Honesty is a prevailing theme amongst my conversation with Aodhan King. We discuss the new albums he did with Benjamin Hastings, his time at Hillsong and his struggles with imposter syndrome even after all his years leading. Aodhan's relationship with Ben is like a sibling connection. The two of them work incredibly well together when it came to pulling off two albums in such a short amount of time. He gives incredible insight into the story of his time at Hillsong as a youth and how Young & Free almost formed out of no where. The Lord's hand has been on Aodhán's life in such an incredible way. His very normal demeanor is a breath of fresh air for someone who has been at the crossroads of so many amazing things related to the worship songs we sing in church.

Episode Chapters:

00:00:00 Start
00:00:16 Welcome
00:01:50 How Did These Albums Happen?
00:07:57 The Next Frontier of Making Albums
00:14:35 Aodhan Almost Drowns
00:17:28 Guests On The Album
00:20:06 Creative Dynamics Amongst Friends
00:22:25 Making An Album For Church
00:27:54 The Sound of The Album
00:31:56 Releasing A Live Album
00:36:39 Aodhan's Formative Years
00:39:01 The Birth of Young & Free
00:45:08 God's Greater Plan
00:48:27 Influence of The Local Church
00:51:40 Imposter Syndrome
00:56:28 Closing
00:57:25 End

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Follow Aodhán on Instagram ⁨ @AodhanKing

Check out the studio album here:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/548SBeYbBBay8CuJSGgbfu?si=QU99ouFSS3-B_jjZa-VoDA

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/happy-to-be-here/1891808073

Check out the live album here:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/0Rhf1sm1WRYytgDIC0Nkmf?si=LjUF1ZvNRdqKwxIS3XGGwA

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/just-waiting-to-see-what-god-does-live/6802844776

Check out my site for more helpful resources for worship leaders:
https://www.teelmerrick.com/

I use the word "different" a lot in this interview. I review and listen to a ton of worship music and a lot of it sounds the same to me. Happy To Be Here and it's companion live album "Just Waiting To See What God Does" are different. They are very honest albums that constantly tow the line between church worship and heartfelt journaling. Ben was very honest in our conversation and gave me pause several times throughout the interview related to writing worship music as well as leading it. Ben's time at Hillsong has taught him many things and those formative years shaped him into the leader he is today. While many moments seem to capture that old Hillsong sound we are so familiar with, this album captures something far more important, the moment. The studio version of this album was recorded in about a week and the pressure of time really sculpted something unique and important. This is the first of two interviews I conducted. One with Ben and one with Aodhan and both give such fascinating insight into the the process of writing, creating and pressing into the presence of God.