By Leah MarieAnn Klett, Assistant Editor Tuesday, March 17, 2026

Gospel artist Jonathan McReynolds is sharing how his newest album,Closer, was born from a season of spiritual searching and approaching prayer and fasting with a deeper sense of sincerity.

“I think that reaching is probably the best term,” the 36-year-old Chicago native told The Christian Post. “We can do all the churchy things, all the spiritual disciplines. But while you're doing it, is there something from your heart that's truly reaching for God?”

Releasing March 27, Closer marks what the Grammy winner calls one of his most personal and spiritually centered projects to date. Recorded live in his hometown of Chicago, the album blends worship, acoustic soul, Afrobeats and 1980s-inspired pop, a stylistic choice McReynolds said helped unify the project’s sound.

“I literally woke up one day and thought, ‘Let’s study Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson for a second,’” he quipped. “I wanted to see what they were thinking musically, and we kind of used that throughout the album to glue it all together.”

The result, he said, was an opportunity to stretch creatively while also pushing gospel music in new directions.

“I’m always going to give you different sounds, worship, singer-songwriter, Afrobeats, but the '80s vibe kind of tied everything together,” he said. “It was fun, and I wanted to push myself and push the genre a little bit.”

The album includes the reflective title track “Closer,” the worship anthem “One Good God” and the chart-topping single “Still” featuring American Idol Season 23 winner Jamal Roberts.

According to McReynolds, the title track serves as the spiritual centerpiece of the record.

“That song is the linchpin,” he said. “It’s the moment where everything started to make sense.”

The song opens with the question: “How much will it take for me to change?” It's a line McReynolds said emerged from prayer and reflection during the songwriting process.

“My songwriting partners and I were wrestling with this question: Which comes first, the change or getting closer to God?” he asked. “Do we get closer to Him and then change, or do we change and then get closer?”

“It was like God saying, ‘Bigger isn’t going to do it. You being better isn’t going to do it. Just come closer.’”

That message, he said, became the defining theme of the album and the spiritual season that inspired it.

“You can stay as small and imperfect as you are right now,” McReynolds said. “Just get closer.”

Born and raised in Chicago, McReynolds first rose to prominence in gospel music with his 2012 debut album Life Music. Since then, he has earned multiple Grammy, Dove and Stellar Awards and written two books.

A graduate of Moody Theological Seminary and a Mensa member, the "God is Good" singer said his academic background and love of Scripture heavily influence the way he approaches songwriting.

“I never want to represent God and His Word poorly,” he said. “Sometimes, if a lyric feels a little too clever or convenient, I’ll send it to a few people and ask, ‘Does this actually reflect the biblical concept correctly?’”

“My music has never really been about making songs for the church service,” he added. “It’s about what happens after church. Once you know God is big and wonderful and mighty, how does that actually affect the decisions you make throughout the week?”

That perspective, he said, has led some listeners to use his songs as tools for discipleship and encouragement.

“I’ve heard people say they play my music for a wayward cousin or a friend who’s struggling,” McReynolds said. “That wasn’t necessarily my plan, but I’m grateful if God uses it that way.”

The live recording of Closer in Chicago added another layer of meaning for the singer. He shared how the city holds a deep personal history for him, from his first paid performance to earlier live recordings like his acclaimed album Make Room.

“Chicago is like grandma’s house for me,” he said. “It’s the place where I can see how much I’ve grown.”

“If you removed every other city and just kept the Chicago moments, you could still see my whole story,” he said. “I learned lessons there. I failed there. I did great things there. I can see how God has blessed and kept me.”

Beyond his own music, McReynolds has also focused on nurturing the next generation of gospel artists through his independent label, Life Label Group, which includes Grammy-winning singer DOE. Mentorship, he said, is crucial to keeping the genre vibrant.

“What saves a genre is creativity,” McReynolds said. “What kills it is a lack of creativity. ... When everything starts sounding the same, same lyrics, same chord progressions, the message can get stagnant. Creativity breaks that up.”

“You might have grown up listening to Backstreet Boys, or '80s rock, or gospel, or Haitian music,” he said. “When you put all of that together through your relationship with God, something unique comes out.”

Though acknowledging the Christian music industry has begun to embrace greater musical diversity in recent years, McRenolds said he hopes the church will continue encouraging creative expression rather than resisting it.

“I just pray the church allows for that creativity so it doesn’t have to happen outside the church,” he said.

When it comes to his own career, McReynolds said he's focused on the pursuit of spiritual intimacy, including prayer, fasting and Scripture, rather than perfection.

“I didn’t add a whole bunch of new disciplines,” he said of the season that inspired Closer. “I just tried to deepen the ones I already had.”

“With the little bit of faith I had, even if it was just the size of a mustard seed, I wanted to pray from that place,” he said. “Not out of habit, but because I really believed God was there.”

“I started seeing Him in more places,” McReynolds added. “I became more open, more aware. Because instead of just doing Christian tasks, I was actually reaching for Him.”

News Source : https://www.christianpost.com/news/jonathan-mcreynolds-says-reaching-for-god-shaped-closer.html