. All of them are, I've kind
- 1:16Speaker 1: of like, yeah, it's where I've always been is, is
- 1:19Speaker 1: worship later. But specifically these songs came out of a
- 1:23Speaker 1: lot of, um, and just, uh, go like working with
- 1:27Speaker 1: the Lord on like surrender, surrendering my whole life. every
- 1:31Speaker 1: little part, not just, not just like, okay, I surrender
- 1:35Speaker 1: to you, Lord. I like, I believe in you. I'm
- 1:37Speaker 1: a believer. This is who I, but like, I felt
- 1:39Speaker 1: like I've been in a season over the last couple
- 1:40Speaker 1: of years where it's like, okay, you say that, but
- 1:43Speaker 1: also let's deal with this little thing right here. And
- 1:46Speaker 1: then let's deal with this. And then how about you
- 1:48Speaker 1: as a father? And then how about you and your marriage?
- 1:50Speaker 1: You know, it's just like each little thing, I started
- 1:54Speaker 1: to dive in more and more with the Lord. And
- 1:57Speaker 1: a lot of these songs kind of, I can hear
- 2:00Speaker 1: like what I was going through in the moment and
- 2:03Speaker 1: just even the worth everything. The main track was just
- 2:06Speaker 1: me just saying, like, just telling the Lord, like, you're
- 2:09Speaker 1: where all of this that I feel like we've been
- 2:11Speaker 1: going through me and you Lord over the last few years,
- 2:13Speaker 1: like it's worth it all because of you, you're worth
- 2:16Speaker 1: it all. And then, you know, the, the bridge of
- 2:18Speaker 1: that song was really kind of the hardest crime for
- 2:21Speaker 1: the whole album was here I am with all I
- 2:23Speaker 1: have and just make my life an altar to you.
- 2:26Speaker 1: So that's where I currently am. And then, Where I've
- 2:29Speaker 1: always been is just, I really just want to love
- 2:33Speaker 1: writing songs for the church, and I just, I will
- 2:36Speaker 1: always lead worship. I will always be a worship leader.
- 2:39Speaker 2: You say you like writing songs for the church. That
- 2:41Speaker 2: has two meanings. You know, we could enjoy hearing your music,
- 2:44Speaker 2: or we could sing your music.
- 2:46Speaker 1: Right. Which one of those are you talking about? I think, well, both,
- 2:50Speaker 1: but this one is probably more geared. I'm probably geared
- 2:55Speaker 1: more to, like, singing, like, you know, Sunday morning or just...
- 2:59Speaker 1: joining together as a corporate body and actually singing. But
- 3:04Speaker 1: that's the thing. I haven't walked that line. And talking
- 3:07Speaker 1: about that earlier, just with there's been songs where I
- 3:10Speaker 1: definitely are like, this is a corporate gathering. Let's all
- 3:14Speaker 1: join together and sing. But then there's also songs in
- 3:16Speaker 1: the album where this is for you. Maybe you just
- 3:19Speaker 1: need to sit and hear this. And maybe it connects.
- 3:22Speaker 1: My testimony will connect with you. And in that regard,
- 3:26Speaker 1: it's for the church. And then I think I've even
- 3:28Speaker 1: had songs where they feel like they straddle the line
- 3:31Speaker 1: just themselves. I mean, I feel like Made for More
- 3:34Speaker 1: is that. Half of Made for More, most of Made
- 3:37Speaker 1: for More was really like me singing something over myself.
- 3:42Speaker 1: And I kind of didn't think it would be like
- 3:45Speaker 1: a song that you would sing in church on Sunday.
- 3:48Speaker 1: And then the half of that, the back half, the
- 3:51Speaker 1: bridge was just me singing. singing to the lord like
- 3:55Speaker 1: hallelujah you're calling out my name yo so i feel
- 3:58Speaker 1: like i walk the line on albums and sometimes in
- 4:00Speaker 1: the middle of songs you know well let's talk about
- 4:03Speaker 1: made for what i was going to ask you about
- 4:04Speaker 1: yeah since you brought that up uh that was your
- 4:06Speaker 1: first i think first number one stand in your yeah
- 4:09Speaker 1: maybe deserved it but it didn't get there.
