Indeed, whether or not you know him by name yet, Aaron Gillespie is already one of the most dynamic, outspoken, and visible artists in Christian music today. It’s just that the redheaded 27-year-old--former drummer of Underoath and frontman of The Almost--isn’t always where one might expect to find a faith-based performer, a fact that defines his sense of ministry and what Anthem Song--his first worship/solo album--is all about.

Bill Lurwick, the voice of NRT, took time to chat with Aaron about the experience that led him to a more passionate pursuit of worship.

Let’s take everybody on a little journey. What’s the difference now between Underoath, The Almost, and the solo worship stuff you’re doing? A real progression has gone on here, hasn’t it?

Yeah. I left Underoath last April. I kind of felt the call of God to leave that band, and it was a really crazy time in my life. I’m thankful to God that Underoath happened. I just kind of felt the tug to leave; I just kept disobeying God, to be honest with you, because it was so easy for me just to travel and make plenty of money playing music. It was great and Underoath is a ministry, but God had a different ministry for me. I went to Africa this past February with Compassion International, and I really wanted to come back different.

Five or six days into the trip I didn’t really feel different, and I was kind of like, “Man, am I doing something wrong? What am I doing wrong on this trip?” On day six it was a Vision and Advocacy Trip, and I was in a van with John Mark McMillan and the girl from Superchick and Trevor McNevan from Thousand Foot Krutch and a bunch of band managers.

We’re pulling into this church and there are all of us in the van. I just began to feel the power of God moving--just the presence of God--and it was crazy. We get in this church building and there’s 1,500 people just singing like you would not believe, just worshiping God. I was bawling at this point.

I begin to pray and I said, “God, why is this the way it is?” and God said, “Aaron, because you and your country have plenty and all of things that you have, you worship so circumstantially. These people worship me just because I’m me. Because I exist. Because I made them to worship me and that’s what you were created to do.” That was sort of the wind in my sails that I knew that I needed to go out and make this record. I knew that I needed to make a life change. God really gave me the courage.


I was talking to another artist recently and they said that on a similar kind of trip. Here in the western culture, we pray only when we want something it seems. Did you see that?

Yeah. That’s the thing. We’re so circumstantial with God and it’s crazy. There’s a passage in Hosea where the Israelites are kind of doing their basic, regular Israelite thing and being stupid. They begin to repent in chapter 6 of Hosea and God says to the prophet, “More than I want your burnt offering and your sacrifices and you’re I’m sorry and all your circumstantial pleas, I want you to know me.” We serve a God who wants us to be in communion with him constantly.

There’s another author that wrote a book called The Ragamuffin Gospel, Brennan Manning. He said that we were made for union with God and I think that we kind of missed that somewhere. We get lost in the fact that I pray when someone’s ill or when I really want that new Maserati. But I don’t think that He meant for that. I think that He meant for us to be in constant communion with Him. Look at the Ugandan people. They’re dying and they’re still worshiping God because He exists. That’s kind of also the whole idea behind the record: we were created as beings that were made to worship God for no other reason.

Anthem Song... that’s an interesting title for a project to begin with, but tell us about the song “Anthem Song.” What is the anthem?

We had this idea that God has had this song. It’s been playing since the beginning of time. It’s a song of His grace and His mercy and it’s a song of His sovereignty and His holiness. Our job in this life is to kind of grab a little piece of that song and sing along for the 30 seconds that is our lifetime here on Earth. So, grab a little piece of it and sing along.

“Made for You,” is the single that’s hitting radio now. Tell us about it.

I wrote that song literally about that church service. I had an amazing, amazing opportunity to write that song with Paul Baloche, who is the most prolific worship writer in my opinion of our time. It was such a humbling experience. He came in a room and we prayed and worshiped, and that song was birthed out of that.
That is pretty cool, man. Now give us the lyrical background.

It’s literally just a narrative that we were made to worship God and Him and Him alone. It kind of goes through it in the verses and tells what He did for us. He created the world, but He came down as a man and gave His life for us and lived as a man lived. He was hungry and thirsty, but He’s God. We were made to worship Him and Him and Him alone and that’s what we were created to do.


When I say Uganda, what does that do for you? Where does that take you?

It almost feels like home in a way. Just those people are like nothing you can possibly imagine. Those people are just the kindest, God loving, just unbelievable people and for no viable reason.

Just worshiping God because He’s God. You said that recently in a video clip that I watched and that’s’ what it’s all about, right?

That’s what we were made for.

Aaron, appreciate you spending some time with us my friend.

Thank you!