Brandon Lake, a prominent figure in Contemporary Christian Music (CCM), has recently teamed up with country artists Russell Dickerson and Thomas Rhett to create new songs that merge elements of country and Christian music. These collaborations mark an exciting fusion of genres, reflecting a growing trend where artists draw inspiration from their faith while exploring diverse musical styles.
Russell Dickerson confirmed that he and Brandon Lake have co-written three unreleased songs together. Speaking from London during the C2C Festival 2026, Dickerson shared that they are still deciding which track or tracks will be officially released. One of the potential songs is titled “Amazing Place,” registered with ASCAP alongside writers Chase McGill and Parker Welling. This collaboration emerged from a large writers’ retreat hosted by Lake earlier in the year, which gathered over 25 country musicians and songwriters for five days of intensive songwriting. The retreat produced nearly 50 songs, including “Just Believe” by Bailey Zimmerman and “The Jesus I Know” featuring Lainey Wilson.
Dickerson also reflected on how his faith has influenced his music throughout his career. He mentioned that some record labels initially hesitated to sign him because his sound was reminiscent of worship music, citing his hit “Yours,” which reached number one on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart in 2018 after a lengthy climb. Lake, a six-time GRAMMY Award winner, has been expanding his reach into the country music scene through collaborations with artists like Jelly Roll, Cody Johnson, and Gabby Barrett.
Meanwhile, Thomas Rhett is exploring a similar path towards CCM through his work with Brandon Lake. Rhett shared images from their writing sessions and expressed enthusiasm about their collaborations, which include four or five songs yet to be released. Lake encouraged Rhett to release these tracks soon, highlighting their quality and the creative energy they shared. This partnership builds on previous collaborations between the two artists, such as a live duet version of Lake’s “Talking to Jesus” recorded at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium in 2023.
The recent writing sessions were part of a broader movement blending country and Christian music genres. Lake’s songwriting retreat brought together prominent artists like Lainey Wilson, Dan + Shay, Tyler Hubbard, and Ashley Gorley for a week of musical inspiration resulting in dozens of new songs. This creative exchange suggests that a full album combining CCM and country influences could be on the horizon, following the example set by Chris Tomlin’s 2020 project featuring various country stars.
As the boundaries between Contemporary Christian Music and country continue to blur, more artists are openly sharing their spiritual journeys through their music. Brandon Lake’s collaborations with Russell Dickerson and Thomas Rhett exemplify this trend, offering fans fresh sounds that celebrate faith while embracing the storytelling traditions of country music. Whether these new songs will be released as singles or featured on upcoming albums remains to be seen, but they promise to enrich both genres with heartfelt lyrics and compelling melodies.
