Chris Tomlin Reminds Us Why the King Is Still the King

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There is no doubt that Chris Tomlin’s music has reached heights that not even he thought they would. As Chris Tomlin gears up for his eighteenth album release titled The King is Still the King, he is reminded that it’s all about God. “I would've never dreamed that God would've let me be a part of what I've gotten to be a part of in music and people's lives. From those early days till now, it's been the same, still trying to do the same thing. Nothing's really changed. It's just that I keep following where he leads me. I've just been trying to give people a voice to worship God, to connect with God, to lead people, to worship him. What an incredible time it’s been to live through.”

Crosswalk: Where were you at spiritually when you were putting this album together?

Chris Tomlin: It’s been three years since I put out new music. I put my heart and soul into this, and there's so much intention in this record. I feel it's maybe the best work, album, I’ve done. This album feels special to me. There are so many different moments and different things that came together in this record.

CW: You brought back some of your original songs on this album? 

CT: The whole sequence of the album is that there's a reason for it. It's connected in so many ways. I used to lead in the mid-nineties. The king is still the king. I've been doing this for thirty years, and each song I’ve sung still holds true to it, whether I sang it thirty years ago or today.

CW: What were some core values that you were reminded of while recording this album? 

CT: I've seen a lot of governments fall, we’ve seen kingdoms rise, kingdoms fall, people rise and fall. Our hope and what I continually try to point people to is that we're part of a greater kingdom, we're part of an everlasting kingdom. It's something that's greater than what we see here. I love how worship reminds us of that.

CW: In the album, you symbolize the crown. Why? 

CT: T, On the cover of this record, there are two crowns, and it's the crown of thorns and the crown of King of Kings. I wanted to create this image. So, everything you see of me for the next year will have this image on it, because I've never seen those two crowns together. And I thought, this tells the whole story. This is the whole story. Jesus wore two crowns, and when he was on this earth, he wore the crown of thorns.

CW: The album has art elements to it. Why? 

CT: I wanted the art to say so much in this. I’ve not done that before. No one knows my records for my artwork; my wife was teasing me about it.

CW: What have you been doing the last three years? 

CT: I got the opportunity to put the kind of time into the album and really think through every single piece of it and to come up with some moments that are surprising. songs like, Help My Unbelief, I don't think people see that coming from me. I'm excited to see how that lands with people.

CW: What does your writing rhythm entail? 

CT: All the ideas almost always come at night, late at night. I grab my phone, and I sing into it. It can be a simple thought, but usually, the ones that have the most power are always God's Word. Seeing God’s Word affirmed through his people has also brought out songs that I’ve written.

Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Jason Kempin / Staff

MAINA MWAURA is a freelance writer and journalist who has interviewed over 800 influential leaders, including two US Presidents, three Vice-Presidents, and a variety of others. Maina, is also the author of the Influential Mentor, How the life and legacy of Howard Hendricks Equipped and Inspired a Generation of Leaders. Maina and his family reside in the Kennesaw, Georgia area.