Husband-and-wife worship duo Marcus and Jalyn McGill met in 2013 and have been married for eight years. Music has always been a big part of their relationship; they love leading worship and writing together. Marcus first saw Jalyn leading worship during a Sunday morning service when he moved to her city. He joined the worship team just a week or so later. Today, they serve as pastors, writing and producing music from our home. We talk to the worship duo about their passion for music, YouTube channel, and new singles.
What are you passionate about your listeners hearing through your music?
We want listeners to be able to encounter God through both our lyrics and the music. Jalyn focuses primarily on writing and wants people to be met with honest, relatable lyrics that move their hearts toward God. I (Marcus) concentrate on music production and try to create a musical space for listeners to experience God's presence.
Tell us about your new single, “Praise You Now.”
“Praise You Now” was written in a fun Zoom co-write with friends Heidi Kottke and Sheree Wright. I (Jalyn) had connected with Heidi through the Writing Worship Mentorship and had met Sheree through Instagram. It was our first time writing together, and we planned to write a praise song about the four seasons. Every season can be positive and negative, but we must remember to praise God no matter what. Marcus had a blast producing this track, and we're so excited to share this one with others finally.
You have a lot of songs on your YouTube channel that may never be recorded. Is there a song that’s received positive feedback that might change your mind, or are you just having fun with it?
In February, we had a vision to share four songs on YouTube that we didn't intend to ever fully produce and release traditionally. That gave us some room to be creative and share songs that aren't our typical worship songs. The music that resonated most with people was "You Are A Shield,” written from Psalm 3. I'm unsure if we'd ever record that one, but we are also considering doing a series like this next year.
Why are you passionate about leading people into God’s presence through worship?
God's presence is everything. There is something so powerful about encountering the creator of the universe. We believe that when people worship and get their minds on the Lord, chains can break, lives can change, and strongholds can come down. We've both seen God's power through worship in our own lives, and we love to be able to invite others into that same experience.
What’s next for you musically?
We are excited to release our EP, Songs For This Season, at the end of the month. This EP will include the first three singles we've released this year—"We Want Revival,” “Come Speak To Us,” and “Praise You Now”)—as well as two more you have yet to hear. We've been working on this project all year and are happy to have it almost completed.
How can we be praying for you?
Please pray that God is with us in our travels and that we stay focused on Him through it all.
Kevin McNeese started NRT in 2002 and has worked in the industry since 1999 in one form or another. He has been a fan of Christian music since 1991.
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