Grammy-nominated Christian singer songwriter singer Jeremy Camp’s excitement level for this year’s “I Still Believe” Tour has been incomparable to his previous tours.
The singer, who grew up in a small town called Lafayette, Ind., has been eager for this year’s tour and hasn’t taken anything for granted since the pandemic started.
“It’s one of the things where I think I’ve felt more excitement and more refreshed than ever before because for a long time, we couldn’t play, so you realize how much heart goes into this,” Camp said. “There’s been a lot of preparation. In the spring we had some shows, but the fact that we’re able to step into a full tour and really share what’s been going on the last few years is great.”
His tour will continue this fall, making a stop at the Wagner Noel Performing Arts Center at 7 p.m. Sunday.
“The night is going to be a full production and have all the roller coaster of the night,” Camp said. “There’s laughing, crying, jumping up and down and worshiping. There’s all this stuff going on. Really, the heart of it is to share the depth of what has happened these past couple of years.”
He will be joined on the tour by a young, up-and-coming Christian music singer Katy Nichole.
Nichole has garnered No. 1 on multiple Billboard charts with her viral debut single “In Jesus Name (God of Possible)” which holds the record for the longest-held No. 1 debut single for a female on both the Christian Airplay (at nine weeks) and Hot Christian Songs (18 weeks) charts.
“Of course Katy Nichole has been incredible these past couple of years,” Camp said. “She’s been great. Her songs have been really impacting this generation right now. I’m excited to have her come along and be a part of that. Her heart is in it as well. She wants to be a minister and share what God’s done with her life. I think it’s going to be an incredible performance.”
Nichole is currently Top 5 on the Billboard Emerging Artists chart while “In Jesus Name (God of Possible)” has been at No. 1 on the iTunes Christian and Gospel Songs chart nearly every week since it was released on Jan. 26.
This will be her first performance in West Texas.
“I’m pretty stoked,” Nichole said. “Texas is pretty big. It’s like its own place. It feels separate from the country. It’s pretty good.”
Nichole, who currently resides in Nashville, Tenn., talked about how her viral debut has impacted her life.
“That was so awesome,” Nichole said. “It changed my life in a lot of ways. I’m just grateful for the impact the songs have made on so many lives and just the way God’s using the words of the songs.”
Nichole also released her self-titled debut EP on June 24.
She made her Grand Ole Opry debut on June 18.
“I started doing secular music,” Nichole said. “I play the ukele and that’s how I wrote most of my songs. Eventually, I became a worship leader and when I became a worship leader, I realized how different it is when Jesus is involved. I started to realize that I wanted to write songs about the lord. So I started writing songs and that turned into me somehow making my way to Nashville to write songs about other people. A record label offered me a deal and now here I am on tour with Jeremy Camp.”
The first part of the “I Believe Tour” started in the spring before a summer break. The fall portion began in September.
“I think just already seen what’s happened on the first leg in the spring, it provides that much more excitement,” Camp said. “We did see some powerful nights and people’s stories. The stories for me are the confirmation of what God is doing. I never wanted to play music just to play music. Music is not my life, Christ is my life, and that’s why I do what I do. When you actually see God doing this, you’re like ‘alright, I’m in.’ I want to get back at it and hear the stories again.”
It’ll be the first time that Camp has performed at the Wagner Noel Performing Arts Center. He can’t remember the last time he’s performed in Midland, but he enjoys coming back to the Lone Star State.
“Texas is my favorite place to play because the people are always incredible,” Camp said. “Everything is always bigger in Texas because it is. It’s the same for the hearts of Texas as well. We’ve never had a show in Texas where I thought it didn’t go well, so there’s always an excitement about playing in Texas.”
Camp played music growing up, even though sports were his main point of interest as a kid.
But at some point, his priorities shifted to music.
“I just started writing songs that were from my heart,” Camp said. “I would write on my sleeve and been very transparent about what God is teaching me and what I’m going through. Really, doors started opening for me when I went to California.”
He attended Bible College in the Golden State and played at the school and at worship.
“All of sudden, I had these different doors that opened for me from other churches and it got to a point where I was doing this full time,” Camp said. “I started thinking this is what I’m supposed to be doing. Then I got an email from a record company that had been hearing about me, and I sent them a demo and signed with them about six months later. But really, I just kept playing where the doors were open. I signed, and the rest is history.”
Some 20 years after his first album, Camp continues to do what he loves.
For every artist, the writing process can be different and Camp talked about what his thought process is like when writing new music.
“It’s funny because it’s different for me as in different types that I write,” Camp said. “There’s been times where I’ll sit down and just play the guitar or piano and then I’ll have a melody and maybe something triggering my heart like something that I’m going through and it’ll come out in that melody. The majority of how I write is me sitting down and something that I’m going through and what’s in my heart will come out eventually in the lyrics and I’ll write from that perspective.”
If you go
- What: Jeremy Camp’s “I Still Believe Tour.”
- When: 7 p.m. Oct. 9.
- Where: Wagner Noel Performing Arts Center.
- Tickets: tinyurl.com/25e47r7t
