Capitol CMG artist Anne Wilson released her full-length debut album ‘My Jesus’ this week and the compilation of emotional declarations comes from the young singer’s experience with tragedy and how God’s tangible presence got her through.
Raised in Lexington, Kentucky, Wilson, who grew up in a Christian home, said she didn’t really know the Lord until the seventh grade when a Bible teacher went to her school and explained the love of Jesus in a way that resonated with her.
What she didn’t know at the time was how much she’d soon be depending on her relationship with God to carry her through the next season of her life.
“We were so close and he died tragically in a car accident and died on impact,” she continued. “So out of nowhere the police come to our house in the middle of the night and tell us the news. As you can imagine, it’s very devastating to receive news like that.”
The tragedy of Jacob’s death was devastating for Wilson and her family but amid the heartache, they found comfort in Jesus.
“Instead of turning from Him, we chose to walk closer to Him through that time,” she said. “So I became on fire for the Lord and we just chose to trust Him. We saw the Lord do a lot of really incredible things and [He] was just so faithful and kind to me and my family and it was such a sweet season.”
Upon hearing of her brother’s death, Wilson felt compelled “such a strong way” to sit at the piano and worship for the first time. Although she had played the piano her entire life she had never felt compelled to worship before. Her mother heard her singing and asked Wilson to sing at her brother’s funeral, which launched her music career.
“When he passed away, I just wanted to worship God and I found myself, instead of turning to medication or alcohol or something else, it was like I wanted to turn to the Lord for my medicine. When I needed comfort, or when I needed just to be comforted, [I’d] go straight to the piano and worship and sing,” the 20-year-old explained.
“I ended up making a YouTube video of the song that I sang at the funeral and posted it on YouTube,” Wilson added. “That was what ended up going viral and I met my manager from that video and that’s how everything started. I started working in the industry and doing co-writes and really just processing all the loss of Jacob and what I had gone through with him, and then ended up signing a record deal in 2019 and started walking down the path of being a Christian artist.”
Wilson described herself as being on “fire for God” and said others can follow suit by having their own personal relationship with God.
“I think one of the most important things that my parents learned through this whole thing was, ‘We’ve raised Anne in this great Christian home but yet, she didn’t become a Christian until she found Jesus on her own,’” Wilson told CP. “For me, I had to get over myself; I had to start living for the Lord, I had to start seeking Him daily. It also got to a point where I realized I can’t continue to live for the world anymore and I don’t want to continue to walk down the path that I’m walking down, because I realized that was never going to get me anywhere but destruction.”
“So I would just encourage young girls that are around my age or younger walking through this time. It’s really easy to fall into the ways of the world and give in to temptations, and to peer pressure, and to let the enemy lead you down that path. But for those that stand for truth, and when you stand in who you are as a child of God, and you pursue the Lord, you’re going to be blessed abundantly for that,” she added.
