Australian husband and wife duo James and Sarah Petterson, known collectively as JSP, have exploded onto the Christian rock scene with their chain-breaking anthem “Taking It Back.” The song was co-written and produced by Josiah Prince of Disciple to refine the sound of musicians who have already been honing their craft for decades. “Taking It Back,” which is the lead single from the duo’s upcoming debut album, is streaming everywhere now.
“‘Taking It Back’ was written as an anthem to reclaim what had been stolen from us,” guitarist and keyboardist James... Read More Australian husband and wife duo James and Sarah Petterson, known collectively as JSP, have exploded onto the Christian rock scene with their chain-breaking anthem “Taking It Back.” The song was co-written and produced by Josiah Prince of Disciple to refine the sound of musicians who have already been honing their craft for decades. “Taking It Back,” which is the lead single from the duo’s upcoming debut album, is streaming everywhere now.
“‘Taking It Back’ was written as an anthem to reclaim what had been stolen from us,” guitarist and keyboardist James Petterson reveals. “This song represents coming full circle in a journey out of hurt and into one of healing, while having a full understanding of what happened through the abuse we both encountered.”
That abuse occurred largely in a church environment, leading to the couples’ own experience of bewilderment and stigmatizing shame.
James adds, “Abuse is not an easy thing to understand when you experience it. The raw pain and confusion that it causes, the self-doubt, the shame and guilt and the loss of hope. It leaves you questioning yourself, and living in a place where you may be alive and breathing, but you are not really living.”
“Taking It Back” is a promise that all is not lost. With a wall of towering guitars and precisely placed riffs lifting Sarah’s raw and emotive vocals heavenward, “Taking It Back” empowers anyone who has survived abuse as well. The song’s release will be accompanied by a music video on August 2, debuting on Today's Christian Entertainment, lending visuals to the soaring song of release.
Listeners may notice that “Taking It Back” draws naturally and beautifully from Genesis 50:20: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.”
With such a redemptive first step into the faith-based rock arena, it’s clear that JSP’s music is going to be used as that kind of saving force for many. “Taking It Back” crystallizes in song form the moment when anger over past abuse becomes catalyzed into holy change.
“This song is our anthem,” James confirms. “It’s a reminder of where we are now, the claiming back of what the enemy tried to take from us. What was meant to harm us, to discourage us, to take us away from a life God had planned for us — what was meant for evil — God will now use for His glory.”
The couple concludes, “Our past is behind us. It no longer defines us and will no longer keep us down, no longer keep us away from what we have been called to do.”
