Not all artists’ work transcends sound to emotion but for artist/songwriter Lydia Laird, she doesn’t make music any other way. Her self-titled debut EP, releasing August 2020 with accomplished producers Jordan Sapp, Jonathan Smith, Nick Schwarz, and Jeff Sojka, will not only introduce listeners to Laird’s powerful vocals but also to her willingness to be in the dark places and find hope there with anthems that honestly address the pain in life along with the power of the Gospel.

It was from a dark place that inspired Laird to write “I’ll Be Okay,” a song proclaiming truth amid uncertainty and speaks to Laird’s own experiences with depression and anxiety—mental health issues that are near to her heart. “My prayer is that my music invites others to be honest and vulnerable with God and ultimately helps them come to know the unconditional love and grace of a Savior who cares in a deeper and more personal way,” she shares.

Laird, who is number seven in a family of ten children, grew up in a Christian home in East Texas while also living in Romania as missionaries when she was young. She remembers becoming a Christian when she was just four years old and wrote her first song at nine as music became an outlet for her.

The truth of who God is and what that means for our own identity and security in Christ is one revelation Laird cites as she began her journey deeper toward the center of the true Gospel. “I’m just on the journey with them,” Laird says when asked how she hopes listeners will view her not only as an artist but a person of faith. “I’m still being sanctified. I’m still learning the Gospel every day. I want people to look at me as someone who can relate and cares, and is saying, ‘Hey, we’re in this together.’”