Jason Nelson Reveals the Heart Behind the Songs on His Latest Project “The Answer”

CCM: Each song is powerful and has such obvious accessibility points for listeners. Was there one in particular that stood out or spoke to you in a special way?

Jason: “Capture my Heart” was one of those songs that just had a flow to it. The more I sang it, the more I feel that this song tells the right story and pulls people into the right space. Our worship is a response that God pulled us out of the stuff we were in. I know in my own life, I wasn’t doing anything crazy, it was just that the totality of my life wasn’t necessarily where it should have been. You sensed the love of God saying you could do better. I knew I could have been doing better, but still sensed the love of God.

CCM: Your previous release, Jesus Revealed, debuted at No. 1 on the Gospel Album charts. Does that kind of success put pressure on you for the next project or provide inspiration and a buoyancy into a new creative space?

Jason: I never put the records in competition. When I get dressed in the morning, I’m not comparing my outfit today with mine from yesterday. In the same token, when I get into the creative space, it’s my truth at that point in time. I wanted this to be more of an eccentric kind of record. It’s a bit of an outlier but still gives a nod to my origins. It’s a sonic throw back to my first album, but we also took some broad chances, capturing a musical and personal evolution.

CCM: As a pastor and artist, is it ever difficult to walk that fine line between entertainment and ministry? Or is there a divide at all for you?

Jason: A lot of artists are afraid of the term entertainment, but they go hand in hand. I think they kind of determine themselves. You can be entertaining and anointed at the same time. It’s a marriage that helps define the space that I’m in. There are some times when you have to be ministry only, certain moments that require you to be more sensitive. You can get lost in thinking you have to entertain, but that must be balanced with ministry. Sometimes you have to pull yourself out of that equation. You can’t be more into you than into God and what He’s doing.

CCM: We’re living in a season of incredible polarity, segregation and judgment. How do you think the church should respond to the fragmented culture around us? What do you hope you convey to people through your life and your music?

Jason: In my opinion, there is a huge disconnect between what people think the church should represent and what the responsibility of the church at large truly is. We’ve gotten away from the idea of representing the Kingdom and have decided to segregate community from community, ideology from ideology. There are so many sects of people who are stuck on this thing or that thing. Given the current political and social climate, the church has to find away to navigate through this narrative and be steadfast on proclaiming what they Bible says. God doesn’t care about political parties or factions; our response is and should be to people. My goal is for people to know that I love God with all my heart. My intention in life is to please Him.