Interview: Steven Joubert
Steven Joubert, a contemporary Christian music artist from LA, has just released his latest single, 'Land of the Living'. Louder Than The Music chatted to Steven about this powerful anthem, and his thoughts on making music.
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 am originally from Lafayette, LA and the first time I was ever really inspired to want to learn how to play music was after listening to the Christian band Five Iron Frenzy back in 2003. Their album Electric Boogaloo rocked my socks. At that time I was thinking about taking a guitar class at my middle school, and after listening to that album it sealed the deal.
Tell us about your new single 'Land of the Living' and what the inspiration behind it was?
“Land of the Living” is a song trying to call people out of the mire of selfishness and sin, into the new life of the Resurrection. It’s not just for people who’ve never heard the Gospel. It’s a reminder for all of us, even myself. It’s a calling out to remember that as Christians, we are a freed people. To me also, the “Land of the Living” is about the churches and communities of believers who are there doing the Lord’s work. I know that church communities can be a sore topic for people and have been the cause and source for a lot of hurt. But that doesn’t mean that every church is like that, or even that all of the people in those churches are like that.
Do you have any plans to release more music in the near future?
Yes! I’ve got another song coming out hopefully in the Fall of 2024. We’ll see what happens after that.
What message would you like people to take from your music?
I would love for people to feel empowered to live out their faith in a radical way; to be reminded of their identity as a beloved son/daughter of God, and to be reminded of their liberation from sin by the Blood of Jesus.
How would you describe your style of music and what are your influences?
I would describe my music as Swamp Pop Rock, but that’s kind of mouthful. I think most of the time people just call it Christian Country. As far as influences go, I’d say it goes as far back as my early emo kid days of listening to Relient K and Switchfoot, all the way up ‘til now with artists like Chris Stapleton, NEEDTOBREATHE, Matt Maher, and Crowder.
If you could work with any songwriter, who would it be and why?
I’d be on cloud nine if I could write a song with Bear Rinehart from NEEDTOBREATHE. He’s got an incredible voice, and his songwriting is just always next level.
How would you define success in your career as an artist?
If anyone can listen to my music and come to know Jesus better through it, I’ve succeeded.
What is your favorite album of all time?
Relient K’s mmhmm… album. It was the record that defined my whole high school career. To this day, I love listening to that whole album from start to finish, every track, no skips.
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?
“Help” by the Beatles. Just the intro.
What does the next year hold for you?
Hopefully it consists of writing, recording, and releasing a lot of new music.
