By Grace Hooley | Contributor
As the band starts to play, these words fill Rediger chapel:
"Though the earth may try, to blind me from your goodness
You shine through
You're the only one who
Fills me up
You're the only one."
Those are lyrics to a song titled "You're the Only One," written by Chris Renzema, a former Taylor student who transferred to Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee in the fall to continue his music career. On April 8, he will release a new EP that students can find on iTunes and Spotify.
"It's an album about our inability and weakness falling at the feet of Jesus. Confession that we can't figure life out and we need him," Renzema said.
Renzema's genre is folk-rock. He is inspired by '70s singers Nick Drake and Cat Stevens, along with current singers like Wilco and Tim Coons. His lyrics are mostly influenced by his faith in Jesus. Some of Renzema's songs are sung in Taylor's chapel services and continue to influence students.
"It is a crazy blessing to see little pieces of my journey with Jesus, expressed in songs, intersecting and rippling through other people's stories," Renzema said. "If people grow closer to Jesus (through them), I want people to sing them."
Renzema is a part of a band as well as a solo artist. His group is named "Chris Renzema & the New Nature Choir," and they have been working with Columbia Studio A in Nashville, Tennessee. On Jan. 13, Renzema launched a Kickstarter page to raise the $3,000 needed to record and release his EP. By Feb. 15, the band had reached its monetary goal with a few dollars to spare.
While his album release date is determined, the future is still wide open for Renzema. After graduating from Belmont University, he plans to work in ministry. Renzema will continue his work in music no matter where he goes.
"Whether I'm financially supported or not, I will never stop my music career," Renzema said. "As long as I'm writing songs, I will want to share them, in whatever capacity I can."
