Blending pulsating house and EDM production with the unfiltered power of Scripture, New Jersey-based husband-and-wife duo KNGDM REVIVAL is carving out a bold new space in Christian music.
Recently signing with Dream Records, Michael and Emily have launched their debut single, "Psalm 139," a beat-driven reimagining of King David's poetic reflection on God's intimate knowledge of humanity. What makes the duo especially distinctive is their commitment to using only word-for-word Scripture in their music, allowing the Bible itself-not personal interpretation-to remain at the center of every song.
Inspired by both their own radical salvation story and the spirit of the 1970s Jesus Movement championed by figures like Chuck Smith, KNGDM REVIVAL hopes to bring the Gospel into today's festival and rave culture with music designed to reach hearts in unexpected places. In this conversation, the duo opens up about their dramatic journey to faith, their mission to bring Scripture into the EDM scene, and the vision behind their rapidly growing ministry.
Q: Tell us about who KNGDM REVIVAL is-how did you both meet, and what led you to form this duo together?
We met in a bar in Venice Beach, California. At that time, neither of us was following the Lord, and we were both living very much for the world. Michael was starting a social club, working with some of the world's biggest DJs and curating private events at his residence, which happened to be Jim Morrison's old crash pad on the Venice Beach boardwalk. Emily had her own therapy practice and moved from Northern California to live with Michael.
Massive difficulties in the form of drug addiction, emotional neglect, and intense spiritual warfare nearly caused us to collapse both collectively and individually. During that season, Emily began reading the Word of God to Michael, and we both started to see things clearly-the veil had been lifted, so to speak. Shortly afterward, we were baptized together, and God placed this music ministry on our hearts.
We both have a deep love for house and EDM music, but even more importantly, we have a love for the Word of God and its transformative power. Jesus completely turned our lives around after we were born again, and we felt called to help redeem the explosive house and EDM scene through Scripture.
Our intention was never to become touring DJs for Christ, but the Word of God is so powerful that pairing it with smooth house beats can function like a Trojan horse to reach people who are lost in that space.
Q: Your debut single "Psalm 139" turns scripture into an EDM track-what inspired you to bring a passage like this into the electronic music space?
The Book of Psalms is essentially a collection of poetic songs written by David. Our goal is to eventually create all 150 Psalms in an EDM and house format.
Psalm 139 is especially meaningful because it reveals God's intimate knowledge of us, even from the womb. No matter what we think about ourselves, or what others may think about us, God loves us and desires our hearts.
Q: You've chosen to use only word-for-word scripture in your lyrics-how does that shape your songwriting and creative process in the studio?
We initially wrote our own lyrics that chronicled our personal encounters and experiences with Christ. While we loved those songs, we reflected on the fact that it was the Word of God that changed our lives-not our version of it.
We want people to experience the full weight of Scripture without our human interpretations layered over it. We simply want the Word to wash over people. We view ourselves more as evangelists than artists, so our lyrics are less important to us than His.
Q: Your story includes what you've described as a "radical salvation"-how have your personal journeys influenced the sound and mission of your music?
The Word of God completely shook the infrastructure of lies we had built our lives on so that the light of Truth could shine through. That realization convinced us to rely solely on Scripture for our lyrics and to shape this ministry around getting people excited about the Bible.
Q: The name KNGDM REVIVAL draws from the 1970s Jesus movement-what parallels do you see between that era and today's festival culture like Coachella and Burning Man?
In the 1970s it was the hippies, and today it's the ravers. Aimlessness, emptiness, and a desperate search for love in all the wrong places are what connect those two eras.
During the Jesus Movement, Chuck Smith captured people's attention and allowed Jesus to work on their hearts simply by teaching the Word of God from cover to cover. It wasn't fancy messages, polished presentations, or supernatural charisma that brought people to Christ-it was Jesus speaking directly to them through His Word.
In the same way, we want Jesus to speak to ravers through Scripture today. We want less of us and more of Him in this ministry.
Q: As you begin this new chapter with Dream Records, what can listeners expect next from KNGDM REVIVAL in terms of future releases and musical direction?
Listeners can expect a whole lot more Scripture-word-for-word Bible verses over house beats. We already have several more singles produced and ready for release in the coming weeks and months.
We're incredibly excited to be working with Dream Records, and we believe this partnership will help us further our mission of reaching the masses with the Word of God through EDM and house music.
We also have a number of shows lined up across the United States in 2026, so stay tuned. Hopefully we'll have the opportunity to worship the Lord together in your city soon.
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