Bethel Music's Emmy Rose Is Declaring Faith Through Song In Their New Album 'Victory'
I got to chat with Bethel Music's Emmy Rose about "Victory," her musical journey, and how God has shaped the whole experience.
Born and raised just 45 minutes from Seattle, Emmy Rose knew she was born to create music. Whether it was writing her own songs or leading worship in her youth group, Rose felt a deep passion for music and pursuing God. "I always knew I loved music," says Rose. "I wrote songs when I was young and just loved singing. I always had a feeling I would do something with music, but I didn't know worship music was a thing until I was 15 when I got saved. At that point, it all made sense. [I said] "Oh I have this background, I love music, I love writing, but I've always been hungry for God." When I met God I was like "Oh [put] the two together! That's my thing, that's what I'm supposed to do." From then I knew I was called to do [music] and I kept pursuing it anywhere I could." Rose's desire to follow God through music would ultimately land her a spot in Bethel Music.
Originating from Redding, California, Bethel Music is a worship ministry that strives to pursue God through music. Comprised of a team of 17 artists, members of Bethel Music have given a voice to God's goodness through many seasons of one's faith journey. Their recent album "Victory," which released at the beginning of this year, encourages listeners to embrace life's battles the way God intended: through worship.
Rose experienced her own battles in her journey to Bethel Music. She is featured on one of the album's tracks named "Promises Never Fail" written by Brian Johnson, and found it challenging to take on someone else's work since this was her first experience singing something she hadn't written herself. "It was definitely weird," Rose admits. "I prayed about it because if this [wasn't] the song I [was] meant to sing then obviously I [didn't] want to take it just to sing something, but I really felt [called] to [embrace] it. [The song] had enough meaning to me personally that I could sing it as if it were my own."
"Promises Never Fail" explores the way God always fulfills his promises in any season, and Rose found this theme fitting to her faith journey. Although she believes the Lord gave her this song for others to learn from, she also believes He put it in her life for her to hold onto personally. "[Promises Never Fail] has actually come at a really beautiful and unique and challenging season for me. Just the timing of it felt very strategic that the Lord would give me my own 'fake' song. I felt like I was in this juxtaposition of promises are happening and being fulfilled and yet there are so many uncertainties within that space or within the season," Rose describes. "I definitely felt like the bridge especially became an anthem for me to stand on the words that [God has] spoken even when my situations look opposite. Even when I thought it would feel like this or I thought it would look like [that], the Lord just reminds me over and over and over again that what He's spoken, He'll see through."
Although Rose found it difficult to take on a song that she didn't write, she believes God intended for her to take on the challenge and learn from this new experience. "By the end, I felt like it was my song," Rose describes. "[It was] that interesting place of [where] it came to be something that felt like mine over time and that I felt like I could sing with conviction. But it took a little bit of time to get to that place."
It's no wonder Rose found God's timing so convenient since these past few months have been a whirlwind of quickness, change, and uncertainty. Originally a graduate from Azusa Pacific in Southern California and leading worship at a local church, Rose decided to follow God's call and leave everything behind to attend Bethel for their ministry school. "I didn't have any plans or really [any] desire to come. I definitely loved what was coming out of Bethel, but I was just doing my thing. I was content with where I was at and the Lord just called me to Bethel. [It was one of those moments like] 'Are you sure, Lord?', but I definitely felt super strongly that I was supposed to go. I just gave up everything and I came here in faith, not necessarily to join Bethel Music."
After three years in the ministry school, she was approached by Brian Johnson and Joel Taylor to join the Bethel Music team. Although the transition was quick and a bit surreal, Rose believes it's all within God's plans for her as an artist. "Now I feel at this place where I definitely feel a part of it and it feels like a family I'm connected to, a house I'm a part of and representing," says Rose. "I think the Lord has prepared me through different seasons for this part of my story and it definitely feels sweet, but looking back I can see how [the Lord] wove everything together to allow this to happen."
Rose can testify to how following God's calling is rewarding, for her faith has been transformed and strengthened through her experience with Bethel Music and the making of "Victory." "I think when you're involved in something that's bigger, it's even more necessary to remember what God has said and to walk in that with confidence. And so for me, it's just been declaring, declaring, declaring, remembering, remembering, remembering what he has said and that's really what this process has been like for me settling into a new community and a new family," Rose explains. "I have this vision [of what] it looks like, how all the pieces fit together, and that's been more of my process: hold to it, walk in it, hold to it, walk in it."
Just as "Promises Never Fail" has reminded Rose to trust in God through whatever season she's going through, she hopes audiences will also be reminded of this truth when listening to the song and "Victory" as a whole. "I think my hope in every season with the Lord is hearing from Him and the words that He gives me through scripture and through just speaking to me and encountering. They are sustenance in any season," she affirms. "What is cool about this song is it pushes people to find out what the Lord is saying over their own lives and declare that in any season. I'm hoping it pushes people to the Lord to find out what He's saying, what His plans are, what His purposes are for those individuals and for them to take that and run with it."
