Anne Wilson‘s “God Story” is out. The song, written by Wilson along with frequent collaborators Matthew West and Jeff Pardo, is part of an exciting new chapter for Wilson, two years after the release of Rebel.
“I wrote it a few months ago,” Wilson tells Everything Nash. “I was on a tour called Winter Jam, and I was on that tour for a while. I was really reflecting on the last eight years of my life as a whole. The last four being in music, and back to when my brother passed eight years ago. Really just reflecting on the story that God has written in my life. I think that there’s something really special about getting on the other side of pain, and being able to look back and see that God used it for my good, and for the greater good of the kingdom.
“This song came about, and it felt like almost an invitation to people listening,” she adds. “Letting everyone have this moment to look at their own life, and see how God is working in their life, and in the story that he’s writing in their life. I’m so excited about it.”
“God Story” is the first introduction to Wilson’s next album, her second country record.
“I’ve been working the last year, writing these songs,” Wilson says. “I’m so passionate about them, and so excited about them. It just feels like we’re really ready for this new chapter of music.”
“Rebel” was Wilson’s first country album, and an ambitious one at that. The record includes collaborations with Lainey Wilson, Jordan Davis and Chris Tomlin.
“It was a really fun album for me,” Wilson acknowledges. “It was 16 songs, and I got to really dive in and express who I am creatively. That was a lot more country than my last album, My Jesus. It gave me some incredible opportunities, and really was the first introduction for me on the country side of things. I got to play a lot of country festivals, and open for some country artists. It was really cool to have that experience, just to get to reach people outside of the Christian music industry, and get to reach people in another genre. It was really special, and I think it really changed things for me.”
Wilson is putting her stake in country music, but she isn’t willing to compromise her faith to be part of the genre. Instead, the Kentucky native sees it as her opportunity to proclaim her beliefs even later.
“This new album that we’re putting out has kind of continued on in that same path of authentically having my faith at the core of what I do, but also the sound of country,” Wilson explains.
“I think for me, it was really realizing, this is my chance to be bold in my faith like I never have been before,” she continues. “And so, when I was writing these songs, I was like, ‘I’m not going to back down to please people on the country side. I’m not going to sacrifice my faith to fit in. And I’m not going to sacrifice the sound of country to fit in on Christian radio. A lot of times Christian radio gets pushback for country-sounding music, which is crazy. And so, I was wrestling with that. And I came to realize, I have to be authentic to who I am. I can’t water down my faith, and I can’t water down my love for country. And so, it was an interesting season.”
Rebel came out when there was a lot of political strife, making it more timely than ever. It also made Wilson realize even more how much she wanted to be vocal about her own beliefs.
“It also came out right before the political stuff last year, and it was very interesting for our country,” Wilson shares. “A time where a lot of people were standing for what they believed in, no matter which side they were on, they were choosing to stand for the things that meant a lot to them. And for me, that was Rebel. I am a proud believer in Jesus. I am a proud supporter of the gospel. I want to share it with people, and it really became my whole thing was all about Jesus and spreading the gospel. It was really cool to see how God ended up using that.”
Find “God Story” and all of Wilson’s music and upcoming shows at AnneWilsonOfficial.com.