JOURNEY's JONATHAN CAIN: The Christian Music Community Can Sometimes Be 'A Little Hypocritical'

JOURNEY's Jonathan Cain, who began a Christian music career with 2016's "What God Wants To Hear", the following year's "Unsung Noel" and 2019's "More Like Jesus", was asked in a new interview with Robert Cavuoto of Myglobalmind if it's difficult to keep his religious fans happy considering that he is mostly known for his secular songwriting efforts. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, sometimes. The Christian music community, sometimes it seems a little hypocritical, if you will, and they can judge someone like me and say, 'Well, how can you possibly be anointed? You play secular music with JOURNEY.' Well, why don't you listen? Give it a shot. There'll be people who'll come on and trash me online — I get 'em all the time — and I just have to go, 'You know, I do this with God, and we do this together, and if those people don't like it, they don't like it.' It's not for everyone, certainly. I don't try to evangelize. I just wanna minister, if I can. If something hits 'em, people that hear some of this stuff go, 'Wow, this is fresh. It doesn't sound like anybody else.' I'm, like, good. I don't wanna sound like anybody else. But I have been criticized, [like], 'How dare you even try?'," he added. "And I just kind of dismiss it."

Earlier this year, Cain released his acclaimed solo studio album "Arise". The iconic artist's sixth faith-inspired full-length project since 2016, the LP features the American Songwriter- and The 700 Club-featured single "Oh Lord Lead Us" that became Cain's biggest solo hit to date.

Last month, Cain released "Christmas Is Love" from Identity Records with The Fuel Music distribution. Produced and written by Cain with all but one track recorded, mixed and mastered at Addiction Sound Studios by David Kalmusky (Justin Bieber, THE FRAY, Keith Urban),the EP is a five-song holiday offering highlighting the remarkable story of the birth of Jesus in the opening track, "Hope Was Born", and marveling at the miracle in "Who Is This Child" while underscoring the core message in the title track.

Along with his solo music, Cain wrote and recorded new music with his band JOURNEY, releasing "Freedom", the band's first album of all new songs in over a decade, in July. Cain has written or co-written such massive radio hits as "Faithfully", "Who's Crying Now", "Open Arms" and the best-selling catalog rock song in iTunes' history, "Don't Stop Believin'".

The last few years have been some of the most productive in Cain's prolific career. He has released "What God Wants To Hear" (2016),"Unsung Noel" (2017),"The Songs You Leave Behind" (2018),"More Like Jesus" (2019),"Piano Worship" (2020) and "Arise" (2022). He also authored a Rolling Stone-lauded, Publishers Weekly-bestselling memoir, "Don't Stop Believin': The Man, The Band, And The Song That Inspired Generations" (2018),which chronicles his early days with THE BABYS and his accomplishments with JOURNEY and BAD ENGLISH.

Photo credit: Micah Kandross