{"id":1969253,"date":"2025-08-19T21:02:55","date_gmt":"2025-08-19T21:02:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=1969253"},"modified":"2025-08-19T21:02:55","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T21:02:55","slug":"michael-w-smith-talks-new-music-jonathan-roumie-collab","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/michael-w-smith-talks-new-music-jonathan-roumie-collab\/","title":{"rendered":"Michael W. Smith talks new music, Jonathan Roumie collab"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Leah MarieAnn Klett<\/a>, Assistant Editor <\/a><\/div>\n<\/header>\n
\"Michael<\/source><\/picture>
Michael W. Smith<\/span> | Ruben Roos Photography<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With 45 Dove Awards, three Grammys and more than 18 million albums sold, Michael W. Smith has long been recognized as one of the most influential artists in contemporary Christian music.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But after four decades in the industry, the 67-year-old husband, father and grandfather is clear-eyed about what, exactly, anchors his personal life and music career.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy identity is not being Michael W. Smith the artist,\u201d he told The Christian Post. \u201cThe things that are near and dear and more important to me are, first and foremost, my relationship with Lord. Then my family, my wife, my kids, my grandkids, my friends that I walk through life with.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour craft can’t be your identity. If it is, it will consume you, and not in a good way.\u201d<\/p>\n

From stadiums in the Netherlands to studios in Tennessee, Smith is still writing, recording and performing with the same sense of calling that first led him into music ministry in the early 1980s \u2014 and he\u2019s far from finished.\u00a0<\/p>\n

His latest single, \u201cYour Love Is a Flood,\u201d <\/a>is an upbeat track that feels simultaneously classic and fresh, blending synth textures with worship. Lyrics include the lines \u201cYour love is a flood\/ And I\u2019m dancing in the rain\/ Heaven and Earth colliding\/ Open the clouds, I feel it rising up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis song is about the overwhelming grace of God,\u201d Smith said. \u201cAnd how, even in hard times, I wake up every day knowing I\u2019m loved.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t need to make another record,\u201d he added. \u201cBut I feel called to make this one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith began composing the melody for \u201cYour Love Is a Flood\u201d nearly five years ago; he tracked a rough version in his home studio and posted a video to social media, then shelved it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got a handful of those melodies that I just couldn\u2019t shake,\u201d he recalled. \u201cThis one kept calling me back.\u201d<\/p>\n

When he sent the demo to his longtime friend and collaborator Jason Walker, the response was immediate. Within days, Walker had shaped the beginnings of a lyric that Smith said captured his belief that God\u2019s grace is real, overwhelming and radically available.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are so many people who can\u2019t wrap their minds around the idea that God really loves them,\u201d Smith says. \u201cThey\u2019re carrying trauma, legalism, guilt. And I just told Jason, \u2018This is what drives me. I know who I am. I\u2019m loved. That\u2019s why I can wake up every day with joy, no matter what\u2019s going on.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a worship song, but with a pop edge,\u201d he added. \u201cI don\u2019t really care about labels. It\u2019s just honest.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reflecting on his early years in the Christian music industry, Smith, who shot to fame in 1991 when “Place in This World” hit No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, shared how much his understanding of God\u2019s love has grown over the decades.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the \u201980s, I dealt with a lot of guilt,\u201d he says. \u201cIf I messed up, I\u2019d beat myself up. I got legalistic. That\u2019s immaturity. But as you walk with the Lord longer, you grow. You start to really understand grace. You read Scripture and realize He\u2019s for you. He\u2019s not looking to crush you. That changes everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Ruben<\/source><\/picture>
Ruben Roos Photography<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This deeper understanding flows through another new single, \u201cArms Around the Sun,\u201d<\/a> which explores the mystery and magnitude of divine love. Co-written with worship leader Michael Olson, the track was originally conceived as a shuffle but was eventually restructured into a pop groove.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe lyrics just clicked,\u201d Smith says. \u201cAnd it felt fresh. It had this little Euro-pop vibe I loved.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adding to the song\u2019s surprise factor was actor Jonathan Roumie, best known for portraying Jesus in \u201cThe Chosen,\u201d who was visiting the studio and ended up playing drums on the track.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe hadn\u2019t played in a while, but he still had it,\u201d Smith says. \u201cWe recorded him without even telling him. He just brought this energy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roumie also appears in the music video, and Smith hinted that the actor might explore music further in the future. \u201cHe\u2019s got real musical chops,\u201d he says. \u201cI told him, let\u2019s do a jam night in Nashville sometime.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith is preparing for the fall leg of his \u201cBeyond the Far Horizon tour,\u201d<\/a> a reimagined live show that the artist said blends cinematic storytelling, worship and new material. Audience response, he says, has been encouraging, particularly for the new songs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe debuted \u2018Flood\u2019 during the spring leg of the tour, and people were shocked \u2014 in a good way,\u201d he says. \u201cWe played it in the Netherlands with a 400-voice choir and 15,000 people. It was electric.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even classics like \u201cBreathe\u201d and \u201cWaymaker\u201d are getting fresh arrangements. \u201cI like shaking things up,\u201d Smith says. \u201cI want every show to be unforgettable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t like being away from home as much anymore,\u201d he added. \u201cBut I still feel called. When I see people\u2019s lives being changed, especially in places like Europe, where there\u2019s so much hunger for God, that\u2019s what keeps me going.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith reflected on his early years in the spotlight, how the accolades, the record sales and the fame affected him more than he realized at the time.<\/p>\n

