The music video for Michael W. Smith’s new single “Arms Around the Sun” features a familiar face: Jesus. Or, rather, the man who plays Jesus in the hit TV series “The Chosen.”
Jonathan Roumie, the 50-year-old star of “The Chosen,” played drums in a rock band after college, before pursuing an acting career. After he mentioned that musical past to Smith, Roumie ended up contributing to what he calls “a banger” of a song.
“Arms Around the Sun,” which released today (April 11), is about beholding the vastness of God, who’s “too deep to fathom, too bright to behold.” In the music video, Roumie can be seen drumming during the song’s bridge.
On social media, the actor expressed excitement about the opportunity, writing, “I couldn’t be more honored to get to play with the legend himself and my dear friend @mwsmithofficial.” Roumie added that his guest performance “all happened kinda spontaneously,” and he jokingly maintained that Smith and producer Tedd T “tricked” him into the recording.
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Michael W. Smith: Drummer Jonathan Roumie ‘Knocked It out of the Park’
Smith, the Grammy Award-winning Christian music icon, explained in an interview that Roumie has “become a dear friend” over the past few years. Speaking with Brandon Woolum on GodTube Music, Smith said he had invited the actor to visit his studio. “I’ve got my whole [drum] kit set up,” Smith told Roumie. “I’m in this historical house, the drums sound incredible.”
When Roumie stopped by, Tedd T “just happened” to be there, Smith said, and “Arms Around the Sun” was up on the computer. Smith and his producer encouraged Roumie to play along to the song, and at one point they let him know they were recording.
“He was a little nervous,” Smith recalled. “We did probably three or four passes of it, and he just killed it. He just knocked it out of the park.”
When it came time to film the music video and Smith realized “there was going to be [a] performance in it,” he asked Roumie to participate. “He said, ‘Absolutely,’” Smith said. “So that’s him playing drums.”
The “Arms Around the Sun” video, directed by 23-year-old Harrison Shook, has a “Spielberg, ’80s, ‘Stranger Things’” throwback vibe, according to Smith.
‘Jesus on Drums!’: Jonathan Roumie Earns Rave Reviews
In comments about the new song and video, fans are posting enthusiastically about the sound—and the guest drummer. Someone said “Arms Around the Sun” seems like a throwback to Smith’s 1988 album “i 2 (EYE).”
