God’s timing is funny sometimes. He can take a six year-old girl who dreaded piano lessons to a young woman who is spreading Jesus’s name and love with her music. We just never know until we get His call.
Anne Wilson got that call, and over the past month, she’s made the most of it. Her debut multi-track single, My Jesus, is reaching listeners far and wide on a spiritual level, even reconnecting some listeners with the Lord after they’ve admittedly questioned His timing. Wilson has found her calling, and with My Jesus, she’s done it well.
We chatted with Wilson about hearing God’s call to praise His name, the overwhelming success of My Jesus, what she hopes listeners take away from the collection of tunes, her plans for new music and more!
Pro Country: You began playing piano at six years-old, and you admittedly hated it in your early years. It wasn’t until after your brother’s funeral that you felt called to praise the Lord with your music. Can you talk about getting that calling, trusting it and following it?
Anne Wilson: When I was walking up on stage to perform “What A Beautiful Name,” I sat down at the piano, and right before I put my fingers on the first chord on the piano, I heard God’s voice for the first time. He spoke to me that day and he said, “This is what I’m going to do. I’m calling you to praise and worship my name.” That was the moment in my life where I knew what I was called to do.
PC: In 2017, you posted a cover of Hillsong’s “What a Beautiful Name,” that quickly went viral. Given the connection that you had with the song, what was it like for you as you saw it continuing to reach people in mass?
AW: I feel so blessed that so many people have connected with that song and it’s been able to touch so many lives. We go through things and God does things that we don’t understand, but he has a plan in that.
PC: Given your unique road to pursuing music, what emotions were you feeling as you were preparing to release your debut multi-track single, My Jesus?
AW: I feel so grateful and blessed for all that has happened with My Jesus. Seeing God’s plan for my life come to fruition and seeing how he brought something beautiful from the tragedy with my brother Jacob is the biggest thing that’s on my heart. It’s been a whirlwind of emotions, but super exciting that I have been able to release the songs to the world for the first time ever.
PC: The song “My Jesus” quickly went to number one on the iTunes Christian Singles chart, earned a spot on major playlists on Spotify, Apple Music and Pandora, and it has been viewed or streamed hundreds of thousands of times across platforms, all in just one week since its release. What has the past week-plus been like for you as these things continued to happen in rapid succession? When did you know the song was special?
AW: That time for me was amazing and it was so cool to see the response to it. I think the thing about My Jesus that people are wanting, or at least I hope I continue to want, is the personal aspect of a relationship with God.
PC: You posted a video to social media of “My Jesus” being played on the radio for the first time. With the accomplishments we discussed before and now knowing your song will be played over airwaves all over the country, did you ever foresee anything close to that happening to you, even in your wildest dreams?
AW: No, not at all. I think everyone on my team can speak for that, it was definitely out of nowhere. I had only released three songs, and then within like two days, they went to the top of the charts, and that alone is just insane. For radio stations then to pick it up so quickly was just so exciting. We would have never dreamed this.
PC: “Devil” is quite sonically unique amongst the three songs on the My Jesus collection, and is almost reminiscent of a Miranda Lambert or Carrie Underwood rocking sound. Can you talk about the sonic inspiration you had with the track?
AW: I’ve grown up listening to country music, and when I was starting to write songs, I really wanted to capture a part of Kentucky in my songs. I’ve always been a fan of country music, and so I wanted to incorporate that into “Devil” as well. When we wrote the song, it was such a powerful day because it was just declaring that you have no hold over us and that God brought life and death to the devil.
PC: “Something About That Name” is the final song on the My Jesus collection, and is a song you co-wrote with Colby Wedgeworth and Ethan Hulse. Can you take us into the writing room and tell us the inspiration behind the song?
AW: My family has a five hundred acre farm in Kentucky, and one day I was working on song titles and different things. I heard God’s voice clear as day, and it was a super special moment. We were all midway through the day and I was just overwhelmed by God and how good he is. When you think about the power that this man has, there’s something so special about that name, Jesus. It was a day that I’ll never forget for sure.
PC: You’ve certainly been through a lot since the release of the My Jesus collection on April 16. In the time that has followed, what are you most proud of? What has been your favorite moment?
AW: I would say reading the comments. There was one comment in particular that stands out in my mind. It was a mom who lost her son about 10 years ago to cancer, and she messaged me saying that she had been mad at God and resented him because of her son dying. She heard the song and then came across the video, and after she watched it, she decided to re-evaluate her life and let go of that anger towards God. That was one of those moments where I was like, “This is absolutely insane that God is using this song not just to impact people where they like the song, but he’s using the song to literally take people that have been through tragedy and turn their hearts back towards Him.”
PC: What do you hope listeners take away from the My Jesus collection after listening all the way through?
AW: I pray that they are able to hear Jesus and feel the presence of God when they listen to my songs. I want them to come into a relationship with him that they already know the Lord. Through each of the songs, even though they’re different, they have different messages behind them. The main part behind all three songs is that Jesus is real and personal and that you can know him deeply and intimately.
PC: You’ve accrued well over 60,000 followers on TikTok and are quickly approaching one million likes on the platform as well. Given its significance in the music industry over the past year or so, how important has the platform been for you and how have you been able to use it to spread your music and message?
AW: It’s an amazing kickoff. It has its own algorithm, so I get a lot of messages from people who are not Christians and decided to give their life to the Lord because they saw a video of mine. I’ve been able to spread the gospel a lot further than I would have been able to without It, and especially it reaches my generation specifically.
PC: Of the things you can control, what are your plans for the rest of 2021?
AW: We have some shows coming up this summer and then I also have more music coming out soon. I can’t give away too much, but I’m so excited for everyone to hear the music.
Pro Country 
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