Brandon Lake has officially released the live version of "The Author" featuring Nick Jonas - and fans are already calling the collaboration one of the most unexpected and emotional worship moments of the year.
Watch the video here.
Filmed live in Charleston, South Carolina, the performance captures the two artists singing together in Brandon Lake's hometown during the song's first-ever live debut. Shortly after its release, clips from the performance began spreading across social media, with listeners praising both the song's vulnerability and the unlikely pairing between a major worship artist and one of pop music's biggest stars.
"The Author" centers on themes of redemption, identity, brokenness, and God's ability to rewrite personal stories - themes many fans say were amplified by the raw live setting and stripped-back arrangement.
Lake shared his excitement ahead of the release, inviting fans to join a YouTube watch party and witness "what happened when we sang this one for the first time in my hometown."
The collaboration has sparked major conversation online because it brings together two artists from very different musical spaces. While Brandon Lake has become one of the defining voices in modern worship music, Nick Jonas rose to fame globally through Jonas Brothers and mainstream pop culture.
Still, longtime fans know Jonas has deep roots in faith and church culture. Before the Jonas Brothers became international stars, the brothers performed extensively within Christian music circles and were raised in a pastor's home.
For many listeners, that background gives the collaboration an added emotional layer, especially as worship music increasingly crosses into mainstream audiences and collaborations between faith-based and secular artists become more common.
The Charleston setting also appears deeply personal for Lake, who has often spoken openly about his desire to create worship music that feels honest, emotionally grounded, and accessible to people both inside and outside church walls.
Since the video's release, fans have flooded the comments section describing the performance as "beautiful," "powerful," and "unexpected in the best way."
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