Anna Golden Heals From Pain With The Power Of Community On New Album "Church"

By Timothy Yap Aug 13, 2023 07:42 PM EDT

Rising artist and powerhouse vocalist Anna Golden has released her new album Church via TeeLee Records / Capitol CMG. Across ten tracks that range from anthemic to introspective, Golden invites listeners to walk with her as she details her journey from pain to triumph with the help of therapy and faith.

"I remember reading a quote that said, 'When you're healed you remember things differently,'" says Golden. "Through the Holy Spirit, healthy community, and pastors who just love Jesus, I saw this start to take place in my own heart. I have always loved God's house since I was a little girl, but there were moments over working in full time ministry for 10 years that can break your heart. For this record, the Lord took me all the way back to the beginning with the church I grew up in, remembering how that was the first place I ever saw Christ personified through imperfect people, trying to look like Jesus. I remembered where I fell in love with God's house, and why."

Church was entirely co-written and co-produced by Golden with help from some of the genre's top songwriters including Jessie Early (Blessing Offor, Chris Tomlin), Bernie Herms (Danny Gokey, Anne Wilson), Rita Springer (Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Bethel Music) and others. Recorded live at her home church Shoreline City in Dallas, Golden blends elements of pop, rock, gospel and contemporary music to create arena-worthy songs that bring a message of spirituality to a new generation.

The album opens with the booming "At The Altar," an invitation for listeners to open their hearts to the central themes of the album - finding community, forgiveness, letting go of fear and anxiety, wrestling with perfectionism and more. "Glory To Glory" and "The Word" are reminders that there is light at the end of the tunnel in the midst of pain, while "I Love It Here" and "Because Of You" reflect the feeling of rediscovering life's beauty and purpose after healing from hurt.

At the heart of the album is "Manasseh," which means "to forget the pain of my father's household." The song tells Golden's personal story of pain caused by leaders of her former church and the relief she found through therapy and eventually finding a new faith community. It speaks to the power of community to rebuild humans from trauma.

Golden grew up in St. Louis, MO where her parents were worship leaders and songwriters. As a kid, she spent time between St. Louis and Burbank, and she seemed destined to join her older siblings with a career in show business. However, she felt pulled towards a more meaningful calling, and she decided to follow in her parents' footsteps and become a full-time worship leader at age 17. After painful experiences in unhealthy ministry, she found a healthy intersection of faith and therapy, despite a stigma around the former within her community, and she found herself able to begin leading worship again. Golden's career took off after being connected with Tasha Cobbs Leonard, eventually becoming the debut signing on the GRAMMY-winner's label TeeLee Records.

For more information on Anna Golden, visit annagoldenofficial.com.

Church Tracklist

Produced by Benjamin "Bede" Korporaal and Anna Golden

1. "At The Altar"

(Anna Golden, Jessie Early, Benjamin "Bede" Korporaal)

2. "Glory To Glory"

(Anna Golden, Benjamin "Bede" Korporaal, Brett Miller)

3. "The Word"

(Anna Golden, Jessie Early, Mia Fields)

4. "Psalm 91 (I Will Say)"

(Anna Golden, Bernie Herms, Jessie Early)

5. "Manessah (Intro)"