Lakewood Music on bringing 'authentic' worship music to hurting generation: 'Grace abounds in darkness'

By Leah MarieAnn Klett, Assistant Editor Sunday, December 25, 2022

Lakewood Music members Alexandra Osteen and Ramiro Garcia have reflected on the importance of highlighting the goodness of God through song and using worship music as a medium to offer hope to a hurting world.

The group, which launched out of Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, recently released their sophomore album Shout!, which includes the hit songs "Can I Get An Amen?" and “Yahweh.” The band is made up of Osteen’s daughter, Alexandra Osteen, along with Tauren Wells, Ramiro Garcia, Deborah Orta, Daniel Martinez, Joe Catuby, Jamie Garcia, Arthur Ceker, Abel Orta Jr., Aylssa Padilla, James Orta and Louie Garcia.

The group is currently on tour with Grammy-nominated artist Wells, who also leads worship at Lakewood Church.

In an interview with The Christian Post, Osteen said the group strives to highlight the goodness of God and the hope found in Jesus through their music. She stressed the importance of singing biblical truth over the lives of believers.

“God is a good God, but we have to believe it, and we have to live a life that reflects that,” she said. “So that's really what we want to do with our music, just remind people of the truth found in Jesus, of His goodness and of His promises and the hope that you can have if you choose to believe it. Just putting those words in our mouth, and being aware and that of what we say, that it comes to pass in our life.”

Ramiro Garcia, who was born without ears and was expected to grow up mute, shared how music has transformed his own life and said he wants to extend the hope he found in Christ to others through song. The artist underwent years of surgical procedures before he was finally able to hear.

“The Bible says that there's power in the words, the power of life and death is in your words,” he said. “We see songs as declarations; if we can get somebody to sing a song of freedom, they will sing their way into freedom. If we see songs of hope, they're going to be encouraged and find hope.”

The singer said the band strives to incorporate a variety of sounds into their music, reflective of Lakewood Church, America's largest church and one of the nation's most racially and socioeconomically diverse.

“Ultimately, I think our goal is to help people find freedom, to find hope, to be encouraged, to have joy,” he said. “Yeah, we write songs that will make people dance, but we also sing songs that will bring people into freedom, which is really why we write music.”

In August, Lakewood Music debuted “Can I Get an Amen” at Yankee Stadium for Joel Osteen’s "Come Home to Hope Event.” Alexandra Osteen described the song as an "anthem for people to declare God's promises."

"The meaning of the song is so special to us. God says His promises are 'yes and amen,'" she said. "He's given us His promises, but we have to believe them and declare them over our lives."

The 23-year-old singer also reflected on the importance of ministering to Gen Zers, a demographic that has been described as both the “least Bible-centered” and “most anxious” generation to date.

“I think we do live in a time where it is hard to stand with your faith or really stand with anything,” she said. “But I think, when you get a taste of Jesus and you experience Him, it really changes you. You realize that in the world, there’s so much chaos and confusion, and you need something to stand on. If you find that in Jesus, you realize that there's peace in the midst of all of that. Things are not perfect, life is not perfect, but we can always stand on the love of Jesus.”

Garcia agreed: “I think what they're looking for is something real, something authentic. We don't pretend to be perfect or anything, but really, it's like us offering our talent to God. And just coming from a real place, the songs are actually birthed out of real-life situations. These songs have meaning and power. What the world needs, what this generation needs, is something that’s real, and the power and love of God are real.”

A father himself, Garcia said the band hopes their music can be a tool for discipling the next generation of believers. He cited 2 Timothy 3:1, which says that in the last days, there will be “trouble,” stressing that the light shines brightest in the dark.

“As a believer and as a father, I want to be an example for my daughter of who Jesus is, how He loves people, how He loves us. And that is the foundation and root of what Lakewood Music is doing,” he said. “Even though it might be a hard time now and in the future, grace is going to abound in the darkness. I think God will give us the grace we need to lead our children, our peers, our friends and family, and hopefully, our music helps people do that.”