God Called Singer Jordan Rowe to Create ‘Kingdom Country’ Music
By Movieguide® Contributor
Singer-songwriter Jordan Rowe is sharing how God’s hand guided his musical career and led him to start making “kingdom country” music.
“I started out in church, like everybody, singing…’Jesus Loves Me.’ That’s where I got started: singing in church and playing the drums in church,” he said while appearing on “The Matthew West Podcast.”
After years playing in a band and going to college, Rowe decided to pursue music in Nashville. He got a publishing deal and was opening for artists on tour, but COVID-19 stopped everything in its tracks.
“Everything was really busy for a season and then, slowly but surely, God just put a stop to all that and just started convicting me, ‘Hey, this is stopping because you’re so busy that you’re not taking time to dig into your true purpose and find out what I’ve got for you,’” Rowe said.
He continued, “Everything pretty much just went away…the touring stopped. I mean, I could not buy a show. I was getting no opportunities as an artist on tour…I just realized I was not where God wanted me to be. He started stripping the team away from me and closing all these doors…and he started to put on my heart to start Music Row Ministries.”
Music Row Ministries was a Bible study group that Rowe started, and he “saw God’s hand on that like crazy.”
However, Rowe was still working hard to make things happen in the country music world.
“Later in that year, I started feeling this drawing towards what I’m calling ‘kingdom country’ now, but at the time, there was really no word for it,” he explained. “It was just country music that was pointing people to Jesus.”
Rowe decided to do a prayer fast and asked God to give him signs of whether he should stop pursuing a musical career, or if he should move in a different direction. The day after the fast ended, Rowe was dropped by his booking agent — but soon found out one of the songs he wrote would be on another artist’s album.
“I think there’s something that happens when we show God in a physical way that we’re serious,” he said.
Rowe continued, “I’ve noticed this characteristic about God, and this is not in the Bible — I mean, this is in the Bible. If you look at different stories in the Bible, you can start to pick up on different traits of God and how He works, and it’s like being around you, I could look at things you do, and I’m like, ‘You know, I bet Matthew [West] would do this in this situation’…one of the patterns I saw in how God works throughout scripture is He likes to do things in a way where only He can get the credit. He’ll take the weakest army, the smallest army, the smallest guy — whatever impossible circumstances to do these miracles where only it can point back to Him, right?…I think that was on purpose because God wanted me to know that ‘I’m the reason you got that.’ That’s it.”
“He will put you in circumstances that seem impossible so that you can know it’s Him when you have the breakthrough,” Rowe concluded.
Now, Rowe is committed to making “kingdom country” music. His latest single, “Heroes,” is “a reminder of who the ultimate hero is, and it’s been a special one to me ever since the day we wrote it,” he wrote on Instagram.
In addition to his new musical success, Rowe is celebrating another milestone — he just got engaged!
“Tori has been by my side through everything the last few years, and I love her love for the Lord, her love for me, and her love for her family and friends,” he posted on Instagram. “Here’s to doing life together!”
Anne Wilson, another up-and-coming singer who’s worked with West, is also bringing her faith to country music. Movieguide® reported:
Christian artist Anne Wilson recently released her second album, “Rebel,” which combines her country and Christian roots.
“I didn’t change who I was. I stuck to who I am and what I believe, and it’s really cool to see how it’s all come together,” she told PEOPLE of her album.
“I was hesitant at first. I said, ‘I’m not gonna change who I am to do country music.’ And [Nashville recording exec Cindy Mabe] said, ‘We want you to be exactly who you are. We don’t want you to change a thing, and we need you to bring God back into country music,’” Wilson recalled.
At just 22 years old, Wilson already received a Grammy nomination for her previous album, “My Jesus,” and two K-LOVE Fan Awards.
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