- 4:13Speaker 2: But um they all deserve it all that that's right
- 4:17Speaker 2: But what was in your heart in the songwriting room
- 4:20Speaker 2: when you wrote that?
- 4:20Speaker 1: Was it an idea? Was it a Bible verse? It
- 4:24Speaker 1: was a verse. It was a verse. Actually, my friend Jessie,
- 4:29Speaker 1: she came in that morning and we were... It's funny
- 4:33Speaker 1: we're talking about writing songs for the church. We were
- 4:35Speaker 1: actually at a songwriting camp called Church Camp. And it
- 4:40Speaker 1: was literally to go, we're going to get away for
- 4:42Speaker 1: a couple of days and write songs for our local church. And...
- 4:46Speaker 1: She came in that morning and was like, guys, I've
- 4:48Speaker 1: been reading in the message. And this morning I was reading,
- 4:52Speaker 1: I think it was Romans 8. She's like, just the
- 4:56Speaker 1: way the message said this, this verse was just like,
- 5:00Speaker 1: I'd never heard it said this way. It was like,
- 5:02Speaker 1: this love isn't a, I'm probably going to botch it
- 5:05Speaker 1: here because it messes, I don't know exactly. But this
- 5:07Speaker 1: love isn't a grave tending kind of love is what
- 5:10Speaker 1: it said. And she was like, I just kept thinking
- 5:13Speaker 1: all morning, like I wasn't made to be tending that grave.
- 5:17Speaker 1: And I was like, that was how the whole song started.
- 5:19Speaker 1: And it just, which I loved, you know, I love
- 5:23Speaker 1: when you get a scripture like said in a different
- 5:26Speaker 1: way that like provokes like, oh, I've never thought of
- 5:28Speaker 1: it that way, like alive in Christ. And then, and
- 5:32Speaker 1: so that kind of started the journey of that song.
- 5:34Speaker 1: And then it morphed into the verses talking about just
- 5:38Speaker 1: our identity in Him. And, you know, the more we
- 5:41Speaker 1: learn about the Father, the more He reveals who we are.
- 5:43Speaker 1: And yeah, that's how that song started. And it felt
- 5:46Speaker 1: It felt special on that day, but like just in a,
- 5:50Speaker 1: I love this song. This song, I can't wait to
- 5:52Speaker 1: let my wife hear this song kind of way. And,
- 5:55Speaker 1: you know, who knows? I didn't even know if I
- 5:57Speaker 1: would be the one to carry that song, even though
- 5:58Speaker 1: I was, I guess, technically the only like artist in
- 6:03Speaker 1: the room. I just like, I don't know. I think
- 6:06Speaker 1: it's Jesse started it. And then she actually, I think,
- 6:08Speaker 1: sang on our, we did a little voice memo thing
- 6:11Speaker 1: of it on our phones and it was, and it
- 6:13Speaker 1: was Jesse singing it. And I thought this will be
- 6:15Speaker 1: a sweet song for, a lady to sing or, you know,
- 6:18Speaker 1: it'd be great. And then, and then I ended up
- 6:20Speaker 1: singing the demo. And I remember when it finally hit me,
- 6:24Speaker 1: and I've talked about this a lot over the last
- 6:26Speaker 1: few years, but when I finally, I think, realized how
- 6:28Speaker 1: special that song, how needed that song was, was when
- 6:31Speaker 1: I heard my kids singing it. We were taking them
- 6:34Speaker 1: to school one morning and they had heard the demo.
