Country Star Hillary Scott Says New Christian Album 'Love Remains' Was God's Will (Interview)
Scott first announced her upcoming album in an open letter on Facebook along with her first single, "Thy Will." The faith-based country collection, Love Remains by Hillary Scott & The Scott Family is her first solo venture since selling more then 11 million albums worldwide with mainstream country band Lady Antebellum.
When asked if she was afraid of the stigma that comes with doing counter-cultural Christian music, she replied: "Not at all!"
"It was just something that was in my heart. God put it in my heart and I felt like making this album with my family was us, as a family, walking in obedience. I think I was more concerned [about] coming across in making this record [that] I'm making this record because I figured out how to live life and I know what I'm doing," she said.
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"I never wanted to send the message that, 'OK, I made a faith-based record, I know all the answers now.' Because I think that's sometimes an assumption that's made."
The Tennessee native added that her "biggest fear out of all of this" is that people will associate her Christianity with perfection.
"My faith has deepened and I've grown, like the first song on the record, "Beautiful Messes." I never wanna send the message that I've got it all figured out because I'm the most broken person I know. I am just in a constant search, seeking God's will for my life and my family and [trying to] figure out how to navigate life, which is really beautiful but it's a mess."
In creating Love Remains, Scott said her prayers were, "God give me the words" and asking that He would give her "every ounce of strength" needed to move forward in it.
"I was being obedient to Him and He was so faithful along the way, just continually giving us affirmation," she said. "A positive word of encouragement from someone or a door opening or having a really cool opportunity come to us in reference to the record. It was just continual confirmation that we were on the right path, and so that helped with a lot of the anxiety or fear."
Scott told CP that she recalled saying to herself: "'This is what I'm suppose to be doing and this is what I'm suppose to be saying right now. I'm just really, really thankful to be one of the voices that gets to sing these songs and talk about what God has done in my life."
Love Remains started off as a family passion project, as explained in a promotional video in which she revealed that the concept initially came from her father who wanted to create an album of hymns with family and friends. As Scott contemplated her dad's request to make the record she decided she wanted the world to hear it.
"I think that there are people everywhere, all over the world, in this country, everywhere you look who are hurting; who are trying to figure out how to process and navigate things that happened in their life and just need a positive place to go and to listen, and feel loved and encouraged and not be afraid," she shared.
"I feel like with everything that's going on in our lives, in our world. I mean, if you watch the news for 5 minutes you can get stirred up into a tizzy of fear," she continued. "I just felt like these songs and just our family, even though we have our dynamic and stuff, we are still unified as family.
"And I felt very strongly about wanting to encourage people — to make them feel like they're getting a hug from us and feeling like right where they are and whatever they are going through they are loved and loved with the love of Jesus, with the love of God, and not just me as a human being who loves people. It's that total Almighty God, unconditional love, and to feel His presence as they listen to these 13 songs."
