Christian punk artists Grace Graber and Daniel Spriggs have collaborated on the infectiously alive "My Favorite Part," a suicide prevention anthem inviting listeners to wait and experience the miraculous grace God has planned for them. The song is available everywhere at https://slinky.to/MyFavoritePart.
"My Favorite Part" was originally written by up-and-coming artist Daniel Spriggs, who had been connecting with Grace as a fellow punk artist in the faith-based sphere. He brought the track to Grace with the sense that it was divinely intentioned to be hers.
"Daniel had reached out to me about just picking my brain on what it's like to be in pop-punk in the Christian music scene," Grace recalls. "A couple months later, he texts me and asks me, 'Hey, can I send you a song idea that I have for you? I think it's supposed to be yours.'"
Grace listened to the demo, finding a nearly complete song Daniel had written (with support of a track provided by Deniss Pridans). She was captivated by his creative vision and capability. The two finished cowriting long-distance, and "My Favorite Part" was born.
"It's one of those songs that demanded to be a part of this world. And He handed it to me," Grace shares.
The lyrics for this soaring punk banger are immensely personal for Daniel, who offered the track to Grace as an act of deep trust.
"I grew up in a culture that glorified depression and saw suicide as something almost noble," Daniel admits. "I came from a high school experience that was very depressive, very self-deprecating. I was living in a depressed mindset. Flash forward to now, playing with my 2-year-old daughter, seeing her laugh, having a family. That's where I got the line: 'If you go now, you'll miss my favorite part.'"
He continues, "'My Favorite Part' is what I feel like God would say to younger me. If my life had ended as a teenager, I would've missed blessings beyond my comprehension. I want to tell any young person not just that it gets better but that the story God has written for you, the fruition of that story, is going to be so perfect for you."
It's an idea that deeply resonates with Grace, who has been open about her lifelong journey with depression, anxiety and PTSD.
"I knew immediately when I heard this song that it was going to save someone's life," the singer says frankly. "I was singing my songs on tour to these kids and thinking, 'Man, if I wouldn't have stayed, I'd miss this part. I'd miss God's favorite part of using me.'"
Producer Deniss Pridans rounded out both the track's production and guitar line. Together, the musicians created a determinedly, tenderly hopeful sound that uses rock riffs and forthright melodies to sweep listeners from their personal lows into the hope of what is to come. The result is a suicide prevention song unlike any that have preceded it. Rather than exploring the sorrow, the song gives substance to optimism grounded in faith.
"I feel like a lot of songs about mental health are about someone's internal struggle. But this is talking directly to the listeners," Grace offers earnestly. "If you die tomorrow, if you go? The amount of things you're going to miss, the amount of things that God hasn't done in your life yet that He can! I think this song is going to be really impactful because it talks directly to suicide and says, 'Don't go.'"
"My Favorite Part" is the first new music following Grace Graber's debut album The Breakthrough. Sonically, it squarely positions her in the punk rock genre, holding its own musically with influences like Green Day, Fall Out Boy and MGK. The track also follows "HEART2HEART" by Daniel Spriggs, who is firmly establishing himself as a rising voice to listen to.