- 6:37Speaker 1: They had heard it. They've heard all my songs like
- 6:38Speaker 1: so many times before the rest of the world hears it,
- 6:41Speaker 1: for better or worse. And I remember hearing them sing
- 6:44Speaker 1: that verse and, I just thought, okay, this is a
- 6:49Speaker 1: song that, I mean, I feel like I need, but
- 6:51Speaker 1: I was like, I just, I heard like the younger generation,
- 6:54Speaker 1: like singing, I know who I am because I know
- 6:57Speaker 1: who you are. And I'm just like, in this world,
- 6:59Speaker 1: in this day and age, when they're just getting bombarded
- 7:03Speaker 1: on social media and at school, all the things and
- 7:07Speaker 1: telling them like, this is who you should be. And
- 7:09Speaker 1: this is who you are, or this is who you
- 7:11Speaker 1: will never be. That's just what kept going through my
- 7:14Speaker 1: mind was like, all right, this is special. This needs
- 7:17Speaker 1: to get out. But yeah, it all started with a
- 7:22Speaker 1: different translation of a scripture and said in a new
- 7:25Speaker 1: way that just provoked some inspiration.
- 7:28Speaker 2: Yeah, all that stuff that everybody tells us we should
- 7:30Speaker 2: be falls short of what God wants us to be.
- 7:33Speaker 1: I love that idea.
- 7:35Speaker 2: You're known, Josh, for your reflective, worshipful style, acoustic-driven style.
- 7:41Speaker 2: Is that how you would describe your music style? You
- 7:44Speaker 2: have a lot of just songs that kind of, I
- 7:48Speaker 2: don't know, are kind of anthems for worship. I have
- 7:51Speaker 2: trouble describing it as a non-musical artist, but how would
- 7:55Speaker 2: you describe your sound?
- 7:57Speaker 1: Oh, gosh. Yeah, I don't know. I feel like I
- 8:00Speaker 1: could ask that. Well, I get asked that randomly by
- 8:02Speaker 1: people who, well, if I'm in the airport or something
- 8:05Speaker 1: and I'm with a bunch of guys and we just
- 8:07Speaker 1: look like we're in a band, people always be like,
- 8:09Speaker 1: are you in a band? And we're like, I mean,
- 8:12Speaker 1: we're musicians. And like, what's the name of your band?
- 8:14Speaker 1: Which is funny because I'm like, how many bands are
- 8:16Speaker 1: there anymore? And then it feels weird because I'm like, well,
- 8:20Speaker 1: we don't have a band name. It's just my name.
- 8:22Speaker 1: And then I have to tell them my name. And
- 8:24Speaker 1: then they don't know who I am. So then they're like, well,
- 8:26Speaker 1: what kind of music? What is your sound? And I'm like, well,
- 8:30Speaker 1: I'm a Christian artist. But it sounds like, and I'm
- 8:33Speaker 1: like trying to describe what it sounds like. I'm like,
- 8:36Speaker 1: I don't, kind of sounds like, you know, if... like
- 8:39Speaker 1: a country artist and Tom Petty got together and got
- 8:42Speaker 1: saved and want to write worship songs. I was like,
- 8:44Speaker 1: that's kind of what it sounds like, maybe. I don't know.
- 8:47Speaker 1: That's a great description. Have you used that before? Yeah, yeah.
- 8:51Speaker 1: I mean, I always joke around that I just want
- 8:54Speaker 1: to be the Tom Petty of worship. So I don't
- 8:57Speaker 1: know how kosher that is.
- 9:01Speaker 2: Well, since you're thinking deeply right now, let me ask
- 9:03Speaker 2: you another question. Because Christian music is simultaneously a ministry
- 9:08Speaker 2: and it's a business. How do you navigate the tension
- 9:10Speaker 2: between those two worlds? And how do you make sure
- 9:12Speaker 2: your focus is right when you're writing music?
- 9:16Speaker 1: Oh, gosh, that's a great question. Have you asked that
- 9:19Speaker 1: to anyone else? And can you tell me their answer?
