Provident’s Reunion Records unveils the signing of innovative, pop foursome Anthem Lights to its roster of award-winning artists as the outfit debuts two songs at Christian radio, and heads into the final weeks of its first national tour, playing 27 cities with MercyMe. With soaring vocals and hearts bent on ministry, Anthem Lights is set to release its infectiously melodic self-titled debut on May 10.
At radio, the project’s lead CHR single “Can’t Shut Up” breaks into the charts at No. 27. The lead AC single “I Wanna Know You Like That” is now adding as stations applaud the new track.
Johnny Stone, Program Director for Star99 in New York, says, “The first time I heard Anthem Lights and ‘I Wanna Know You Like That’ I knew I was listening to a top 5, if not a No.1 hit!”
Although the four extremely gifted vocalists did attend Liberty University at different intervals between 2003 and 2009, they didn’t all meet on campus. Instead, Anthem Lights can trace the group’s formation back to the fall of 2007, when singer/songwriter Alan Powell joined forces with then aspiring solo artist Chad Graham. Both were living in Los Angeles to pen songs for Graham’s solo effort. But providentially, it became clear that these powerful, harmonic songs were meant for a group. Within a matter of days, the pieces fell into place, when LU students—Caleb Grimm and Kyle Kupecky—came on board.
Produced by Juan Otero and Seth Moseley, known as The Write Brothers (Newsboys, Me in Motion), and Rob Hawkins (Fireflight, Chasen), Anthem Lights’ 10-song debut carries a message of hope and purpose for believers and non-believers alike.
Powell notes, “We were intentional on being more than just another pop group. We understood our calling – – that we were meant to be more than ‘music business.’ We were called to share the Light we’ve been given. To build people up. To lead the way.”
Kupecky adds, “It comes down to the three things we love: music, entertainment, and Jesus… And the greatest of these is Jesus. We’re here to help people know who Jesus is and connect on a deeper level with Him. For those who don’t know Him, we want to make that introduction, to say ‘your life has a bigger purpose.’ There are such hedonistic messages in our culture—from music, movies and TV—‘if it feels good, do it,’ but we want to give them something that speaks to their soul, to encourage them and support them as they grow up in Christ. And for believers, we just really want to start a fire in them.”
With a wealth of songwriting talent and an arsenal of musical influences including dcTalk, Michael Jackson, One Republic, Stevie Wonder, Gavin DeGraw, tobyMac, and Justin Timberlake, Anthem Lights has fashioned a dramatic pop experience that is all their own.
Powell says of the band’s sonic approach, “We wanted it to sound big, textured, layered, to give you that feeling of being swept away, and to really connect with pop music fans. But we wanted it to have an edge too. Live instrumentation is important to us as a group, so we wanted to keep that authenticity and accessibility… incredible keys, real guitars and real drums. With those barometers, we were confident in our producers and their great musical sensibilities.”
Currently, Anthem Lights is performing with MercyMe, Jars of Clay, The Afters, Matt Maher and others on the “Rock & Worship Roadshow Tour,” playing 20+ markets through March 13 including Chicago, Seattle, Portland, Phoenix and Sacramento.
Beginning March 24, Anthem Lights will perform 25 dates with Building 429 and Revive though
May 1, before kicking off a summer schedule packed with performances at 16 summer festivals, including AtlantaFest, Six Flags Great America, Carowinds – Sonfest, Alive Festival, Big Ticket Festival, Six Flags Wonderland – Wonder Jam, Lifest, Paramount’s Kings Dominion, King’s Island / SpiritSong Festival, Kingdom Bound, Higher Ground Festival, Unity Festival and Lifelight Festival.
About Anthem Lights:
Formed in the backdrop of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, the members of Anthem Lights have now partnered with some of the music industries brightest talents to fully capture the essence of their potential. With the help of the production team of Juan Otero & Seth Mosley aka The Write Brothers (Newsboys, Me In Motion), and producer Rob Hawkins (Fireflight, Chasen), the Anthem Lights self-titled debut is poised to make a significant impact for Christian Music listeners in 2011.
