Brandon Lake says God is opening doors through collaborations: ‘divine appointments’

Singer Brandon Lake opened up about his growing list of collaborations during an interview at CMA Fest over the weekend, saying he views them as divine appointments that not only strengthen his music but also make him a better person.

The six-time Grammy winner has built a career in Christian music while also earning a reputation as one of the genre’s top collaborators. In addition to his partnership with Jelly Roll on Hard Fought Hallelujah, Lake has joined forces in recent months with Nick Jonas on The Author, Bailey Zimmerman on Just Believe, Cody Johnson on When a Cowboy Prays and Lainey Wilson on The Jesus I Know Now.

Lake performed at CMA Fest, the annual country music celebration that draws some of the biggest names in the genre to Nashville each summer. Much of Lake’s music includes a country influence, and four of the aforementioned collaborators – Jelly Roll, Zimmerman, Johnson and Wilson – are country artists.

“If you look at the common thread throughout my life has been collaboration, and I think it’s cool when you walk away with just a song together,” Lake said on stage during an interview with SiriusXM’s The Highway. “But also, I feel like I’m a better human being after spending time with all these amazing artists.”

Lake referenced a collaboration and friendship with country music singer-songwriter Thomas Rhett, saying “we’ll get on the phone and talk for hours about how to be better husbands and fathers.”

“So all these guys – they’re my good friends,” he said.

He also shared the now-famous story of his collaboration with Jelly Roll, who told him that “I’ve been praying for a song like this,” Lake said, referencing Hard Fought Hallelujah.

“It’s just been, like, divine appointments – one after another,” he said.

Lake said he held a writing camp in December with a group of country artists and left with 47 songs – including a yet-to-be-released one with Hardy.

Lake won both Artist of the Year and Male Artist of the Year at this year’s K-LOVE Fan Awards, saying during his acceptance speech that many mainstream artists are more open to conversations about faith than people realize. 

“I’m having a lot of conversations with a lot of artists in a lot of very influential places, and y’all, you just would never believe how hungry people are for the truth, and there’s so many that are this close,” he said during his speech. “I don’t collaborate with all these crazy people so that I can have more fame. Trust me, I could care less. But I’m telling you, man, they’re hungry for the gospel, and they want to put their testimony on display. They just need a little encouragement. They need to sit down across the table, break some bread, and have somebody just pour some gas on their fire and tell them that it’s worth getting up on the stage and singing about their faith – they don’t have to hide it.

“And so, as long as you support me, listen, I’m going to be that guy that stays in the church, but I will never stop moving towards the lost. That’s what I’m about, that’s what I’m doing, that’s what you’re going to see.”