- 9:21Speaker 1: And let me tell you if that's.
- 9:22Speaker 2: Well, it's a tough question because I think, I mean,
- 9:26Speaker 2: I'm a writer and I try to write for the Lord,
- 9:29Speaker 2: but sometimes you just.
- 9:31Speaker 1: I think it's tough. You're a child of Adam, Josh.
- 9:34Speaker 1: It's a tough line to walk. It is.
- 9:36Speaker 3: It is.
- 9:49Speaker 1: It is. And I'm a man. I'm trying to take
- 9:52Speaker 1: care of my home. I'm trying to provide for my family.
- 9:54Speaker 1: And I've chosen this as my career and the way
- 9:58Speaker 1: to do it. And it is crazy to walk in
- 10:01Speaker 1: that line of thinking that way and thinking like, I
- 10:04Speaker 1: want to steward this well. I want to be wise.
- 10:09Speaker 1: But then also, I don't want to be motivated by
- 10:13Speaker 1: that per se, like in what I'm writing and I
- 10:15Speaker 1: am this is like, I'm also a ministry and this
- 10:18Speaker 1: is where I'm called to be and do. And I
- 10:21Speaker 1: don't want to write songs to thinking like, oh, is
- 10:25Speaker 1: the radio going to play this or is the, you know,
- 10:27Speaker 1: or whatever. I'm always like trying to check my heart. Okay. Like,
- 10:31Speaker 1: what is the heart of this song? What am I
- 10:33Speaker 1: feeling right now? And making sure it is in the
- 10:37Speaker 1: right place. And I feel like it is most of
- 10:40Speaker 1: the time. I mean, there's, I definitely get, I'm definitely
- 10:44Speaker 1: surround myself with people who keep me in check too,
- 10:48Speaker 1: and make my wife definitely, and parents, and I think
- 10:52Speaker 1: that's all, that's helpful. But I'm sure probably also in
- 10:56Speaker 1: your career, you're seeing.
- 10:59Speaker 2: Jesus use your filthy rags to make something grand that
- 11:02Speaker 2: you didn't expect, you know?
- 11:03Speaker 1: Yes.
- 11:05Speaker 2: That's kind of a cool thing as well, because Jesus
- 11:07Speaker 2: can take anything that you have and turn it into
- 11:09Speaker 2: whatever he wants it to be.
- 11:11Speaker 1: Oh, yeah. And I think that's, Yeah. That's just a
- 11:14Speaker 1: good example of when that happens, I know, okay, it's
- 11:17Speaker 1: not about me.
- 11:18Speaker 2: Like what you were saying about Made for More.
- 11:20Speaker 1: Right.
- 11:21Speaker 2: Totally. You thought it would be good, but you didn't
- 11:24Speaker 2: think it was going to be that big.
- 11:27Speaker 1: No, I didn't think... I thought it was special. I
- 11:29Speaker 1: thought it would help people. I didn't know that it would...
- 11:33Speaker 1: I didn't know if it'd be on radio. I didn't know...
- 11:36Speaker 1: I didn't think... I fully didn't think churches would say.
- 11:38Speaker 1: I thought... churches would be like, this song's too much
- 11:41Speaker 1: I and me, me. Cause that's what I thought. I'm like,
- 11:43Speaker 1: I wouldn't, I'm not gonna leave this song in church
- 11:45Speaker 1: like this, but yeah. And so when that stuff like
- 11:48Speaker 1: that happens, it's like, well, that's awesome. I'm glad that
- 11:51Speaker 1: that didn't happen with a song that I thought was
- 11:53Speaker 1: going to be amazing. You know, like the song's about
- 11:55Speaker 1: the glory and power of Christ. So that's what song
- 11:57Speaker 1: is about because it, yeah, he made you for more.
