that is the goal. For me, I don’t necessarily this person to co-write with you.” Just to cross- [WM] Commercial success is one of the
care who sings the songs as long as they’re pollinate what God’s doing around the world signs that God is on a song. How do you find
resonating. It’s kind of a pastoring perspective has been really beautiful, singing other people’s a balance between what you can do to move
on songwriting. Even with our team they’ll songs and them singing ours. I think that’s one a song along and when to let God do the rest?
sometimes be like, “No, you need to keep this of the biggest strengths of Bethel is that we song for your record.” But for me, it’s not even don’t just sing our own stuff. If you come to [Brian] I don’t think we can control which
something that I’m even thinking about. I’m church on a Sunday you’re going to hear songs songs rise to the top. There’s a point in our
always just writing, and whoever wants to sing from four different movements in one set, and ministries and in our creativity where we stop
it can sing it. When someone covers the song, I think there’s such a beautiful strength about and God takes over. The problem is that we
that’s a success. that. can stop too soon, or keep going too far, and
Songwriting is not as much about my personal I think songwriting, for both of us, is definitely It’s like when we’re pitching a song and it’s
expression, even though some of them are my on our hearts. It’s what we feel we’re called to not doing anything and we keep on and keep
personal expression. It’s more about, “How is do. To give language for the church to sing, on, and then we’re becoming pushy because
this going to resonate with the body and the especially cross-denominationally. To be a we’ve got to keep this thing alive and we’ve
church?” We’re constantly shape-shifting and bridge to other denominations and to glean got to keep the business going, and that’s not
changing lyrics so they can be more palatable from them. Also, to give them what God’s given good. But the flip side is sometimes our work
for a larger group to sing. For me, when that us in this cross-pollination. ethic isn’t as it should be. It’s got to be right in
He’s not actually in what we’re trying to push.
happens, that’s a success. I love it. I think it’s
the middle.
great. To be honest with you, when you think [Brian] I think that sometimes we have to about all of my songs, they didn’t really become leave our ego at the door and realize that we I think Jenn is a beautiful example of someone
what they were because of me, they became need to just keep working. Work, work, work, who writes from an authentic place. God will
what they were because Passion covered work. Keep it honest, keep it authentic, but give her a word, message, or theme. She will
“One Thing Remains,” and Kari Jobe covered keep working. Sometimes you need to hold write to the best of her abilities, bring co-writers
“Forever,” and so on. onto that baby and not let anyone touch it, but in to hit it home, and then she feels as if she
most of the time exposing it to other writers that accomplished what she was supposed to do.
[WM] What suggestions do you have for may be better or stronger in other areas will help At the end of the day, if you feel like you did
teams who are wanting to cultivate a culture of make it better. My strength is more melodic, but what you were supposed to do before God
songwriting? someone else’s might be more lyrical. I’m going and you worked as hard as you could, then
to involve them on that lyric end and not be a you can say, “It’s done and it’s as good as we
[Jenn] I think that co-writing is a huge key. closed door. I think all of our writers have been could get it!” But the thing is, you have to be
We co-write with other people a lot. I know for more open to suggestion. It doesn’t mean you able to honestly say that you did your best,
both of us, we just ask the Lord, “Who would have to listen to it or make the change, but just and your best possibly looks like being humble
be a good person for this song?” Sometimes be open to suggestion. I feel like we’ve all seen and bringing other people in to help. Your best
it’s organic, and sometimes it’s like, “Hey, ask our songs go to the next level because of that. should never be an excuse to say, “I did my
best. God gave me this idea and I did my best,”
but you really didn’t do your best.
At the end of the day, if you know before God
that you did what you could with your art, that
is success in my opinion. That will translate,
and I feel like God will bless that. If you’re in the
field that God has called you to be in, I believe
He wants you to be successful. So the question
is, why are some people not successful in the
field that God has called them to be in – and
what is success? I think success can be on so
many different levels, so don’t compare your
level to someone else’s.
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July 2017
WorshipMusician.com