Interview: Alex & Rachel Inman
Alex and Rachel Inman are worship leaders out of East Texas. To mark the release of the music video for their song 'Reconciled', Louder Than The Music chatted to the couple to find out more about their music and their plans for the future.
For those who haven't heard of you before, can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you got involved in making music?
I grew up in a very musical family. My parents and uncles had a southern gospel family band, and I played / sang for most of my childhood. As a teenager, I got involved in my youth group at church, and felt the call to ministry when I was in 8th grade. Then I started leading worship in the 9th grade.
When Rachel and I got married, I was leading worship for my local church, and she had a desire to sing with me, even though she had very little singing experience or training. Through that journey, God was giving me a deeper love for His Word and writing became an expression of that. We decided to record a few demos in the home office, and from that, birthed our first EP, which was released in fall 2020.
Tell us about your single 'Reconciled' and what the inspiration behind it was?
When the pandemic started, I found myself with a lot of extra time on my hands. I was sitting in my office at work with a friend, and we were burdened with the reality in front of us, and wanted to find a way to encourage our people. We kept coming back to the Gospel. The truth is, even when our future feels uncertain, the Gospel is still enough, and worthy of our attention.
That song is taken from your 'Worship Vol. 2' EP, what more can you tell us about that release?
I think these are some of my favorite songs that I’ve written. Every song is fully inspired by passages of scripture. My favorite song from the release is a song called “Death To Life” that is from Ephesians 2, and it feels like a celebration whenever we sing it in church. Most of these songs were co-written with friends from our previous church in West TN. I’m thankful for my time there, and I’m grateful for the people I got to write these songs with!
The last song, “Faithful And True” was written during our move to East, TX. II didn’t realize it at the time, it became a reminder to myself that, even though seasons change, God remains the same. He is faithful. Writing that song really helped me internalize some of the hardest moments of being in a new place.
What message would you like people to take from your music?
These songs are for worshippers. I want to point people to Jesus, and I was people to be reminded that God loves you, cares for you, and He wants you to take part in His plan.
How would you describe your style of music and what are your influences?
Early on, I loved country music, and Keith Urban was a huge influence on me, especially with the guitar. More recently, Rachel and I have been so inspired by the likes of Shane and Shane, Charity Gayle, and Cody Carnes.
If you could work with any songwriter, who would it be and why?
It’s so hard to pick one! I think one of my favorite writers right now is Cody Carnes. He’s very creative in saying a truth about God in different ways, while keeping the accuracy of the scriptures intact.
How would you define success in your career as an artist?
We don’t really see ourselves as artists, we like to call ourselves worship leaders. Success, for us, is simply this: is the church being edified through the songs we write?
What is your favorite album of all time?
Easily “Psalms Vol. 2” from Shane and Shane (2015). This album really shaped my desire to take scripture and turn them into songs of worship!
You're stuck on an island, it's hot, you only have enough battery life left to listen to one song on your phone. What track is it?
“Psalm 46” by Shane and Shane. It’s such an amazing song in so many ways. Not a wasted lyric, not a wasted moment in that song.
What does the next year hold for you?
First, Rachel and I have committed to making our kids more of a priority! We have amazing kids, and they have a good life, but we’re starting to watch the years slip away, and we don’t want to waste them. Second, to continue to be faithful to our local church. Third, we’ve got two more projects in mind and dreams to widen the boarders of the songs God has given us.
