Brandon Lake brought out Cole Swindell for a surprise duet of the country star’s new song “Make Heaven Crowded.”
Christian worship artist Brandon Lake continued his recent trend of working with country music artists – and coming up with some country music himself – at the Atlanta stop of his King of Hearts tour. Considering Lake’s first move into the country music space went over quite well, and this most recent concert collab with Swindell, we might be in for many more country-Christian songs in the near future.
Back in May, there were two Christian songs that made the Hot 100 chart – the first time that’s happened in over a decade. One is Forrest Frank’s viral smash “Your Way’s Better,” and the other just so happened to be the Christian-country crossover that you’ve probably heard: “Hard Fought Hallelujah” with Christian artist Brandon Lake and rapper-turned-country-singer, Jelly Roll.
It seems as though the positive response to that one has inspired Brandon Lake to continue trusting country music fans to connect with his voice and his music. That’s why he felt comfortable and confident enough to surprise his own fans with a special, unexpected guest appearance from country music singer Cole Swindell. The two performed “Make Heaven Crowded” together, which is a song that Swindell penned in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
The song has a truly moving message if you’ve never heard it, and the lyrics of the track provide a message of hope and a desire for our actions here on Earth to make Heaven a place that is packed with plenty of people:
“I’ve blamed my sinning on ‘I ain’t no saint’
I’ve bit my tongue, said that it ain’t my place
I’ve kept Jesus in the backseat, but I can’t any longer
After what we all saw last week, I can’t help but wonder
What if churches had a longer line outside
Than all them bars on Friday night
What if people prayed for people who ain’t on their side
What if good ran off the bad
Them streets of gold up there’d be packed
This ol’ world would look a lot better than we found it
If we make Heaven crowded”
“Make Heaven Crowded” is technically a country song, but it’s yet another song in the genre of country music that could easily be played in a worship set. Brandon Lake, one of the most popular Christian music artists in the world, resonated with it so much that he asked Swindell to join him on stage to sing it. The pair then also sang Lake’s most recent release, “When A Cowboy Prays,” which is another example of the Christian artist leaning into country stylings.
Brandon Lake shared a snippet of the moment on social media, saying:
“Honored to have the one and only Cole Swindell hop up with us in Atlanta last night! Y’all go check out ‘Make Heaven Crowded’ and ‘When A Cowboy Prays’ now!”
Nothing like a little country worship music.
The duo of Lake and Swindell worked wonderfully on stage, and the country music star was very grateful to be asked to join lake during his Atlanta show. Cole Swindell even responded to this social media post, saying that sharing the stage with Brandon Lake – and just being there for the worship concert – was a truly special moment:
“I’ll be talking about last night for a long time my friend. Still not over your whole set. Inspired.”
All in all, it’s cool to see that country music is being the genre that champions faith and stands besides worship music. And it’s not just some warm and fuzzy message with Christian undertones, it’s a bold call to Gospel action. Country artists and gospel music have always had some overlap, and this song from Swindell is a masterpiece that speak to the moment we find ourselves in today.
“Make Heaven Crowded”
And here’s Brandon Lake’s new one, “When A Cowboy Prays.”
