Multi-Grammy award winning duo FOR KING + COUNTRY released with their new single, Love Me Like I Am which features American R&B superstar Jordin Sparks.
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The soulful ballad has amassed more than 30 million streams on Spotify and also topped the Billboard's Christian Airplay charts last February 2023.
In 2019, they headlined Manila's Found Music Festival which was held at Circuit Makati.
We recently interviewed them as they shared more about the song, working with Jordin Sparks and plans to visit the country soon.
Tell us about the story behind the song, Love Me Like I Am?
It is rare that I have song ideas in my sleep. But in this case, the phrase “Love Me Like I Am” came to me in the middle of the night. I woke up with a start, jotted it down on the note, went back to sleep. Woke up the next day, walked into a writing session and said to my brother and Josh Kerr “I have this phrase that I dreamt about, “Love Me Like I am.” “ And Josh said “It’s amazing that you can Love Me Like I Am.” And then we joined another gentleman by the name of Michael Pollack on Zoom and we penned the song in a reasonably short amount of time which is surprising for us as a band. The heartbeat is this idea that when God or anyone close to us or not close to us, sets aside our weaknesses, our faults, our flaws, and our insecurities and just meets us right where we are and loves us. It’s a celebration of that beauty. And to have Jordin Sparks join us on it just elevated this idea and heart to a whole other level.
How does it feel working with Jordin Sparks?
This song is actually what brought “FOR KING + COUNTRY” and lady Jordin Sparks together. She has been an artist and a voice that we have been aware of for quite some time. And we reached out to her and her husband not long after the song was put on the album. And just simply made the ask. Just said, “Hey, this is a song that is near to us. And feels like, based on what we know of you, might be a song that is close to your heart. And she just loved it. Responded beautifully. We were playing at the San Diego County Fair around that time. “So what if you come up, and we record it and you perform it with us at the fair? Then we filmed that and it became this magical 48 hours together where we became fast friends. And I have been connected ever since. The love and the joy and the kindness, not to mention the talent, that Jordin exudes is a thing to behold. And we were thrilled to come alongside her and her to us in this.
Do you guys have any dream collaborations with artists in Asia?
It is no secret that Asia is a magical place. Not only when it comes to food. As it happens to be my favorite food genre. And if I could have Asian food all day, every day, technically I can, I would and I could and I should. And maybe I will. And as far as music is concerned, it feels and seems as though, similarly to their food, they have a deep and magical understanding, particularly of pop music. And so, we can’t or won’t name any specific artist today.. We will say we want to send our admiration and respect to the songwriters and artists that pen these enormous songs. And, if by chance, any of them are reading this and want to give us a ring. We, certainly, love to look at collaborating in some way. Australians and Asians are connected at the hip in some ways because the Philippines and so on are right across the pond from us.
Any plans to visit the Philippines soon?
No direct plans. Although I will say, even down to last week, my wife and I were discussing how in this era of music and the world post-pandemic, how it's really exciting and important to venture all over the world. Who knows? We will see. We don’t have anything booked, contracted, or scheduled right now. But it is something we have had, not only with my wife, but with my brother and the band, many discussions. Hope to find the moment in time very soon.
