Former metalcore drummer now sees worship as a way of life
Ask Christian singer-songwriter and worship leader Aaron Gillespie what the elements of a good worship song are, and his answer will have nothing to do with chord progressions or clever lyrics.
"A good worship song is about the content of your heart," the 28-year-old Florida native says.
Sitting backstage before a concert in Winnipeg at the end of February, Gillespie quotes Psalm 19:14 to help make his point: "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord."
"I think that's what matters [when it comes to worship music]—I think that's all that matters," the fiery-haired husband and father continues. "God doesn't needus to make Him relevant music … He made us to glorify Him."
Gillespie does just that on his new live recording, Echo Your Song. The EP, which can only be purchased online or at Gillespie's live shows, includes two Hillsong covers as well as songs from his 2011 album, Anthem Song.
But worship wasn't always a priority for Gillespie. Although he became a Christian at a young age and made a name for himself as the drummer in Underoath, a popular ministry-oriented metalcore band, Gillespie says he had to "hit rock bottom before I even made [God] a priority."
Although he declines to go into details, he says there was a period in his life where he stopped trusting God. All he cared about was the music industry, and it was having a negative impact not only on his relationship with God, but also his relationship with his wife, Jamie.
Gillespie says that God got his attention when he took a mission trip to Africa. Seeing people who have nothing worshipping so wholeheartedly reminded Gillespie of what's really important.
In 2010, he left Underoath after releasing six albums with the band that sold a combined total of more than a million copies.
"God called me away from Underoath and called me to a place of just being really open and honest about my faith," Gillespie says. "I was in a bad spot for a long time. Just the last few years, God really just grabbed my heart and said, 'You need to either do it or don't. There's no more time for halfing it.'"
Gillespie says that if he's learned anything over the past year playing concerts in support of Anthem Song, it's that worship is a way of life.
"It's your everything—it's not just a song or a time, it's your life," he says. "Whether you're a barista, a doctor, a lawyer, whatever you're doing, [if you're a Christian] you're worshipping the Lord with your life."
Even though he was in the band for 13 years, Gillespie says he doesn't miss playing in Underoath. His focus is on his alt-rock band The Almost, as well as his solo career as a worship artist.
"The reality is, as people who have a public platform, if we're not making Jesus famous, we're wasting the platform," Gillespie muses. "That's how I feel. … I feel like if we're not using our platform for Christ, we missed [an opportunity]."
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