Cole Swindell‘s newest release, “Make Heaven Crowded,” isn’t just a song. It’s the first look at a brand-new stage of the singer’s career.
In a new conversation with Daily Wire podcast host Isabel Brown, the singer says this song — and the Charlie Kirk assassination that inspired it — came at a time when he was considering quitting his country music career.
Why Did Cole Swindell Consider Quitting Music?
“I’ve literally been praying and praying about, just personally, do I still need to do this?” says Swindell, who became a father for the first time this summer.
“Should I hang it up, be a dad?” he continues.
But he released “Make Heaven Crowded” purely because it was “something that was on my heart,” and the response changed everything.
“I think it was the Lord telling me, ‘Look, your career is not over, you’re just not going any further without me,'” Swindell explains. “My wife told me that, and I believe it.”
How Did Charlie Kirk Inspire Cole Swindell’s “Make Heaven Crowded”?
Swindell has said he was inspired to write the song after hearing this speech from Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk.
But now, he says that Kirk’s influence has been even broader on the kind of music he’ll make going forward.
“A man was assassinated for believing how I believe, except that he was a little more bold about it,” Swindell reflects.
“It made me look in the mirror: Someone that’s living like I should be living and spreading the Word as a Christian, what I should be doing with the platform that I have,” he adds.
Cole Swindell Says He Won’t Stay Quiet About His Christian Beliefs Anymore
Swindell has included themes of Christianity, faith and love of Jesus in some of the songs he’s put out in the past. But he says that he wants to dial up the message.
“There’s a whole lot of us that are just fed up with feeling like we can’t say how we believe,” the singer admits.
“I’m a loving person, I’m not judgmental, I kinda stay out of the way and do my own thing and try to be good to people,” the singer continues. “That’s just not good enough anymore.”
Read More: Cole Swindell’s ‘Make Heaven Crowded’ Lyrics Are About More Than Charlie Kirk
Charlie Kirk was a conservative political commentator who frequently spoke publicly about both his Christian faith and his political beliefs.
It’s not entirely clear whether Swindell is speaking about a desire to be more public about his feelings on political issues, or whether he’s purely saying he wants to prioritize a Christian message in his music.
11 Country Stars Who Speak Out About Their Faith
When it comes to country music, you don’t have to search for too hard to find songs that bring Jesus in.
Country stars tend to be bold in speaking out about their faith and the struggles they’ve had trying to walk that straight and narrow path to find God.
It’s also no surprise that many of fans’ favorite artists have either released Christian-leaning songs or have collaborated with gospel-singing neighbors.
We’ve rounded up several country singers who have unapologetically spoken to their faith for the world to see and who spread the Gospel, one song at a time.
Gallery Credit: Jess Rose