- 12:00Speaker 1: I was going to ask you, you use Kickstarter early
- 12:02Speaker 1: in your career. I thought that was fascinating. Yeah. Oh
- 12:05Speaker 1: my gosh. Yeah. Where, how, how, How did that work out?
- 12:09Speaker 2: And what gave you that idea?
- 12:11Speaker 1: And were you surprised at the success it had? Oh, yeah. Well,
- 12:16Speaker 1: it worked out great. Here I am. But the reason
- 12:21Speaker 1: I did that is because I was broke. I had
- 12:23Speaker 1: no money to pay for anything. And no label. I
- 12:29Speaker 1: was even married. No, I'd just gotten married. Yes. And
- 12:34Speaker 1: that was my second album. And the first album was,
- 12:40Speaker 1: I mean, it didn't need Kickstarter because it didn't cost
- 12:42Speaker 1: me much of a thing. And it sounds like it
- 12:45Speaker 1: didn't cost much. But the second one, this one was
- 12:48Speaker 1: like the first one where I thought, man, these are
- 12:50Speaker 1: some good songs. I really need to like go for
- 12:53Speaker 1: this and spend money on it. And so, yeah, that
- 12:56Speaker 1: was Kickstarter. It just started to be a thing, I think.
- 13:00Speaker 1: And especially like in the world of in the music
- 13:02Speaker 1: world and making albums. And I had, I had a friend,
- 13:05Speaker 1: John Martin McMillan, one of my, one of my close
- 13:08Speaker 1: friends and a artist from years ago that some people
- 13:12Speaker 1: might know he wrote how he loves. And we grew
- 13:15Speaker 1: up together in Charlotte and he had just done Kickstarter.
- 13:17Speaker 1: And I remember him encouraging me to do it. And, um,
- 13:21Speaker 1: and so, yeah, I did. And, and we just barely
- 13:23Speaker 1: got enough money to make a house. I can't remember
- 13:25Speaker 1: how much it was for. I want to say, $ 13, 000.
- 13:28Speaker 2: It was over $ 10, 000.
- 13:32Speaker 1: I guess it helped you make the CDs. It helped
- 13:36Speaker 1: me finish mixing and mastering the album and paying the
- 13:40Speaker 1: band and print the CDs. That was 2013. This is
- 13:47Speaker 1: back at CD time that you were making. This is
- 13:49Speaker 1: CD time, yeah. I still have CDs. It's funny. We
- 13:54Speaker 1: go out on tour and sell them and I'm shocked
- 13:56Speaker 1: that people still get them.
- 13:58Speaker 2: I think they're more of a collector's item. It's like
- 14:00Speaker 2: something to sign, something you get at the merch table. Yeah,
- 14:03Speaker 2: I've done that before. You have a tour coming up.
- 14:05Speaker 2: Let's talk briefly about that.
- 14:07Speaker 3: Yeah.
- 14:07Speaker 1: And joshbaldwin.com, I guess that's what people tell people. It's
- 14:11Speaker 1: the website, joshbaldwin.com. Yeah. Like 15 cities or so, 16, 17,
- 14:14Speaker 1: I forget how many cities you're in. I think it's
- 14:18Speaker 1: 15 or 16 or 17. I forget. Yeah, I don't.
- 14:21Speaker 1: I know, I do too. I hit you up there. Oh, no,
- 14:23Speaker 1: you're fine. It's, yeah, October, part of November.
- 14:27Speaker 3: Yeah.
- 14:28Speaker 2: And before we close here, I do want to talk
- 14:29Speaker 2: about something that those who are watching on video are
- 14:32Speaker 2: seeing in the background.
