For years, artist Brooke Ligertwood, formerly Brooke Fraser, has been part of Hillsong Church's praise band, Hillsong Worship. She's a gifted worship leader, songwriter, and musician. But what you may not know is that lately, she's been working on her own solo project.
In early 2022, Brooke released her debut single "A Thousand Hallelujahs." And at the end of February 2022, she dropped SEVEN, her first solo worship project. The album was recorded live alongside some of her closest friends. And the songs were written by her and her husband Scott Ligertwood.
Recently, I caught up with Brooke to talk about SEVEN and what it's been like to collaborate with the many talented artists that helped bring the record together.
In February 2022, you release your new live album, SEVEN. What's the inspiration behind the project?
I've never had it in my heart to record a worship project under my own name until now. Many people will know that I'm part of Hillsong Worship (I've been with them for 18 years). I love being part of that team and the local church. That remains consistent and steadfast. But early last year, I took a few weeks to travel and see some of my friends, who I hadn't seen in a long time. At the end of those few weeks, I had a collection of songs for a new album.
Through a series of events–to my surprise and some trepidation–I realized that I was supposed to release these songs. So we set out to do just that. It was a very fast process. We recorded the album in November 2021, and I'm really thrilled that it came out three months later in February 2022.
What's the significance behind the album's name?
The name was inspired by this very moment. Because I've been making music for a really long time, I know that when you make an album you have to talk about it. And when you talk about it, people are going to say, "Why did you call the album Pink Fluffy Puppy" or whatever it's called? So I thought, "Well if people are going to ask me that question, how can I use that moment to talk about something that matters? What is it that I want to be talking about over and over again?"
I had been reading a book over the past year and a half called Discipleship on the Edge by pastor/theologian Darrell Johnson. It's an expository journey through the book of Revelation. If you've ever read the Bible, you know Revelation is a wild book. But Discipleship on the Edge is probably the single most helpful resource that I've found on understanding Revelation. Someone gave it to me. That person gave my husband, Scott, a book about actor Matthew McConaughey. But they gave me a book about Revelation. I thought that was quite different. But I remember crying over the first chapter.
In Revelation chapter one, Jesus' disciple John is on the island of Patmos, and he hears a voice behind him saying, "Write what you see and send it to the seven churches." Then he sees lampstands and sees someone standing in the middle of these lampstands. We discover by the end of the chapter that this someone is Jesus. And that the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
I named my new album SEVEN because what has brought me great hope, urgency, and comfort over the last two years is this reminder from the book of Revelation that Jesus stands in the middle of the church. He's not observing from a distance. He's not napping on a boat. He's actually standing in the middle of the church. He's attentive to what He's building and what He's doing. We're going to be able to find our faith and walk it out a lot easier if we know that's the reality we're living in.
I know you're passionate about blending theology and art. What did your creative process look like on this album?
I had fun making this new record because I didn't know that I was writing an album; I was just writing music with my friends. So there was no pressure. No expectations. We just fully committed to wherever the song was taking us. For example, there are two songs I wrote with my friend Steven Furtick, who's the lead pastor at Elevation Church. One of them is a song called "Nineveh." Who gets to write a song called "Nineveh?" I guess we do. We just fully committed to the process of creativity with the Lord, without any expectation for where this album needed to go. We were fully immersed in the process of writing and then figured it all out afterward.
The fact that there was no expectation was one of the most fun parts for me. It was all about creating within the context of fellowship. I got to write these songs with some of my favorite people in the world. I cried when I had to tell people about the album for the first time, because it felt so sacred, especially since it was only worked on by a few people. But I get it--now it's time for the album to grow up, put its pants on, and go off to college.
You collaborated with many artists on this album like Jason Ingram, Brandon Lake, and your husband, Scott. What was it like working with all of those people on this project?
It was great. All my relationships with the people I worked with are dear to me (I made some beautiful new friends as well). I produced the album with my friend, Jason Ingram, who's an absolute genius with the purest heart. I also worked with artists from other worship bands: Hillsong, Bethel Music, Elevation Worship, and Vineyard Worship, to be exact. It was special seeing people come together who kind of knew each other but had never met before. It was great getting to serve and minister together.
Recording the album felt like a grownup summer camp. We could have eaten at McDonald's every day if we wanted to (we never did, but I'm talking about the emotional equivalent).
One of the first singles you released from SEVEN is "A Thousand Hallelujahs." What's the story behind the song?
"A Thousand Hallelujahs" was one of the last songs written on SEVEN. My husband and I went to visit popular artist Phil Wickham, who lives about an hour south of us in San Diego, California. We were sitting in the hall of a century-old church Phil attends. We started talking about the people who had gathered at this little church hall for generations bringing their hallelujahs to God. Thousands of hallelujahs. That's where the phrase came from.
When we come to worship on a Sunday, we join in a worship service that's happening in eternity. It's something that's been happening long before we were born. And it will be something that'll be happening long after we're gone. "A Thousand Hallelujahs" finds its context in those two places; it's about the generational worship of Christ on earth that we get to be part of, but it's also about the eternal worship, the worship happening in eternity. When we gather to worship on a Sunday, we're joining in with that.
Finally, how can our team be praying for you?
I love that question, thank you so much. Please pray for wisdom. I always need more wisdom.
Grace Chaves has been a fan of all things Christian music since 2016. She is NRT's news editor, and one of NRT's youngest writers. Homeschooled, Grace is an author, loves Jesus, concerts, and road trips.
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