Artist Spotlight: Jason Bare

When asked what makes Christmas so special to him, Jason Bare laughs and says “everything!” Of course, Christmas represents the beautiful birth of Jesus but for Bare, it’s so much more. The first song he ever wrote was during Christmas and recording a Christmas album has always been dream of his. For these reasons and more, it wasn’t hard to decide that Christmas 2011 was the time for his debut Christmas album, an EP titled “Have You Heard.”

“I’ve always wanted to do a Christmas album,” Bare says, “so this is really the fulfillment of a life-long dream.”

Honoring Christmas tradition and his own creativity was a priority for Bare. The five-song album includes ‘What Child Is This,’ a seasonal favorite with a unique twist.

‘What Child Is This’ is one of my favorite classics but we wanted to add a new chorus and bridge to make it ours,” Bare says.
 
Another hit on the album is the title track, ‘Have You Heard,’ a song Bare says was a divine word from God. Kingdom Life Ministries in Virginia, where Bare leads worship, hosts a yearly Christmas experience on Christmas Day. This year the experience is called ‘Have You Heard.’

“I was driving home from church and if ever there was a divine word from God, I had one. I immediately knew I had to go home and write this song.”

Bare returned home, called Felicia Barton, friend, co-writer, and season 8 finalist on American Idol. They opened up a Skype session and the song was written in thirty minutes.

While Bare is now able to immediately identify a moment of inspiration and subsequently create a great sound, that hasn’t always been the case. Even though he was raised in a musical family, he has often felt insecure about his ability to actually fulfill the calling he believed God had given him.

“I spent so much time being insecure,” he says. “When I finally realized that God won’t give me a purpose without everything I need to fulfill it, I realized that I have a God-given gift. It’s taken me 36-years to be able to say that.”  
    
Ironically enough, that place of struggle has now become the platform from which Bare ministers. He has realized that speaking about purpose and destiny and seeing people changed has been the highlight of his career.
    
Also unexpected has been the success of his young, independent career. With the start of his new album “Beautiful Design” came his own label, Madicah Records. Almost immediately, Bare began to receive attention from radio and distribution companies, two aspects of the music business that most independent artists usually find most challenging. Whether or not Bare will decide to pursue a major label deal is still undecided.
    
“I’m not really worried about whether or not I’ll work with another label or not. I like where I am now, especially because I have good control over what I do. I am all about living in the moment and being in the now—and this is where God has me.”
    
Learn more about Jason Bare and his music at

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