Hollyn – True

CCM Magazine: Prior to the release of One-Way Conversations, you said, “The album needed to start with most the important thing to me: An honest confession of the loneliness I feel when I’m not in constant relationship with God or anyone else I care about.” Can you tell the story behind writing that opening song, “Can’t Live Without”?
Hollyn: Of course. If I’m being super honest, I actually wrote the song at probably one of the most confusing times of my life. I was on a tour about six months ago, and during that time, I was really confused about what the Lord was saying to me, and where He was telling me to go. I had a lot of people in my ear telling me to make music “this way,” or being influential in my life. I wanted that advice, but at the end of the day, I didn’t really know what I wanted. It was confusing everyone.

I remember touring on the west coast and being apart from them, along with my community and my family, and I had to be away by myself. I realized, at the end of the day, I have to [write this record], but I can’t live without the love from my community and their support.

I felt so isolated and just had to spend time—one-on-one–with God. I know that sounds super-generic, but it’s so true, and I had to really clear my head and listen to His voice.

photo: Lee Steffen

CCM: What were some of the things you were wrestling over that time?
Hollyn: Definitely direction and clarity on what God was calling me to do because, I don’t know if you know this, but my album is actually on iTunes as a pop album. We were debating on whether to do this album in the contemporary Christian market, or the mainstream market. Which, I am a believer—and I want to make music about what I believe in—so we were really confused because we didn’t want to put off anybody. But I felt like God was calling me to write in this direction, and so I did.

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