Diva Spotlight: Lauren Daigle

How Can It Be was the first Lauren Daigle song I ever heard when we started leading it during worship sets a my home church. This song, followed by a few real excellent Christmas songs (hello Light of the World and, of course, Noel) lead to me being quite interested in Daigle's Look Up Child album being released in a few years ago and, after a bit of a slow burn start, caused me to love this woman's voice and her heart for worship. My mom made the comparison that Daigle is like the Adele of CCM with all the power behind her voice, and I don't think she's entirely wrong.

Let's take a look at our traditional fact dump (all info current as of July 2022):

-30 years old (she's a Virgo)

-Born in Lake Charles, Louisiana (just under two hours west of Baton Rouge)

-Vocalist/Songwriter

-Has won 23 awards to date, including 4 American Music Awards, 6 Billboard Music Awards, and 2 Grammys

-Has released 3 studio albums (2 regular and 1 Christmas)

I've listened to Daigle's two "regular" albums quite a bit over the last few years, and if you've never listened to her works all the way through I highly encourage it. Let's dive in!

How Can It Be (2015)

Daigle's debut CCM/soul/worship album was released April 14th, 2015 by Centricity when she was 23 years old. With a run time of 48:02, it produced five singles: How Can It Be (7/8/14), First (6/19/15), Trust in You (1/22/16), Come Alive (Dry Bones) (9/16/16), and O'Lord (9/22/17). The album has been certified Platinum by the RIAA for selling one million copies in the United States. How Can It Be has some really cool production behind it, and every song feels very big and emotional and grand, neither of which are bad things at all. The messages and heart behind each track feels genuine, and I had an extremely difficult time picking my Top 3. Here's where I ended up landing this week:

Track 6: Power To Redeem ft. All Sons & Daughters (written by J. Ebach, L. Daigle, P. Mabury)

This is a song from this album that I wish got more attention, partly because it's beautiful and partly because I love All Sons & Daughters. The harmonies in this song are really top notch, and the song itself is an incredible reminder of God's redeeming love.

You take what is/And you make it beautiful/When love floods in/We're restored forever more/With breath that brings the dead to life/With words that pierce the dark with light/Only by the blood are we set free/With mercy strong to carry shame/And nail it to a tree/You alone hold the power to redeem

Track 9: I Am Yours (written by J. Thiele, L. Daigle, P. Duncan, P. Mabury)

I think this is my favorite song off of this album for sure - it came to me at a pretty emotionally turbulent time in my life and helped me work through some stuff a couple of years ago. It's fun to sing and really lovely to listen to both melodically and spiritually.

I see Your fingerprints/The work of Your hands, it's all in Your hands/I see the evidence/Leaving nothing to chance, the world's in Your hands/So I rest in Your promises, now I am sure of this/I’m Yours/Let the waters rise, I will stand as the oceans roar/Let the earth shake beneath me, let the mountains fall/You are God over the storm and I am Yours

Track 11: Salt & Light (written by L. Daigle, L. Jordan, P. Mabury)

I love everything about this song, from the stripped acoustic feel to the reminder of God's beauty. I listen to this song a lot on my You Need To Calm Down playlist and it always does the trick.

Oh, the beauty of the King/You make righteous those who seek/You have written and redeemed my story/Let my eyes see Your kingdom shine all around/Let my heart overflow with passion for Your name/Let my life be a song revealing who You are/For You are salt and light

Look Up Child (2018)

Daigle's sophomore CCM album was released September 7th, 2018 by Centricity, two days before her 27th birthday. With a run time of 51:35, it has produced four singles since its release: You Say (7/13/18), Look Up Child (1/4/19), Rescue (7/12/19), and Still Rolling Stones (4/10/20). The album has been certified Platinum by the RIAA for selling one million copies in the United States as well as being awarded Best Contemporary Christian Music Album at the 2019 Grammy Awards, Top Christian Album at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards, and Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year at the 2019 GMA Dove Awards. I LOVE the sound on Look Up Child - it feels more intimate than How Can It Be and gives you a totally different listening experience. The messages and heart are still there and still great, and while I like this album as a whole a little better than the previous one I had a little easier time picking my Top 3:

Track 2: Rescue (written by J. Ingram, L. Daigle, P. Mabury)

I just think this song is so, so beautiful. With lyrics written from the point of view of Jesus, it's so reassuring to hear that in our darkest times He is always there to rescue us - all we have to do is ask.

You are not hidden/There's never been a moment you were forgotten/You are not hopeless/Though you have been broken, your innocence stolen/I hear you whisper underneath your breath/I hear your SOS, your SOS/I will send out an army/To find you in the middle of the darkest night/It's true, I will rescue you

Track 5: You Say (written by B. Norman, J. Ingram, M. Donehey, P. Mabury, L. Daigle)

This will likely go down in history as Lauren Daigle's signature song, and once you listen to it it's easy to understand why. It's powerful, it's hopeful, and it's exactly what you need when you're feeling down on yourself.

I keep fighting voices in my mind that say I'm not enough/Every single lie that tells me I will never measure up/Am I more than just the sum of every high and every low/Remind me once again just who I am because I need to know/You say I am loved when I can't feel a thing/You say I am strong when I think I am weak/And you say I am held when I am falling short/And when I don't belong, oh You say I am Yours/And I believe/Oh, I believe/What You say of me/I believe

Track 8: Look Up Child (written by J. Ingram, L. Daigle, P. Mabury)

This uplifting bop of a song has been my favorite Lauren Daigle song pretty much since the first time I heard it. It has such a fun beat, positive lyrics, and is just a positive, fun experience from start to finish.

Where are You now/When darkness seems to win/Where are You now/When the world is crumbling/Oh I, I, I hear You say/I hear You say/Look up child, ayy/Look up child, ayy

I encourage you again to explore Daigle's repertoire if you've never done so before, and for those of you that have I hope you'll join me in anxiously anticipating her next move in her career. Happy listening, and see ya'll next week!