- 14:33Speaker 1: You've got six guitars behind you, another one behind your chair. Oh,
- 14:39Speaker 1: my goodness. We're up to 10 or 15 now. What's
- 14:43Speaker 1: the story behind that? I've got one right here. Hours
- 14:47Speaker 1: and hours. So it's funny. I started with none. I
- 14:53Speaker 1: have a Taylor over here that's like a 20-year-old. 714
- 14:58Speaker 1: Taylor that was given to me by kind of one
- 15:01Speaker 1: of my heroes, Don Potter. He's a country musician, helped
- 15:06Speaker 1: start the Judds and work with Chuck Mangione, but he's
- 15:10Speaker 1: an old friend of mine. He actually gave me that guitar,
- 15:13Speaker 1: and that kind of kick-started all of it. And then
- 15:16Speaker 1: I have an old Yamaha, 1970 Yamaha that was my
- 15:20Speaker 1: dad's that he gave me. I found a 12-string 76
- 15:24Speaker 1: Martin back there, and then a Martin here that I
- 15:27Speaker 1: play a lot, OM-21. I got an HD-28 over here
- 15:30Speaker 1: that I've been playing for three years.
- 15:31Speaker 2: So when you tour, though, Josh, how many guitars do
- 15:36Speaker 2: you have? Is it like a football team where you
- 15:38Speaker 2: have a mainstream in the back?
- 15:40Speaker 1: Yeah, we have like the starters. I mostly play acoustic.
- 15:45Speaker 1: I have an old Rickenbacker Electric that I take out
- 15:48Speaker 1: and play a lot, you know, because I want to
- 15:51Speaker 1: be Tom Petty, so. Um, and then, uh, you know,
- 15:54Speaker 1: what's funny, I bought, I'll take, I take like two
- 15:57Speaker 1: or three of the acoustics and then I usually take my,
- 15:59Speaker 1: my Rickenbacker and I have a Tele that I take.
- 16:02Speaker 1: But I, um, I bought a guitar case this past summer,
- 16:06Speaker 1: a bit like one of those big tour guitar cases
- 16:09Speaker 1: you can roll on the trailer and put all your
- 16:11Speaker 1: guitars in. So I put, I bought it for my
- 16:13Speaker 1: guitars and my, and my bass player and my guitar,
- 16:16Speaker 1: my electric, his guitars. Um, And I actually bought it
- 16:19Speaker 1: from We The Kingdom. Scott Cash from We The Kingdom.
- 16:23Speaker 1: He was selling it. And so it was great. I
- 16:26Speaker 1: bought it. Well, I took it out on the weekend,
- 16:28Speaker 1: a weekend run this past summer for some festivals. We
- 16:33Speaker 1: were like, we're loading the thing up. I hadn't opened
- 16:35Speaker 1: it yet because I had just grabbed it from his
- 16:38Speaker 1: shed and rolled it. And we opened the guitars up
- 16:41Speaker 1: and there's like three awesome guitars in there. Like a
- 16:45Speaker 1: Collings Electric... 1982 335 Gibson and then a Les Paul.
- 16:51Speaker 1: And I was like, Oh my goodness, Scott just left
- 16:53Speaker 1: his guitars. And so I was literally going out. So
- 16:58Speaker 1: we couldn't, I, you know, it was midnight or alone
- 17:00Speaker 1: on the bus. I was like, I guess they're just
- 17:02Speaker 1: coming with us. So his guitars. So half of these
- 17:05Speaker 1: guitars over here, aren't mine. They're Scott cashes that he
- 17:07Speaker 1: hasn't gotten them back. And he, I text him and
- 17:10Speaker 1: I was like, dude, he's not good. They're not going out.
- 17:13Speaker 1: They're not traveling this year. So he's not doing anything.
- 17:15Speaker 1: He's like, dude, You're going out on tour. Take them
- 17:17Speaker 1: with you. So I'm going to play his 335 out
- 17:21Speaker 1: on tour, too. But that'll be good. That'll be good.
- 17:26Speaker 1: People can see what it sounds like. Yeah, that'll be awesome. Josh,
- 17:29Speaker 1: good talking to you. Thanks. Thanks so much for having me. Yeah,
- 17:32Speaker 1: such a treat.
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- 17:53Speaker 1: See you next time.