Colton and Annie Dixon with their daughters. Photo by Courtney Acuna
“I had a lot of soul searching to do,” he told RNS. “I knew my security and my identity was too wrapped up in it.”
His perspective shifted after a conversation with his wife, Annie, who suggested the change might be God setting them up for what was next. According to Dixon, she proved to be exactly right. In May 2018, Dixon signed with the mainstream record label Atlantic Records — which retains artists like Bruno Mars, Kelly Clarkson and Coldplay in its impressive roster — and has since had two of his biggest hits yet. Kelm said Dixon’s grace-filled attitude during that time of instability is “one of the things I’m most proud of him for, after managing him now for eight years.”
Kelm added that Colton’s success is especially remarkable given how the Christian music market has shifted. A decade ago, according to Kelm, it was typical to have a range of genres within the Christian music industry, including everything from punk to pop rock. Today, he said, there’s been a hard turn toward worship music. Dixon has always had more of a rock sound — he cites bands like Skillet and Switchfoot as his influences — but while he has evolved over the years, he’s still true to himself. “He just continued to be who he was. He didn’t suddenly switch and become a worship artist,” said Kelm.
In early 2020, Dixon released “Miracles,” a single about the little miracles in life we often take for granted. Months later, the song found new meaning for Dixon after his wife gave birth to twin girls — one of them without a pulse. The new parents prayed as the doctors resuscitated their daughter, who is now a healthy 2-year-old.
“I will say this as a songwriter. It’s comical the amount of times I’ve written a song and then I’ve needed the meaning of that song or the lyric of that song in my own life after the fact.”
Dixon told RNS that being a father has also taught him more about the kind of love God has for him. The night his daughters were born, he went to the NICU to monitor them and was struck by an overwhelming feeling of unconditional love. “I just met them, and I felt like I’ve known them my whole life. And I felt a nudge from the Holy Spirit saying, ‘I feel the same way about you.’”
With his latest song, “Build a Boat,” Dixon says he’s been able to write about the kind of bold faith God has required of him in his own life. Though the tune started out as a love song written by Swedish songwriters, Dixon and his team gave the song new life by re-imagining it as an allusion to the story of Noah. After revisiting the story in the book of Genesis, Dixon was struck by how Noah had the courage to build an ark before there was any rain, despite what onlookers may have said.
Colton Dixon performs in the “Build a Boat” music video. Video screen grab
“When Noah was telling people, ‘Hey, God spoke to me and said that a flood was coming,’ there’s no way people in their right mind took him seriously,” observed Dixon. “How often do we let other people dictate our future? We believe what they say more than what God says.”
For the song’s music video, Dixon and his team collaborated with a faith-based organization called Mercy Ships, which sends hospital ships equipped with high-tech facilities and volunteer professionals to provide surgeries for those who wouldn’t otherwise have access. Dixon said he hopes to continue teaming up with the group, perhaps on his next tour, which is set for the spring. Kelm said Dixon also has new music in the works that will likely drop early next year.
Despite his recent success, Dixon says his goals haven’t changed. As he plans for the future, he says he needs to keep his “head down” and “keep doing what God has called me to do.” Ultimately, Dixon hopes his music is both entertaining and deeply impactful.
“My goal as an artist is to leave people better than they were before they pressed play.”
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly attributed the second photo in the body of the post to Annette Holloway.
This article originally appeared here.