\u201cBack in the day, it was about how many records we sold, what awards we won,\u201d he said. \u201cI was young, kind of immature. I got caught up in it. I wish I could go back and talk to that younger version of myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Subconsciously, the \u201cPlace in This World\u201d singer said, he allowed his career to shape his identity. He credited mentors, family and years of spiritual formation with helping him reframe success.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYou start to believe the press, you start to think it\u2019s about you,\u201d he said. \u201cBut it\u2019s not.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGod doesn\u2019t share His glory with anybody,\u201d he continued, echoing a line a friend once shared with him on a Florida porch. \u201cThat stuck with me. And now, every night before I go on stage, I pray: Let my posture be pure. Let me walk out in humility.\u201d<\/p>\n

Deflecting applause, he said, has become a spiritual discipline. \u201cThe spotlight can be dangerous,\u201d he says. \u201cSo I do everything I can to deflect the glory, to keep it on Him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Weighing on the current state of CCM, Smith expressed both hope and concern. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of great stuff happening,\u201d he says. \u201cBut I also see this surge of fame, and I worry about that.\u201d<\/p>\n

He cautioned young artists not to build their identity on celebrity, adding: \u201cIf you\u2019re not grounded, it can consume you.\u201d<\/p>\n

He points to rising artists like Forest Frank, whose blend of worship and mainstream appeal is attracting massive crowds. \u201cI pray for Forest,\u201d Smith said. \u201cHe\u2019s filling arenas and boldly pointing people to Jesus. That\u2019s amazing. But I hope he stays grounded. I hope he\u2019s got good people around him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith has seen the toll that public ministry can take, especially when leaders live secret lives or fall into sin.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there is a purging going on, and God’s looking for people who are passionate and hungry for the things of God. That’s what He’s looking for.\u201d<\/p>\n

The artist, who is also gearing up for his Christmas tour with Amy Grant and CeCe Winans, said he still meets regularly with his 95-year-old pastor, Don Finto, who has been a guiding voice in his life for decades.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t have made it without him,\u201d Smith said. \u201cYou need those people. You need that tribe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking ahead, he hopes his new music offers both excellence and authenticity. \u201cI want to discover something musically that hasn\u2019t been discovered yet,\u201d he says. \u201cBecause I believe the Church should be making the best art.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the end of the day, the \u201cAgnus Dei\u201d singer says he just wants to stay in his \u201csweet spot\u201d: serving God through music, operating in his gifts and deflecting the spotlight.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen people applaud, I try to deflect that glory right back to Him,\u201d he says. \u201cBecause I know this was never about me.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Leah M. Klett is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: leah.klett@christianpost.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n