Since 2001, Manafest (real name: Chris Greenwood) has battled his way into the business—playing a thousand shows in nine countries, winning an armload of industry awards, and gaining recent victories like his first No. 1 hit, "Bring the Ruckus." 2010's The Chase blew up in Japan, quadrupling sales of previous efforts, but it looks like 2012's Fighter is going to be the real knockout.

Putting words to driving rhythms gave Chris a way to be a visible light ("manifest") for other people wrestling with their own junk: strained relationships, betrayals, loss, broken dreams. He knew plenty about getting through the past and working toward the future. 

NRT's Marcus Hathcock chatted with Manafest about his overseas travels, his unique vantage point, and trusting Jesus even when all hope seems lost.

What's life been like since Fighter came out?

 

It's been crazy this year. Toured a lot of Asia. I went to China, Japan, and Singapore. Went crazy with the tour with Red and TFK. A lot of dates. Shot four music videos. It's been wild; it's been really good. And I've finished up a book.

 

 

It's my story and some of the stuff I've gone through. It's a motivational thing for other people as well--how to overcome fear and different things. I'm really excited.

 

 

There isn't one except for America. It doesn't exist.

 

 

They just love the music. In Japan, they just love music. In Singapore, they just love music. Same with China. We're performing in clubs and bars and I'm sharing Jesus and they know the lyrics. They're just singing word for word. It's an amazing opportunity to shine some light and bump into people, rub some shoulders. You meet Christians down there. Like Singapore. With Joseph Prince and Colin Mooney and there's definitely a movement going over there. I know Japan and China aren't so evangelized, but God's doing some awesome stuff.

 

 

Obviously performing to people who speak English… I'll definitely never take that for granted. The first few shows afterwards, when you're talking in between, it was like, "You know what I'm saying." There's not this barrier of faces waiting for the next song before they start freaking out again.

 

 

It's becoming more clear. When you've been in it for a while, you see a lot of things. You see bands come and go. You grow--you hope you grow. I've definitely grown and always challenging myself. I was telling some people the other day our mission is entertain, inspire, and to educate. That's what it's about.

 

We do that through the music by entertaining and through our messages. We've been there and the book has been part of the education thing, as well as the blog that I write on ImAFighter.net. 

 

It's just putting more of yourself out there. That's what it is. We're in a music industry where it's not this wall of superstar. It's about being as transparent as possible and just putting it all out there because you know what? It's going to end up on the Internet, anyway. Let's just put it all out there now.

 

 

In Mark 5 you have the story of Jairus. Jesus got off the boat. He's a priest, a really high up dude and he's freaking out because his daughter's really sick.

 

When you read that story, Jesus is like, "I'm going to go." Dude, he's going to go! At that point you should be like there's nothing to worry about, but as Jesus is walking there's all these people that thronging him. Jairus is like, "Come on, man. Hurry up. Let's go."

 

This woman touches Him. Jesus turns around and freaks out. He slowed down, probably stopped. It says in the Bible that He actually talked to her. Sometimes women like to explain things in detail. He could have been there for an hour. Jairus' girl is dying and he's freaking right out. Some dude comes and says, "Don't worry about it. She's dead." 

 

It showed me that when we're going through crap--because we go through crap--just to trust, because if Jesus said it, then I need to believe it. That's been a huge thing. That really spoke to me. Trust God. 

 

That, and if you sow junk into your life, you're going to reap it, whatever you watch or listen to. If you're listening to crap or watching crap whether it's movies or TV or just jokes or whatever. It might not show up today, but it'll show up weeks later. That's the two things.

 

 

That song was really my heart, really true for me. I was tearing up when I wrote the hook, especially. It's just talking about someone who's addicted to something or just caught in something that's just got them bound.

 

I know people, and I've been there when you're trying to give up things and stop doing stuff and breaking a habit. That's really what we're talking about is breaking those habits off--whether that's drugs, food, pornography, anything, alcohol or whatever it is. Just doing things you don't want to do.

 

Maybe you want to wake up early every morning. You're just lazy. It's just breaking out of that, breaking free from it. It's a powerful, powerful thing.

 

 

There are a lot of them. One of the most common things is that the music really got me through a really rough time. Sometimes they don't go into all of the details. Sometimes it feels awkward when they do. I'm not going to lie, but it does.

 

I hear about people who've committed suicide. A lot of people share that with me because it happened to me. If they hear my story, it's a connection. But in "Every Time You Run," I talk about drug addiction and stuff. I've had some pretty gnarly dudes come up to me and be like, "Did you struggle with heroine because that what it sounds like on the thing. You're talking about pasties and stuff." I was like, "No, but I know stories and stuff." It builds this bridge to speak into people's lives. We just have no idea.

 

 

There are just some dudes that are lost--sleeping around and messing up. I come back to that whole sowing thing. If you watch "Desperate Housewives" or you watch all this junk where people are cheating and all that, you're sowing that into you because you're watching it. Literally it's causing a generation to just want to not care. I'm seeing the promiscuity is just super massive and drugs is obviously super massive.

 

I'm from California and I see the whole green card with marijuana and stuff and just legalizing it. People are just really looking for something and looking to get out of their situation.

 

 

What we're talking about. I love seeing someone get free. I love it when someone shares, "I was here, but I made this decision and now I'm here and maybe I'm not where I want to be, but I'm taking steps towards it."

 

I love seeing progress in people's lives. I love seeing the music impact and it actually brings good stuff. That pumps me. I speak a lot. I'm doing a lot more speaking in schools. My favorite day is when I get to speak in an high school assembly, perform, and skateboard. I did that earlier this year. It was funny. I was speaking and it felt like it wasn't connecting, but it did. I just love to encourage kids. Music gives me the platform and then I get to share. That's what I love just pumping kids up like that.