The really cool thing about reggae music is that I can get away with saying spiritual things as a reggae influenced artist that I couldn't get away with saying as a rock artist. Reggae has such spiritual roots and people almost expect to hear spiritual things.

I grew up in a really musical house where all of my brothers and sisters could sing, but I couldn't sing. Not only could I not sing, I couldn't hear pitch. I was totally tone deaf - legitimately, one hundred percent tone deaf. Nevertheless, I loved music.

As crazy as it sounds, I really think that God just put the reggae thing in me. I can point to a few things in my life that pushed me in that direction.

I don't write for Christians. I write for people. I write so that if a Christian hears my music, they're going to be encouraged because I'm writing from the Christian worldview.

I think all of us would agree that a lot of Christian radio sounds the same. A lot of music that comes out of Nashville kind of has a little bit of the same vibe. Because I don't live in Nashville, I surround myself with a culture and an influence that's outside that bubble. So when the church hears it, it's refreshing, and when the world hears it, it sounds like something they want to listen to.

I rebelled during my high school years really bad. I started messing around with drugs and having relationships with girls and partying. And I used to tell God, "Hey God, after college I'm going to serve You because I know that's what I want to do with my life. I know that's the best way. I know that's why I was created. But right now I want to sin because I love it. I want to have a lot of fun."

The Bible says that God uses the foolish things and the base things of the world to accomplish His work. He apparently uses the tone deaf of the world to do something too.