Even if you're not familiar with Hillsong Worship vocalist Benjamin Hastings, you most likely know his hit songs "That's The Power" and "So Will I (100 Billion X)." What you may not know is that Benjamin recently branched out from the worship collective to start his own solo project. In October 2021, he released his debut singles "Homeward" and "Faith Is." And since then, he's released other songs, such as "The Jesus I Know" and "Anyway."
Recently, my coworker Selena Schulz and I talked with Benjamin about his new solo project, his latest single, and the inspiration behind some of his hit songs. We both admire his work, so it was a blast to talk with him and hear the heart behind some of our favorite songs.
Watch the exclusive interview below, or click here.
"A line dropped in my head, and we never actually used it in the song, but I'm going to do a reprise or something like that," Benjamin said, giving us an inside look at his song, "Anyway." "The line was, 'Maybe You'll calm the storm/But maybe You sent it.' I was thinking through all the ways in life that God takes hardship and uses it to make us better. In the middle of a storm--a metaphorical one--, you would pray it away and say, 'No, God, take this away. I don't want this to come against me.' But isn't it often those things that make us into the people we're meant to be?"
Benjamin went on to talk about what's next for his solo project. Prompted by the question, "Is a full-length album in the works?" he replied with a smile, "We're working on something. It's been a long time in the making. We started this thing over a year ago, and a lot of the songs are coming out now. The challenge is that I moved countries in the middle of working on it... there are just a lot of layers, a lot of continents, and a lot of back and forth."
Continuing the discussion about his upcoming album, Benjamin said, "We definitely have plans to release a full-length album this year, and, hopefully, it will be quite extensive. I have a lot of songs recorded, and I like all of them. So it should be a big album."
Benjamin concluded, "I'm reluctant to fully lock in the [release] date in case we have to move it because there have been a lot of moving parts up until this point. But I'm working on it, and it's hopefully coming soon. Until then, I'll continue to release singles here and there."
Keep an eye on NewReleaseToday.com for more interviews with some of your favorite artists.
Grace Chaves has been a fan of all things Christian music since 2016. She is NRT's news editor, and one of NRT's youngest writers. Homeschooled, Grace is an author, loves Jesus, concerts, and road trips.
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