10 Questions with ... Jonathan & Melissa Helser

1. If you could walk us through your music-related journey from the start to present, what are some of the most notable facets of your history as artists up until now?

Music really woke up inside of us when we were in our late teens, when we started going to summer camps and they started singing worship songs from Delirious and the Vineyard. At these summer camps we encountered the presence of God in worship and we were ruined for anything else. Ever since those days we have longed to create music that would touch God's heart and create a place for His presence to invade. Joining Bethel Music in 2014 was a greater fulfillment of that original desires, as we have gotten to travel the world and create music that has inspired so many to encounter God's heart.

2. Was making music together always part of your relationship dynamic?

I (Jonathan) was already writing music before we got married. I even sang a song I wrote for Melissa as she walked down the aisle at our wedding. If you would have told us we would make music together when we first got married, we might not have believed you. It was in our ninth year being married that Melissa started writing songs. This year, we will be married for 19 years, and I am so grateful that music has become such a huge part of our story.

3. How did your relationship with Bethel Music develop?

Brian and Jenn Johnson (founders of Bethel Music) heard our music in 2013 and then reached out to build a friendship. To make a long story short, we became instant friends and out of the overflow of that friendship with them and their team we joined Bethel Music. They have been a massive help to us, but more that just joining a label, it felt like joining a family.

4. Besides calling it "home," what about living in North Carolina (opposed to music industry hub Nashville, or Redding, California, where the Bethel community is located) is significant to you?

The most significant thing to us about North Carolina is the school and community we lead. We live on 50 acres of beautiful land in the North Carolina woods with a community who hosts a faith based creative arts school called the "18 Inch Journey." This is our 12th year of the school. Last year, we had over 90 staff and students here from over 12 nations that had a life-changing experience in our school. This school is what our hearts burn for. In fact, I wrote "No Longer Slaves" in a moment of worship at this school.

5. Your song "Raise A Hallelujah" just hit radio as a single. What's the background of the song and what do you hope its audience will take away from it?

Our dear friends' two-year-old son, Jaxon Taylor, was airlifted to intensive care last year, and news went from bad to worse, as he was fighting for his life. We received a text late one night where the doctors said that, unless there was miracle, Jaxon would not live through the night. As we began to pray for Jaxon that night, I felt this 'giant' of unbelief stand in front of me and say "Jaxon was gonna die and we were not gonna see a miracle." But then, out of my heart, this spontaneous melody rose up louder than the giant's lie...."I raise a Hallelujah, in the presence of my enemies, I raise a Hallelujah, louder than the unbelief." We sent a text message of this song to Jaxon's dad and He played it over Jaxon while he was laying in the hospital. Within the next few weeks we saw a miracle and Jaxon fully recovered and he is alive and well now. This song has now become an anthem of victory for the way God fights for us when we raise our hearts and our song to HIm.

6. "Raise A Hallelujah" is the second song you've taken to radio, following 2015's aforementioned "No Longer Slaves." How have you processed that experience thus far? Does it require some mental adjustment as a songwriter writing songs for the church to then be in a position of marketing it?

It's been a really fun journey and we are just wanna enjoy it and trust the Lord to do His will with the songs. Out desire with music has always been to create music that touches God's heart first. Those are the kind of songs that the church is really hungry for.

7. Your singles notwithstanding, what has your histories been with Christian radio?

We really don't have a history with radio. Remember, we live in the woods of North Carolina and hear the birds sing more than the radio!

8. Who are some of your musical and philosophical influences when it comes to songwriting?

Honestly, it would be King David. I am not sure what we do with out the book of Psalms. They have taught us to how to really worship and sing our hearts to God.

9. What are some of the most important songs in the history of the Helser household?

• "Show Me Your Face" by Don Potter
• "Find Me In the River" by Delirious
• "Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison
• For Melissa, it would be any song from Emmy Lou Harris's "Wrecking Ball" album.

10. To the best of your knowledge, what does the remainder of 2019 look like for the Helser's?

I (Jonathan) am leaving for a tour in South America in a few weeks where I get to lead "No Longer Slaves" in Spanish! Then our schools start this June and that will keep us quite busy till December.