With 45 Dove Awards, three Grammys and more than 18 million albums sold, Michael W. Smith has long been recognized as one of the most influential artists in contemporary Christian music.
But after four decades in the industry, the 67-year-old husband, father and grandfather is clear-eyed about what, exactly, anchors his personal life and music career.
“My identity is not being Michael W. Smith the artist,” he told The Christian Post. “The things that are near and dear and more important to me are, first and foremost, my relationship with Lord. Then my family, my wife, my kids, my grandkids, my friends that I walk through life with.”
“Your craft can’t be your identity. If it is, it will consume you, and not in a good way.”
From stadiums in the Netherlands to studios in Tennessee, Smith is still writing, recording and performing with the same sense of calling that first led him into music ministry in the early 1980s — and he’s far from finished.
His latest single, “Your Love Is a Flood,” is an upbeat track that feels simultaneously classic and fresh, blending synth textures with worship. Lyrics include the lines “Your love is a flood/ And I’m dancing in the rain/ Heaven and Earth colliding/ Open the clouds, I feel it rising up.”
“This song is about the overwhelming grace of God,” Smith said. “And how, even in hard times, I wake up every day knowing I’m loved.”
“I don’t need to make another record,” he added. “But I feel called to make this one.”
Smith began composing the melody for “Your Love Is a Flood” nearly five years ago; he tracked a rough version in his home studio and posted a video to social media, then shelved it.
“I’ve got a handful of those melodies that I just couldn’t shake,” he recalled. “This one kept calling me back.”
When he sent the demo to his longtime friend and collaborator Jason Walker, the response was immediate. Within days, Walker had shaped the beginnings of a lyric that Smith said captured his belief that God’s grace is real, overwhelming and radically available.
“There are so many people who can’t wrap their minds around the idea that God really loves them,” Smith says. “They’re carrying trauma, legalism, guilt. And I just told Jason, ‘This is what drives me. I know who I am. I’m loved. That’s why I can wake up every day with joy, no matter what’s going on.’”
“It’s a worship song, but with a pop edge,” he added. “I don’t really care about labels. It’s just honest.”
Reflecting on his early years in the Christian music industry, Smith, who shot to fame in 1991 when “Place in This World” hit No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, shared how much his understanding of God’s love has grown over the decades.
“In the ’80s, I dealt with a lot of guilt,” he says. “If I messed up, I’d beat myself up. I got legalistic. That’s immaturity. But as you walk with the Lord longer, you grow. You start to really understand grace. You read Scripture and realize He’s for you. He’s not looking to crush you. That changes everything.”
This deeper understanding flows through another new single, “Arms Around the Sun,” which explores the mystery and magnitude of divine love. Co-written with worship leader Michael Olson, the track was originally conceived as a shuffle but was eventually restructured into a pop groove.
“The lyrics just clicked,” Smith says. “And it felt fresh. It had this little Euro-pop vibe I loved.”
Adding to the song’s surprise factor was actor Jonathan Roumie, best known for portraying Jesus in “The Chosen,” who was visiting the studio and ended up playing drums on the track.
“He hadn’t played in a while, but he still had it,” Smith says. “We recorded him without even telling him. He just brought this energy.”
Roumie also appears in the music video, and Smith hinted that the actor might explore music further in the future. “He’s got real musical chops,” he says. “I told him, let’s do a jam night in Nashville sometime.”
Smith is preparing for the fall leg of his “Beyond the Far Horizon tour,” a reimagined live show that the artist said blends cinematic storytelling, worship and new material. Audience response, he says, has been encouraging, particularly for the new songs.
“We debuted ‘Flood’ during the spring leg of the tour, and people were shocked — in a good way,” he says. “We played it in the Netherlands with a 400-voice choir and 15,000 people. It was electric.”
Even classics like “Breathe” and “Waymaker” are getting fresh arrangements. “I like shaking things up,” Smith says. “I want every show to be unforgettable.”
“I don’t like being away from home as much anymore,” he added. “But I still feel called. When I see people’s lives being changed, especially in places like Europe, where there’s so much hunger for God, that’s what keeps me going.”
Smith reflected on his early years in the spotlight, how the accolades, the record sales and the fame affected him more than he realized at the time.
“Back in the day, it was about how many records we sold, what awards we won,” he said. “I was young, kind of immature. I got caught up in it. I wish I could go back and talk to that younger version of myself.”
Subconsciously, the “Place in This World” singer said, he allowed his career to shape his identity. He credited mentors, family and years of spiritual formation with helping him reframe success.
“You start to believe the press, you start to think it’s about you,” he said. “But it’s not.”
“God doesn’t share His glory with anybody,” he continued, echoing a line a friend once shared with him on a Florida porch. “That stuck with me. And now, every night before I go on stage, I pray: Let my posture be pure. Let me walk out in humility.”
Deflecting applause, he said, has become a spiritual discipline. “The spotlight can be dangerous,” he says. “So I do everything I can to deflect the glory, to keep it on Him.”
Weighing on the current state of CCM, Smith expressed both hope and concern. “There’s a lot of great stuff happening,” he says. “But I also see this surge of fame, and I worry about that.”
He cautioned young artists not to build their identity on celebrity, adding: “If you’re not grounded, it can consume you.”
He points to rising artists like Forest Frank, whose blend of worship and mainstream appeal is attracting massive crowds. “I pray for Forest,” Smith said. “He’s filling arenas and boldly pointing people to Jesus. That’s amazing. But I hope he stays grounded. I hope he’s got good people around him.”
Smith has seen the toll that public ministry can take, especially when leaders live secret lives or fall into sin.
“I think there is a purging going on, and God’s looking for people who are passionate and hungry for the things of God. That’s what He’s looking for.”
The artist, who is also gearing up for his Christmas tour with Amy Grant and CeCe Winans, said he still meets regularly with his 95-year-old pastor, Don Finto, who has been a guiding voice in his life for decades.
“I wouldn’t have made it without him,” Smith said. “You need those people. You need that tribe.”
Looking ahead, he hopes his new music offers both excellence and authenticity. “I want to discover something musically that hasn’t been discovered yet,” he says. “Because I believe the Church should be making the best art.”
At the end of the day, the “Agnus Dei” singer says he just wants to stay in his “sweet spot”: serving God through music, operating in his gifts and deflecting the spotlight.
“When people applaud, I try to deflect that glory right back to Him,” he says. “Because I know this was never about me.”
Leah M. Klett is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: leah.klett@christianpost.com
