Grace and Max have quickly become one of the most exciting rising acts in indie Christian music. The husband-and-wife duo first built solo careers before unexpectedly joining forces shortly before getting married. Since then, they’ve created a unique blend of pop, worship, and contemporary Christian music, marked by vulnerable storytelling, polished production, and a heartfelt desire to remind listeners that Jesus truly cares for them.
Their latest single, “Better Place,” delves into themes of depression, grief, mental health, and hope in Christ. The emotional track has resonated strongly with listeners, especially as the duo openly shares their personal journey and partnership with the faith-based organization The Hopeline. I recently spoke with Grace and Max about their ministry, marriage, new music, and the powerful message behind “Better Place.”
Please introduce yourselves and share how Grace and Max got started.
Grace: Before we met, we both had our own solo music projects and ministries going. We met back in 2021, started dating, and eventually became engaged. At the time, we had no plans of becoming a duo. We thought maybe someday we’d do a worship album together, but we weren’t planning to join our music careers.
About a month before we married, we were praying about the future when we were given the opportunity to tour with Sean Rodriguez as openers. The catch was that it had to be as a duo. So, we basically said, “Well, we’re not a duo, but we’ll become one really fast.”
That month was wild. We had to write an entire setlist, figure out our sound together, create merch, finish planning our wedding, move in together, get married, go on our honeymoon, and then two days later hit the road for the summer tour.
By the end of that summer, we both knew this was exactly what God was calling us to do. We felt led to join our ministries together, and we haven’t looked back since.
What is the heart behind your ministry as a duo?
Max: Our call as a duo is really to remind people that Jesus truly cares for them. We talk about Matthew 6 all the time. It says that God feeds the birds and clothes the grass in the fields, and if He cares for them, how much more does He care for us?
Jesus didn’t die for the birds or the grass. He died for you and me — people made in His image. We want our music to remind people that they are deeply loved and cared for by God.
How has marriage shaped your music and ministry together?
Grace: Honestly, I’m thankful that we work so well together creatively. Writing music together just makes sense for us. Early on in marriage, though, we had to learn the balance between being married and working together.
First and foremost, the Lord must stay at the center of everything. We’re married before we’re work partners. Even calling it “work” feels weird because it doesn’t really feel like work.
When you get married, your ministries become one. For us, that specifically meant our music ministries joining together. We had to learn how to navigate that, how to pour into others together, and how to communicate well when things get stressful.
Because we work so closely together, it can sometimes be easy to take each other for granted. So, we’ve really learned the importance of serving one another, dying to ourselves, and keeping our hearts in the right place.
Your new song “Better Place” is incredibly vulnerable. What’s the story behind it?
Grace: “Better Place” is about my personal journey with depression. I’ve struggled with it for the past 10 years after walking through a lot of grief and loss in my life. There were so many seasons where life felt hopeless. I found myself questioning God and asking why He allowed certain things to happen. I was angry and hurting deeply. There were times I honestly didn’t want to be here anymore.
When Max and I married, I told him in our vows that I would never stop working on my mental health and healing. About a year ago, I reached a point where I felt like I had exhausted everything I could do on my own. I was going to therapy, reading my Bible, getting outside, going on walks — doing all the things people tell you to do — but I realized there was also a chemical imbalance happening in my brain.
After 10 years, I decided to try medication, and it completely changed my outlook. Depression doesn’t just affect me — it affects Max, too. He’s had to walk beside me through all that pain and helplessness as my husband.
The crazy thing is that my story is also the story of so many other people. There are so many people who feel like the world would somehow be a better place without them. This song is meant to remind people that the world is a better place with them in it. Even if your mind is lying to you, God is still with you. If you haven’t seen a breakthrough yet, that doesn’t mean God is done working.
When we wrote the song, it almost felt like Max was singing those truths directly to me — reminding my heart of what’s true. I hope the song can do the same for other people.
You also partnered with The Hopeline for this release. Why was that important to you?
Max: We really wanted to provide a resource for people who are struggling, especially one with a faith-based focus. That’s why we partnered with The Hopeline. We want people to know they aren’t alone. The Hopeline offers free live chat support 24/7. You don’t need to provide credit card information or anything like that. People can connect with trained professionals anytime they need help. They’re wonderful people, and we truly can’t recommend them enough.
What has life on the road been like for you both?
Max: It’s honestly been amazing. What’s cool is that every event is different. Whether we’re leading worship, opening for pop artist Sean Rodriguez, or doing our own shows, our goal is always the same.
We pray before every event, “Lord, help us reach even just one person tonight.” Whether there are 10 or 1,000 people in the room, we want the ministry to stay the same. Even if one person hears the Gospel or feels encouraged in their faith, it’s worth it.
You recently received a lot of attention for a viral open-verse challenge with pop artist Josiah Queen. What was that experience like?
Grace:Josiah Queen posted an open verse challenge, and we decided to jump in and write our own verse for it. It ended up introducing us to a lot of new listeners and opened some cool doors for us.
Even though we didn’t win the challenge, we feel we gained a lot from it. We’ve been working on turning that verse into our own original song. We took the idea and made it our own, and we’re really excited about where it’s heading.
What can fans expect next from Grace and Max?
Max: We’ve got another single coming within the next few months that we’re really excited about. We’re also heading back out on tour this summer with Sean Rodriguez and will be playing several festivals. There’s a lot more music coming for the rest of the year.
How can people be praying for you in this season?
Grace: I’d love a prayer for healing. I recently had shoulder surgery after a content video went wrong, and I tore my labrum. More than anything, though, we’d appreciate prayer that the Lord continues to use us this summer as we meet people, minister to audiences, and pour into others. We also want to make sure our own cups stay full spiritually through it all.
Bradden Ford is a Christian music enthusiast responsible for managing NewReleaseToday's new release database of artists and albums. He resides just outside Nashville, Tennessee.
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