The country artist shed light on his deep love for contemporary Christian music, which he said "grounds" him.
Country singer and performer Jimmie Allen is opening up about his love for contemporary Christian music. Ahead of Friday's K-Love Fan Awards, the annual Christian music fan-voted awards ceremony, the 36 year old shared how he would listen to Christian radio station K-Love and worship music station Air1 "all the time" and how Christian music "saved" his life.
"It grounds you," Allen, who served as an on-stage presenter at this year's K-Love Fan Awards told the Christian Headlines. The country singer first rose to fame when he appeared as a contestant in the 10th season of "American Idol" in 2011. In 2021, he won the Country Music Association Award for New Artist of the Year, making him the second Black artist to win the category.
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Country Singer Sheds Light on How Christian Music Saved Him
Allen said in the interview that his influences include several Christian artists such as Mike Purkey-who was his mother's favorite singer-the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, Fred Hammond, Bee Bee and Ce Ce Wynans, DC Talk and Andrae Crouch.
"I love Christian music," Allen, who "grew up Christian" and today remains faithful, explained. "I'm a huge Christian music fan and I've always wanted to do songs with Christian artists.."
Allen shared that not only does he enjoy Christian music as a listener, but he also credits it as something that had saved his life when he was in a dark place. He admitted, "About a year ago, I was in a rough place. And Maverick City Music's music saved my life - literally."
Maverick City Music is a multi-award winning contemporary worship music collective and record label founded by Tony Brown and Jonathan Jay. Allen shared that when he met the group's Chandler Moore, he shared his insights on Christian music.
"I told him that...Every genre is important, but for [me], personally, there's something special about Christian music that grounds me and takes me back to my roots, and kind of re-focuses me on where I need to be and what I need to do," Allen recalled. The country singer added that his Christian faith not only played a major role in his career, but also gives him patience.
Allen recounted how it took him 10 and a half years to land a record deal in Nashville and that "without patience, it wouldn't have happened."
"God fight the battle," Allen remarked. "Because a lot of times, we want to step in there and help Him and the only thing we're doing is getting in His way."
Jimmie Allen Among Country Artists Raising Awareness on Mental Health
Allen has also joined a handful of other country singers and artists who are advocating for mental health awareness. According to Taste of Country, Allen, Michael Ray, Lindsay Ell and Brothers Osborne's John Osborne will be promoting mental health awareness through ACM Lifting Lives' new digital series titled "ACM Lifting Lives Present the Check-In." Allen is no stranger to mental health issues, as he admitted in 2019 that he had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder when he was a teenager. This year, he launched an unreleased, untitled song about his continuous battle against mental health challenges.
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