Aaron Shust grew up in the church, first singing on Sunday nights as a child and
later in the adult choir. He later served as a worship leader in a Georgia
church. Today the singer/songwriter is one of the top names in Contemporary
Christian music. His latest album "This Is What We Believe" features
the hit song "My Hope Is In You."
Q: How did you get started in contemporary
Christian music?
Aaron Shust: I've been singing in church since I was 3, the music
director's kid on Sunday nights, then during church services Sunday mornings,
church kids' programs, then adult choir. So church music has always been a part
of my life. A few years after receiving my degree in music education, I took a worship leading position at a large church in
suburban Atlanta (Perimeter PCA) and began to write songs for that congregation
to sing or just listen to during the offering. Eventually a batch of those
songs made it into an album recorded in a friend's newly refurbished basement
(Mike Shamus), and a local label (Brash) signed me to keep writing and
recording!
Q: How long have you been a member of your
faith?
Q: As a songwriter, tell us how the process
works for you?
Aaron Shust: The most consistent process for me, although it's not always
this way, involves my grasping onto a theme and singing a melody to it that
seems catchy, playing a few chords around it, finding the key and doing a quick
recording of it. If after trying to work on it for a few days or weeks [and]
nothing develops, I'll take the concept to a songwriter I know and trust who
has the ability to take a theme and run with it. I call them
"finishers." At that point as we are working together, I'll play
"quality control" and direct their brilliance to make sure their
lyrics are in line with the original theme. It's a great collaborative process,
and while it can take some time and effort, good things normally do.
Q: What's your favorite Bible verse and why?
Aaron Shust: I keep going back to Proverbs 21:31 in the Message. "Do
your best, prepare for the worst, and trust God for the victory."
Applicable in so many situations. We need to bring our A game whether it's a
spiritual matter or a mundane effort, consider the obstacles and how we can
avoid or overcome them, but at the end of the day, it is God's plan that will
not be thwarted, and His plan is perfect. So if things didn't happen the way
I'd planned, I can rest easy knowing I did my best and God will be glorified in
the end, which is ultimately what I want anyway.
Q: "My Hope Is In You" off you latest
album has been quite popular. How did this song come about?
Aaron Shust: I had written or cowritten about 20 songs and nine were
chosen for the album leaving me with one more slot to fill. I was tired from a
50-date tour, during which my son, Nicky, spent considerable time in the
hospital. And now it was the holiday season and I was mentally drained: the
idea of writing another song blitzed me. I told Ed Cash, my producer, that if
he knew of any songs that totally fit the theme of the album "This Is What
We Believe," I'd love to consider an outside song (one I didn't write). He
told me he had just the song; April Geesbreght wrote "My Hope Is In
You" and had given it to Ed six months earlier and his wife and kids
couldn't stop singing it! I played it for my wife and she loved it. "You
have to put that on your record." My favorite lines are "Your Word
throws doubt far away" and "I won't be shaken by drought or
storm." Strong, strong song.
Q: Tell us about the miracle your son experienced.
How did that experience affect your family?
Aaron Shust: Long story short, my son Nicky has anaphylactic food
allergies. He was born with a hole in his esophagus allowing liquids to enter
his lungs. His body created cells to attack the pneumonia that was trying to
set it and eventually took over his esophagus, stomach and upper GI. Nicky was
1 year old at the time and his case was considered about five times worse than
clinically "severe." His cell count fell from 120-plus per biopsy
sample (25 being severe) down to zero overnight. There was no drug given to him
as none were available for this as of yet incurable disease. Nicky is a gift,
we always knew that, we never deserved to have any of our children. They belong
to the Lord, just as we do. As parents, we are simply their caretakers and I
believe God lovingly holds the measure of our days, so everyday with my family
is a day I treasure. God healed him...
Q: What artists in the industry have influenced
you?
Aaron Shust: All of them, good and bad. I'll give you the good. Growing
up I listened to Michael W Smith, Petra and some One Bad Pig thrown in for good
measure (a heavy dose actually). Pop ballads, rock 'n' roll and punk, but with
the love of their Savior as the common thread. In college my roommate loved
classic rock and I was studying classical music, but I loved to listen to U2,
Bob Marley and dc Talk, I was blown away by everything they created. When I
became a worship leader in 2000, Chris Tomlin and David Crowder made a strong
impact on me. It's been great to be able to rub shoulders and develop
friendships with a lot of my heroes. I've been disappointed by none of them.
Q: When you perform, what do you hope audiences
take away from the concert?
Aaron Shust: That the love of God for them is far greater than they
imagine. I hope they get to experience the expressing of gratitude and
admiration to the God of the universe who inhabits the praises of his people (a
thing we call "worship") more than just experiencing another concert
where someone makes you listen to songs they wrote.-SOURCE
