Hillsong United’s Benjamin Hastings has seen music as a teaching tool for the church to know God. And so, he writes songs that help believers see God in a way they haven’t before.
Benjamin Hastings
The “So Will I (100 Billion X)” singer and songwriter revealed to Christian Headlines that he would be in a classroom in front of the students if he weren’t a worship leader.
“I feel like if I wasn’t in music, I’d probably be a teacher,” he said. “I do feel like, for whatever reason, this calling inside of me that this is kind of what I’m meant to do.”
The 30-years-old artist feels compelled to teach. “I do feel compelled to like kind of pull revelation [from Scripture],” he explained. “And then figure out a way to communicate that to people through art. And hopefully, they listen to the songs and learn something about God they’ve never seen before.”
First Solo Album
Thus, Benjamin embarks on a solo journey with his music.
On November 4, he will release his first solo self-titled album containing 25 tracks.
In an interview with the Christian Beat, Benjamin shared how he came up with the songs. “I kind of went on this journey a few years ago.. it shows all the different sides of me.”
He continued, “I kind of started working on it. And then, after a year, I was like, ‘Is it done? I don’t think so.’ And then I kept working, ‘Is it done? I don’t think so.’ By the end, we had 25 songs.”
Ultimately, the record talks about the struggles of faith and God. It “explores the ongoing wrestle of exercising faith. But his hope is that somewhere in its humanity, you find something divine.”
“Afte all, sometimes you gotta lie in the dirt just to stare at the stars,” his biography wrote describing his songs.
And although Benjamin is working solo, he is still a member of Hillsong United. “I feel really honored to get to do both, and I’m trying my best to juggle it,” he said. “I’ve got a very gracious family.”
Reference: Christian Headlines