EXCLUSIVE: We The Kingdom Discuss Their Latest Project

We The Kingdom are an exciting, and multi-talented band consisting of multi-generational family members. Their musical output is a sweet hybrid of country and Christian which creates a sonic sound which is 100% original.

Here we chat exclusively to We The Kingdom to discuss their latest project ‘Live Acoustic Sessions’ which was released back last month.

You recently released your EP of acoustic songs, what made you want to share this project in this way?

For all of us, when we sat down in the room and came together to do this, it truly felt extra special. There is something magical about when we all sit down together with just instruments and our voices. It’s super fun to have all the other productions, but we think the raw heart of who we are seems to come out really well when playing acoustically. There’s something really special and intimate in those moments. having the raw heart of who we are came out really well.

What are you hoping fans take away from the songs in this new format?

We hope this feels more raw and intimate, and hope that you can connect a bit more with the song and songwriting. Making this acoustic EP felt like coming back to our roots, and we hope fans can feel they are coming into our living room with us, and they can be a part of our very first songs with us in this way.

When you were recording these tracks live was it always with the intention of releasing them via an EP?

At first, we had the idea to record in this really cool space and to sort of just “see what happens.” On the day we recorded, we looked around the room and recognized that something really beautiful was happening there. At first, we were just going to be releasing videos of our performances, and we weren’t sure that we were going to be releasing these songs as an audio EP. But, as we listened to the songs and heard the recording, we realized, “Wow, there’s something special here.” While we do a lot of shows where we play with a full band with all kinds of instruments, our true noise and our home base – and the whole band – was founded in a circle playing on acoustic instruments. So, the EP is a return to home base for us, which is a special thing to do.

What would you say is your personal favorite track from the project?

Frannie Cash: My personal favorite song on the EP is “Dancing on The Waves.” It was written in a time that was really vulnerable for me, so it speaks to me personally and my story and I love singing it. When we were singing it at the Warehouse when we recorded the acoustic sessions, I was losing my voice right before I started singing it, but I felt like God was just telling me to relax with him and dance with him during the whole song. That was what I was feeling when it was being recording – lost with God in a way – and that was really cool since I was struggling with my voice. It’s always been a song that encourages me. For all of us, we agree that it’s probably our favorite song on the EP.

Can you tell us a little about the songwriting process for these songs?

“God So Loved” – Ed started that song, sitting on a love seat that they have in a powder room in their house. It was early in the morning, so he needed to find somewhere that he wouldn’t wake anyone up. So, he went and sat down in the bathroom and started that song.

“Dancing On The Waves” – We were sitting around the edge of a hot tub at Young Life camp, and this was the first song we ever wrote together. We had an impromptu writing session, and that song came to life.

“Holy Water” – We had to turn in a version of “God So Loved” to our label, and we were procrastinating a little bit and hit a creative wall, manifesting the first verse of the song. In that process, we heard Martin out of the corner of our ears play the piano, and he just started Holy Water like that.

“Free Amen” was birthed out of a different writing session we had. The chorus came in one moment, and the whole song came together over a period of time. This song had a longer progression than the other ones, it came together over different days and different environments.

How do you feel your faith plays a part in your music career and output?

Andrew: To me and to all of us, it’s the core and the foundation. We’ve talked a lot about just trying to be sensitive to the spirit and the creativity that God has given us and follow that. But it’s always rooted in our relationship with Him. For all of us, the church is where we grew in our music and we really came to be a part of it. I remember as a kid, listening to my dad playing piano feeling so inspired. He would let me just play gospel and introduced me to music. Through Young Life and different churches, all of us have grown so much in that. We’ve talked about how empty and fruitless a song can feel if it does not lead people to Jesus in the end. To me, it’s fundamental.

How do you think that being a family impacts the creative process?

I think we’ve been able to grow and learn from one another and in the long term, it makes our music and relationship infinitely better. As we make music and create together, we also deal with the emotional weight of being a family and I think that sometimes that creates friction because in all families there is friction no matter how strong your relationship is. But I’m really thankful because the friction that our family feels drives us to create and push each other to make the best music that we can. So when we create together, we are always striving to find that precious metal that would come out of that friction.

It takes a long time for us to collaborate, but when it’s all said and done, we can look back to a song and I feel like I could hear pieces of Martin in that song and pieces of Andrew in the song and I hear Franni. Everyone’s DNA comes together to create a tangible expression of our collective DNA and that’s so special that we get to create something together that showcases our family and individuality like that. We even have different experiences with the different genres and different decades that we have all been influenced by really helps refine the writing process to where it feels balanced between all of us and all of our personalities.

Can we expect further music off you this year?

On April 24th we’re releasing our single, “Don’t Tread on Me” and we’re so excited about it. And later in the year, we will be releasing our new record.

And how does it feel to be releasing your first full length record?

It feels amazing because when doing a single or an EP, we’re experimenting a little bit with different colors on a palette and a record is the first time we really get to give our first painting, instead of building up a half-finished canvas. In a batch of seven to eight songs, we’re able to tell the stories of a certain chapter of our lives. So we’ve got this batch of songs that we’ve been pouring into for years at this point and we can pull them all together. Each one of them is an encapsulation of the different moments in our lives. Throughout two years we put the most meaningful narratives together to represent this season of our lives.

Your hugely popular single, “Holy Water” was No.1 for 7 consecutive weeks on the Billboard Christian AC chart. Congrats! How does it feel to have accomplished this feat?

It’s very surreal. We were actually talking the other day and reflected; we feel very blessed to have a lot of friends and family members around us who encourage us and give us all so much to be thankful for. But to us, the numbers don’t really mean much, but it all sunk in when we heard it on the radio. But what’s more exciting is to hear stories from people tell us their spiritual journey and how the song influenced their journey. People just even in different walks of life and different religions comment on the song and say that they become emotional listening to the song or it inspired them to do something kind for another person. And to us, it’s a powerful moment to think that something we created would have the power to impact someone’s life. And we couldn’t be more excited about all of that.

What would be your message to our readers who haven’t yet heard your music?

II think there’s something for everyone. We’ve all had different experiences, and everybody in the band has their own very distinct taste, but something about the five of us together that the Lord intentionally brought us all together to connect the needle if you will. And I think it’s very very unique and I think a lot of people are able to connect with it. We blend a lot of genres together in what we do, and it’s super fun. To us, it’s exciting that they kind of take that form, and even in this record as we’re creating it and we’re really talking a lot of time and sweat. So we really hope that everyone can find something in our new record and that we can inspire you all to do something great.

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