With the release of his debut solo worship album, indie artist Kory Miller answered a few questions from JFH's own Michael Carder...
Kory Miller: Hey it's such an honor to meet you and thank you for reaching out! My name is Kory Miller. I was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma and began my music career in college, where I studied music and songwriting. I'm really passionate about honesty and purity of heart in the Bride of Christ and being a voice to restore the worship movement back to being solely focused on ministering to the Lord. I love Jesus and I got to make something to show him just that - an album with the sole focus of ministering to and blessing the Lord.
Kory: I was 15 when the Lord introduced himself to me at a youth camp during worship. I remember the worship leader singing "Fire Fall Down" by Hillsong when I had this encounter. I gave my heart to the Lord, was filled with the Holy Spirit, and immediately felt called into whatever it was the worship leader was operating in. It took years to discover that she was just so in love with the Lord that her songs were releasing open access to the presence of God. Since then, I have been singularly-minded in learning everything I can to make sure I can love Jesus like that. It feels important to say that worship music is not the only way to worship Jesus, not even close. But it is one of my favorite gifts to give him.
Kory: I arrived at Red Rocks Church nearly 9 years ago. I went to college with a few friends that were already working there and when I would visit, I just fell in love with the mission of trying to reach as much of Denver, CO for the Lord. I started there VERY green and I am so grateful for Pastor Shawn and a church body that allowed me to make my way through learning what corporate worship is like Bambi and grow into the worship leader I am today. Our worship director, Tyler Roberts has been my fellow dreamer and it's been an honor to call him leader and to be on the team at Red Rocks Worship for so long now.
Kory: The short answer is that the Lord said so. He was so heavy handed with this entire project down to specific business decisions. To put it plainly, it would have felt more like rebellion to not agree with Him and follow through on this solo project than to wait any longer. The longer answer is that this is a more intense level of surrender to him than I have experienced so far in life and he LOVVESSS when we surrender to him. He and I both know that I have historically had a fear of being seen and known. While it has been an extreme honor to be on the team and lead with RRW for so many albums now, there has always been a level of anonymity that I was and am afforded due to the artist name not saying "Kory Miller." That has always seemed desirable to me as I have always felt it to be safer. Obviously if anyone does any level of digging, you can find my name attached to the work, but it was time to stop hiding and make a public declaration of how much I really, really Love Jesus in a really special, personal way.
Kory: I love this question. I have to start this by saying I just know that Jesus loves his bride, the Church. He is slow to anger and rich in steadfast love for all of us. That said, I have been grieved for a while by the content I've heard go "viral" for the church. If you do a quick search on highest streamed or most sung songs in churches, I'm seeing something a bit dangerous start to happen. The content in a lot of worship songs has a lot more to do with what he can do for us, or how he loves us, or that we're accepted, or how we're gonna get our miracle. And please hear me, I believe with everything in me that all of that is so important to know as a believer. He is so good and he will never fail. But what I feel grieved by for the Church is that we've accidentally put ourselves on a throne as the main character when He is the only one worthy or strong enough to be the cornerstone. Worship is our chance to collectively confess that there is no one greater, no one higher, no one else who is worthy to be loved on and lifted up in that way. On accident, I sometimes feel that the church is worshiping itself. Worship has to be addressed to, about, and for Him alone. So this entire record (with the exception of just one song) was written so purposefully to equip the church with songs to put their focus on Him and love Him. "All To Bless You" is the album title because my friends and I linked arms and spent a full year making Him an extravagant gift to make sure He heard his church once again sing, "worthy are you, Oh Lord to receive blessing, honor, glory and power"
Kory: Thank you so much for listening! The only way to describe the atmosphere is "wild." He inhabits praise, so almost from the get-go it was electric in the room. Our friend, fellow writer, guitarist and vocalist Brinnae Keathley, gave us all a gift to describe what it felt like with the analogy of that scene in Jurassic Park where the little brother is climbing up the electric fence then it suddenly turns on and he gets blasted off the fence. There was a moment (specifically in the song "Very Soon") that the fence turned on. That's as close to incapacitated I've ever been in a worship set. It was bananas and we were all goners. We intentionally ended the night with the song "Sound Mind" which is the one song on this record about what he gives us. And the absolute PARTY that took place was insane. Atmosphere was 10/10
Kory: There is no wrong way to make a record. Well, maybe there is. I'll get back to you on that one as we keep experiencing, but this was for sure different. In the past, we have written songs, fully produced the song, and worshiped live in the room with all we had created. With this project, we knew our main goal was to bless the Lord and to host his presence. So we took a different approach. We wrote the song, got a band that I trust with my life together, set a click and just pointed it down the mountain and sent it. The spontaneous moments on this record are just honest responses to what the Lord was doing in the room. My co-producer, Zach Hartgraves and I really felt like each of the moments were important because we want listeners to be able to sit and enjoy the presence of God and to have an encounter with the Lord like we got to have on the night of the recording.
Kory: This is like picking a favorite kid. I love them all. I'd say if I absolutely had to choose, it would be the song "Very Soon". I love a good high praise + humiliate the enemy song. "Very Soon" felt like an opportunity to give vows to the Lord that we will be a bride that is ready for Him and His return. That feels really special and like a space that isn't often explored in worship songs in terms of the second coming. Overall, if it felt like the Lord was hovering in the room the whole night, this song is where it felt like He put two feet on the ground. We all felt it and we will never be the same.
Kory: I don't know about "cool" but I'd say he's done such a work in me. I know this may come across dramatic or trite, but it's been a terrifying reality for me to release my own music. It's my freshman album. Kind of feels like an unveiling of what I care for, the very best I can do, and to a degree, who I am. To put all of that out there for just anyone to peruse and like/dislike is such an interesting experience. The Lord has taught me how to forfeit dignity to Him in such a big way through this album and that's something that sticks with you.
Kory: I have many friends that are in the CCM genre and wow do they love Jesus so well. I'm beyond proud of all the art my friends are making. Truth be told, my heart burns for purity with the Lord. Blessed are the pure in their heart, for they get to see him. And I want to see him. Worship is by design, intended to be in spirit and in truth, so if there's anything that I'm observing as I've slowly, barely entered that world it's that I feel a great caution from the Lord to not treat his house of prayer like a den of thieves. It's truly the only thing that made Jesus angry-to put a price tag on his presence or to treat him like a commodity. I am tasked with overseeing and managing no one else's heart or motive but my own. So for the time being, I'm extremely observant and hesitant to make "industry decisions" if that makes sense. As for my role in it, I don't know that I'd say I have a specific role in it. My role is to love the Lord with all my heart and if creating music that exists in CCM then I'll steward that as faithfully and as well as I can while staying as close to the Lord as possible.
Kory: I'm a reader. Love getting lost in a book and not answering my 627 (just checked) unopened texts. (Sorryyyy)
Kory: It's been an honor. I've yapped your ear off enough. Would love to say thank you to everyone who has listened to the album and I'm praying that you fall in love with Jesus. He's so good and he loves you dearly.
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