Jonny Loa: We've released a number of studio recordings over the years, but this definitely is the first song we've put out having more of an involved production process, including coupling the release of the song with a music video to go with it. As far as the number of songs we have posted on our Facebook page, there's kind of a story behind that. Up until 2021, we would write songs pretty sporadically, and once we started having kids, we'd average maybe one new song a year or so. So in March of 2021, we joined a creative group led by filmmaker/online magician Zach King and his creative director at the time, Mark Sommerville. They basically taught us to create our best work consistently, and since then, we've written way more songs and had many more song ideas than in all of our previous years of songwriting combined. It was revolutionary for us, and so we decided to post live videos of our songs as we finish them.

Jonny: Love this question! So, shortly after Lacey and I got married, she started working at the local high school as a special ed teacher's aide. At her suggestion, I began coming in from time to time to play songs on my guitar for the kids. I mostly played Disney songs, but at a certain point, I just felt a strong urge to play something that communicated to them how loved and valued they are. It was one of the first songs Lacey and I wrote together, and we were grateful the kids were pretty responsive to it. We were definitely wanting to make it as accessible as possible.

Jonny: Thank you! So that's our church's Nord Electro 6D piano. I asked J.M. Gamble, a brother at church who plays, to jump on the recording, so on the day of, he just started playing with the setting it was already in—you were close with the Rhodes guess, 'cause we're pretty sure it was the Nefertiti setting. Funny story, Lacey was pretty adamant about keeping the song as minimalist as possible—she basically just wanted acoustic guitar and the voices. It took a lot of coaxing for me to get her to agree to additional instrumentation. Once she heard the keys, though, she was pretty on board with a few more sounds added.

Jonny: Much appreciated! The notion of having a children's choir actually came from one of our musical mentors, Chuck Butler, who heads up the arts ministry at North Coast Calvary Chapel in Carlsbad, CA. At one point, he was facilitating a songwriting critique group, and we decided to present "You Are Loved." We shared the story behind it, and then, after I performed the song for the group, Chuck immediately suggested having a kids' choir on it. We liked the idea but didn't think much about the logistics, as we didn't have any immediate plans for the song at the time. Fast-forward to last year when we felt God giving us the go-ahead to record it—having remembered Chuck's inspired suggestion, we knew having a kids' choir was a must. Our church (Reach Jacksonville) is very much a family-oriented church, and we have the blessing of having a lot of friends with kids. Perfectionist Jonny initially thought to hold auditions, but then, not wanting to convey an air of exclusivity, we made it an open invitation, with one condition: the kids needed to really want to do it. We are so grateful that a decent number of kids were interested, and for our engineer, Peyton Bolt, who gave us exactly what we were hoping for in tracking the kids' parts.

Jonny: I hadn't thought about "You Are My Sunshine," but singing the songs side by side, I can definitely hear the similarities! It makes sense, as we have veered pretty heavily in an old Americana direction with a number of the songs we've written. As far as our musical inspirations, from an early age I would hear my dad play Larry Norman, Daniel Amos, Steve Taylor, "Slow Train" era Bob Dylan, Charlie Peacock, and a lot of other similar artists. The first song I remember falling in love with was "Christianity" by Lifesavors. It connected strongly with my six-year-old soul, as it was just so fun, catchy, and rock and roll—I listened to it pretty much non-stop. As I got older, I got into a lot of music I don't really listen to anymore, but suffice it to say, I love so many of the melodies and musical sensibilities of '60s rock, R&B and folk, '70s pop rock, power pop and folk-pop, '80s punk and new wave, '90s alternative rock, new school punk and ska, and some of the sounds of the garage bands and indie pop of the '00s. These days our playlists consist of Half-Handed Cloud, Joy Electric/Ronnie Martin, Young Oceans, Josh Garrels, and a few others, along with a lot of the music my dad introduced me to when I was little. We have much admiration for artists who show commitment to glorifying God and do so with beauty, curiosity, and a spirit of risk and adventure.

Jonny: Right now, we're pretty focused on giving the Lord time and space to help "You Are Loved" find its legs and have room to run, if you will. I mentioned earlier that we have some previous releases—our current thought is to re-release some or all of them, then start grouping our other songs together for additional releases, really wanting to do so in a way that is thoughtful and intentional, and most importantly, Spirit-led. To be honest, it's a challenge for me to stay focused on the task at hand, as my natural inclination is to always be working on something new, but the Lord has been so gracious over the years in teaching me (directly by His Word and His Spirit, and through Lacey) the value of resting in Him, waiting on, and trusting in His timing.

Jonny: It's funny, there's been so much time, energy, personal investment, and, frankly, many spiritual attacks associated with this project, that just releasing it was such a victory and an answer to prayer. Having been given the blessing of putting out a song that's been marinating in our hearts for so many years, and to do so alongside a video showcasing the talents and dedication of our friends Brandon Starr (artwork) and Tim Shanley (video editing) has been pivotal for us and our ministry. But yeah, our hope and prayer for this project is that it would reach the ears, minds, and hearts of everyone who needs it. I know that may come off as corny, but for Lacey and me, we've worked with a lot of those people both professionally and ministerially—kids with disabilities, kids who have been taken advantage of and treated like trash by their parents and other people they trusted, elderly widows and widowers who are sad and disappointed with how their lives turned out, young people desperately looking for validation from their peers, and so on. We feel strongly that the message of imputed value and unconditional love, especially for those loaded down with dirt and emotional scars and bruises, is so needed in this day and age, and when received, can serve as prime soil for the work God can and wants to do in people's lives.