Rachel Purcell Opens Up About Her Transition from Country to Christian Music

Muscle Shoals, AL native, songwriter and dynamic vocalist Rachel Purcell has recently released  her debut Centricity Music radio single, "Show Up," which is available now at streaming and digital outlets worldwide here. 

Since releasing her debut single "Damage" in 2018, Muscle Shoals, AL native Rachel Purcell (fka Rachel Wammack) has been touted for her "powerful, soaring pipes" (Billboard) and her raw and honest storytelling. The rising star and dynamic vocalist was named one of Rolling Stone's "10 New Country Artists You Need To Know," part of CMT's "Next Women of Country" and Bobby Bones' "Women of iHeartCountry," and deemed an "Artist to Watch" by Pandora, Entertainment Weekly and MusicRow.

Featured in other trendsetting outlets like People, Taste of Country and Paste Magazine, Purcell has also performed overseas and shared stages with country music icons such as Trisha Yearwood, Rascal Flatts and Reba McEntire. Releasing "When I Say Amen" in 2020, co-written with Matt Maher, Purcell unveiled her depth and breadth both as a songwriter and a vocalist, foreshadowing her faith-inspired approach to music and fresh batch of songs to be revealed this year. 

Q: Rachel, thanks for doing this interview with us. Faith has always been important to you; how did you come to know Christ and develop your love for Jesus?

My parents took us to church as often as the doors were open, and I loved being there. I remember getting baptized as a little girl after feeling God "knocking on my heart" one Sunday afternoon after church. Throughout my teenage years I started to question my faith and depend less and less on God until I felt really far away from Him in college. It felt like I was living a double life, trying to look like a perfect person on the outside, but really lost on the inside. I heard God speak to me at 21 as I sat in the car feeling completely alone and full of shame. I felt Him saying He loved me and forgave me, and I responded with repentance and surrendered everything to Him. Since that day, my life hasn't been easy, but it has been different in the best way because I try to take all my issues to God as they come instead of hiding everything from Him. He is big enough to handle anything. 

Q: Before your Christian music releases, you had a successful career in country music. What were some of the highlights of that season of life?

Being in the country music industry grew me so much as I met other artists who became friends, learned to write and sing honest songs, and watch songs connect to people who heard them. Some of my favorite moments were playing the Grand Ole Opry and opening for legendary artists Trisha Yearwood and Reba McEntire. 

Q: Why did you decide to start recording Christian music?

I started feeling a pull to do Christian music at the beginning of 2023. My country label had just dropped me a couple months before and I was feeling a lot of rejection and confusion about if I should continue doing music. God started revealing to my heart that I should make Christian music and the songs just started pouring out. I was writing by myself a ton and then started writing with some Christian writers in town. And because of my joy and passion for the songs I was making, it just became very apparent to me that I needed to really take the leap into Christian music and trust God with the process. 

Q: How did you get to work with Centricity Music?

God started connecting me to several labels in the spring of 2023, and we started having introductory conversations about my music and my story. I really loved all the teams and continuing hanging and writing with more of their writers. My music continued to grow as I found myself feeling really creative and comfortable with writers. Centricity was one of the last labels I met with, and it was an instant family connection. I flew out to their independent artist retreat and had the best time, and I signed with them six months later.

Q: What was it like recording your new EP at the Fame Recording Studios "Home of the Muscle Shoals Sound"?

When I first signed with Centricity, I talked with my A&R (Stephen) about my dream to go back to my hometown to FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals and record some Christian music. The studio's renowned producer Rick Hall came to know Jesus only a few years before he passed, and it really made me want to record songs for Jesus there. My team called me in the summer to share that they had booked the studio and it was such an exciting call knowing they saw my vision and wanted to do it and make it even cooler than I originally imagined.

Q: What can we look forward to in terms of more new music?

I can't explain how excited I am about all the music that we are working on for the glory of God. It feels so right to be in a place where I'm writing about God, the way He has revealed Himself to me through my story, and the gift of the gospel - the greater story I'm living in. It feels like I'm taking a huge sigh of relief as I lean into this season of recording and finishing my EP that will release in July. It's just the beginning and I'm thankful for every bit of the journey as Jesus is leading me along.

For all the latest Rachel Purcell music, tour and more news, go to www.rachelpurcellmusic.com, YouTube and Instagram. 

 

Tags : Rachel Purcell Rachel Purcell interview Rachel Purcell Show Up