Perry LaHaie Unveils Powerful New Radio Single, 'Crashed Into Grace'
Singer/songwriter and morning drive-time radio host Perry LaHaie released his new single, “Crashed Into Grace,” Friday, March 24, 2023, from Frontiers USA, an international community of people dedicated to inviting Muslims worldwide to follow Jesus. The single is co-produced by Nashville veteran Stephen Leiweke (Jars of Clay, Chris Tomlin, Yancy, Point of Grace, Cindy Morgan, Chris Sligh) and emerging producer Jake DeJarnett.
The song, a mix of acoustic rock and Americana that has been described as “Chris Renzema meets Zach Williams meets Drew Holcomb,” was inspired by a spiritually transformative experience LaHaie had growing up.
“As a teenager, I was wounded deeply by shame from pursuing my own selfish desires,” says LaHaie. “Although I started following Jesus at 10 and experienced an amazing filling of the Holy Spirit at 16, these wounds of shame were poisoning me.”
Then, when he was 18, LaHaie was playing pick-up basketball at the rec center in Cheboygan, Michigan, where he grew up, when he went for a rebound and collided with another player, seriously injuring his ankle. Friends carried him home, and as he lay on the couch in excruciating pain, LaHaie asked his mother to pray for him. Instantly, he felt a warmth in his ankle and the pain went away. “What amazed me most,” he says, “was that Jesus would heal me knowing every dark secret of my life. He touched the shame in my heart and began healing it."
“Never in my life did I expect grace,” LaHaie continues. “But He was just waiting for me to reach my worst. That’s when He crashed into me.”
LaHaie has always wanted to write a song about that experience. He began in 2017 and finished in 2022, calling it “Crashed Into Grace.”
“I feel like after all these years I’ve finally found my voice,” says LaHaie, who recorded “Crashed Into Grace” at Yackland Studio in East Nashville. “With the music, it’s more of a roots/acoustic rock with a close-to-the-earth vibe. With my heart, it’s a deeper knowing that Abba loves me as I am, not as I should be. It’s taken every step in a long journey to get here and I think you will feel that in this song.”
“It was so great taking honest lyrics and matching them with organic and raw instruments to create something that captures the reality of God’s grace in a song,” says DeJarnett.“It was very special to reflect on my experience of crashing into grace and how God loves us enough to meet us in all our guilt and pull us out into our purpose.”
Leiweke was equally excited with the results. “Perry’s level of musical professionalism and his openness to the Lord’s leading made working with him a pleasure and an honor,” he says. "His dedication to his sound and artistry is unmatched.”
Fans can listen to “Crashed Into Grace,” on Spotify, Apple, Amazon, Tidal, YouTube, and other popular streaming platforms.
The new single caps off a successful year for LaHaie.
In 2022, his one-minute radio feature, Cast Yourself In, which shares amazing stories of what God is doing in the Muslim world and is heard in over 400 radio markets across North America, launched on world-wide podcasting platforms including Apple Music and Spotify.
In June 2022, LaHaie released his single, “Pure In Heart.” "This song is a call to search our hearts," says Lahaie, "a song for anyone at the crossroads of conviction, anyone making big decisions about what they want their life to be all about, at the core." To date, "Pure In Heart" has been streamed in over 60 countries. “Perry’s ‘Pure In Heart’ brings a holy challenge to pursue a life lived for the gospel, loving as we have been loved,” says Jack Haveman, Station Manager, 89.3 Moody Radio Grand Rapids.
In August 2022, he traveled to Yackland Studio in Nashville to record “Crashed Into Grace,” and a riveting new arrangement of “God Is Working His Purpose Out" with the production team of Stephen Leiweke and Jake DeJarnnet.
In October 2022, LaHaie released his organic makeover of “God Is Working His Purpose Out (Two Point 0).” "I feel deeply the brokenness of our world, that things are not as they should be. This is why ‘happily ever after' stories are so powerful. They resonate with our longing for everything to be set right," says LaHaie. "'God Is Working His Purpose Out (Two Point O)' shows that our fairy-tale longings are not just that," he continues. "They are real and find their fulfillment in Jesus who’s setting everything right now, and will one day do it completely. And we who know Him get to share this extravagant hope till He comes!” "God Is Working His Purpose Out (Two Point 0)” has been streamed in over 100 countries. The original version of the song first appeared on LaHaie’s critically acclaimed 2020 album, Him.
At Christmastime in 2022, his "O Come O Come Emmanuel (How Long) [Frerichs Remix]," which originally released Christmas 2020, took on a new life of its own and is now his most-streamed song. A stunning orchestral piece that timelessly and pensively expresses the longing for Christ's return to “make all the sad things come untrue,” the song was remixed by Emmy Award-winning producer Joshua Frerichs (Netflix, Hulu, NBC, Warner Chappell Music) and has more than 360,000 streams in over 100 countries to date. The accompanying lyric video has been viewed over 40,000 times.
Also in 2022, LaHaie and his co-host Shawna Beyer continued their morning show, Perry and Shawna Mornings, via 89.3 Moody Radio, where LaHaie shares his heart for the least reached peoples of the world. In a standout episode of the show, LaHaie talked with Todd Nettleton of Voice of the Martyrs about the incredible story of John Chau. "Jesus pushed it deep in John’s heart to take the gospel to a small unreached tribe of people on an island in the middle of nowhere," says LaHaie. "He prepared for years. When he finally set foot on the shore in 2018 he was killed by that tribe. Was it all for nothing? Not a chance. John’s death has sparked a world-wide prayer movement for this still-unreached tribe."
"I'm passionate about Jesus because He found me at my worst, embraced me, and loved me unconditionally," LaHaie says. "What a privilege to get to share the Gospel with people all over the world through radio, music, and via amazing media platforms.”
LaHaie’s latest CD, Him, was released in 2020. Media coverage of LaHaie and his music has included Cornerstone TV's flagship show, Hope Today; CCM Magazine; popular daytime TV show, Babbie's House; nationally syndicated coast-to-coast radio show Bill Martinez Live!; Inspiration.org; CRU (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ radio); Jesus Wired; World Christian Broadcasting; Jubileecast; Never For Nothing (UK); and more.
