Things have been quiet in Nai and J's camp since the release of their last single two years ago. However, the wait has been twice as long for their latest song "Follow" to see the light of day -- Joel Tanasychuk (the "J" of Nai and J) started writing it all the way back in 2022. Yet for fans of the husband-wife duo, the wait will have been worth it: "Follow" is handily their best song to date. Across the past four years, the song has become an increasingly collaborative project, as Nai and J roped in multiple friends and church members to be co-writers, musicians, and guest vocalists on the track (hence why, on the album artwork, you'll notice that the artist name is branded as "Nai and J & Friends"). The duo's commitment to excellence here is absolutely admirable; they spent an estimated 100+ hours working on writing, editing, recording, and mixing this single. This is the sort of time commitment and collaborator list you'd expect to see for an entire EP, yet they poured this much care into "Follow" with the sincere belief that the song deserved to be as great as possible. That care can readily be heard, with vocal performances, musical breadth, and production quality that raises the bar on all their previous output. The song is also pleasantly succinct, packing a big punch in under 4 minutes (compared to the duo's 2020 EP, Mountains & Valleys, where nearly every track crossed the 5-minute mark). Lyrically, "Follow" is an anthem of surrender, intended to encourage believers to keep following the Lord no matter what. The verses remind us that our God is faithful and unchanging, making him a foundation that we can trust in all circumstances. This beautifully sets up the bridge, which is the song's lyrical and musical high point: "In suffering and sorrow, in sickness and pain / In seasons of waiting for you to make a way / When I walk through the fire / My song will be the same / Lord I surrender." These lyrics are countered in the second half of the bridge, where we're reminded that, even when life's great and we feel like we're on top of the world, we still need to be surrendering ourselves fully to God. Sure, nothing here reinvents the wheel, but the build from the bridge to the final chorus is executed perfectly, buttressed by warm synths and bass, as well as fantastic electric guitar work. My main criticism of the song is that I wish it contained more specifics -- that the lyrics would've leaned away from commonly utilized CCM language and phrases. The song starts with a really cool couplet ("Faithful God who never fails / Always there in the details"), but nothing else in the song feels quite as fresh as that. Nevertheless, I think this song has the potential to powerfully impact people who need to hear its message, and it represents a very exciting beginning to a new stage in Nai and J's career. They've stayed busy over the years with raising children and working full-time jobs, but I sure hope we aren't far away from hearing more songs of the same quality as "Follow."

- Review date: 10/29/26, written by Chase Tremaine of Jesusfreakhideout.com

Record Label: None
Album length: 1 track: 3 minutes, 52 seconds
Street Date: October 30, 2026
Get It: Apple Music

1. Follow (feat. David Unsworth, Melanie Salte & Dave Schneider) (3:52)