GREENVILLE—By adding a modern approach and updated style on their new album, MercyMe, It’s Christmas, the contemporary Christian group MercyMe hopes audiences will find new meaning in Christmas classics.
The Texas-based band is made up of lead singer Bart Millard, guitarists Barry Graul and Mike Scheuchzer, bassist Nathan Cochran and drummer Robby Shaffer.
Along with traditional carols, the album includes festive original songs designed to brighten spirits while reminding audiences about the purpose of this season.
“We hope people will take away a great sense of the holiday spirit, and the lyrics speak for themselves by pointing straight to the birth of Christ,” Graul said.
Their first Christmas album in 2005, The Christmas Sessions, earned widespread appeal and landed them on The Tonight Show, as well as ABC’s annual Disney Christmas Parade.
Since their debut in 2001, the group has garnered multiple Dove Awards and American Music Awards, along with Grammy and Billboard Music Award nominations.
In 2009, Billboard Magazine named their song, “Word Of God Speak,” the Christian song of the decade.
MercyMe also made history when their hit song “I Can Only Imagine” surpassed 2 million digital downloads, becoming the first song in Christian music to go platinum and double-platinum in the digital domain.
Despite the accolades, the group keeps close ties to their Texas roots. Millard grew up in Greenville, where his grandfather, Lloyd Lindsey, served as pastor of Ardis Heights Baptist Church throughout the 1960s and early 1970s.
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This fall, MercyMe was featured on the Greater Than Tour and performed a concert at the State Fair of Texas.
Their platform has provided the group unique opportunities to shine the spotlight on Christ. MercyMe is scheduled to appear on the 89th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, airing live on NBC. Just prior to this appearance, they will perform during Atlanta’s Annual Great Tree Lighting Ceremony.
During their December concerts, MercyMe wants to help audiences reflect on the reason for the season.
“All the emotions that go along with the holidays—happiness and challenges along the way—are conveyed in these songs,” Graul noted. “We love what this season truly means, and the special times spent reflecting with family and friends about our Savior’s birth and the reasons we have to rejoice.”
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