Christian singer-songwriter Steven Curtis Chapman chatted about his two new songs and receiving the 2022 BMI Icon Award.
BMI Icon Award
He was the recipient of the BMI Icon Award at the 2022 BMI Christian Awards. This marks the first Christian BMI Icon Award honoree as Chapman joins the elite list of songwriters including Barry Manilow, Brian Wilson, Carole King, Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson, Merle Haggard, Sting, and others who have left an influence on generations of music makers and the music industry. “That was crazy, fun, and really exciting,” he said.
‘Still’
On his new song “Still,” he said, “35 years ago, my first album ever was released. It’s crazy to think that I have been at this for so long. I am thankful and fortunate to keep making music and have folks that are interested in what I have to sing and say. Thinking of the last two to three years, in particular, and what we’ve been through (the loss, uncertainty, and all those things in our life), I began to process a lot of that through music, which is how and why I do it. The song ‘Still’ is the theme for this new project for me.”
“Like I say in the song, it has been a beautiful journey, it has been a terrible journey, it has been painful, and it has been more wonderful than I ever could have imagined when I started. God is faithful still, and I experienced that through dark valleys and incredible mountaintops and I still want to sing about it. This song sums up what I have been feeling in this most recent season of my life creatively, spiritually, and musically,” he elaborated.
‘Don’t Lose Heart’
Chapman shared that the song “Don’t Lose Heart” came from a lot of stories and his unique perspective of things. “Part of this comes from living life and walking through valleys and from those places, being able to have something to say to people,” he said.
“This song is about me sharing what I learned to be true in some of the darkest places in my journey,” he added.
The digital age
On being an artist in the digital age, he said, “They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. I don’t know if I am an old dog, but I have been around a while and I remember the good ole days. I remember the days of vinyl, records, and full discs, and there are some beautiful things that I miss. Although it’s not lost, it is not what it used to be.”
“There are also some incredible things about the digital age: how quickly you can get the music to people and the stories that you can tell with each individual song. There are some challenges with it but we are meeting those challenges,” he added.
On the title of the current chapter of his life, he said, “Still.” “That is such a great title,” he said. “I have a perspective on things that I wanted to share with people.”
In a career that has spanned more than three decades, Steven Curtis Chapman is the most awarded artist in Christian music history with 59 Gospel Music Association Dove Awards, five Grammy Awards, an American Music Award, and 49 No. 1 singles. “It’s a crazy thing that I even have a Grammy nomination to my name, so to have five Grammy trophies is awesome,” he said.
Chapman has sold more than 11 million albums with 10 RIAA-Certified gold or platinum albums to his credit. A vocal supporter of adoption, Chapman along with his wife, Mary Beth, founded Show Hope in 2003 a nonprofit organization that helps restore the hope of a family to orphans.
He listed Bruce Springsteen as his dream collaboration choice in music. “I’m a huge Springsteen fan. That would be a fun thing,” he admitted.
Chapman defined success as “continuing to be faithful” and “still being married, having six grandkids, and five kids that love me.” “Real success is having those relationships and still being on this journey with my wife of 37 years,” he said.
For his fans, Chapman concluded, “Thanks for letting me have this conversation with you. Thanks for listening still and I hope that you hear your faithful friend that sounds familiar but also with some new thoughts and some fresh new music. That’s important because the world is changing and life is changing and I want to keep changing with it in all the right ways. I hope it encourages and inspires people. I want to give them art that they can really enjoy.”
To learn more about singer-songwriter Steven Curtis Chapman, visit his official website, Instagram, and Facebook page.
