Before Zach Williams became one of Christian music's most recognizable voices, he was the frontman of a Southern rock band-and privately watching his marriage and personal life crumble.
The Grammy-winning singer will revisit that turbulent period during a revealing appearance on In the Kitchen with Gigi, airing Saturday, September 19, at 11 a.m. Central on the Christian Television Network. Williams joins host and Gigi's Cupcakes founder Gigi Butler for an intimate conversation about addiction, redemption and the unlikely creation of his breakthrough anthem, "Chain Breaker."
Williams spent years touring with Zach Williams & The Reformation, chasing the rock-star dream while struggling with drugs and alcohol. The singer has admitted that the lifestyle left him miserable, spiritually lost and in danger of losing his family.
His turning point came during a European tour in 2012. While traveling through Spain, Williams heard the Christian song "Redeemed" by Big Daddy Weave on the radio. Its message forced him to confront the life he had been living and the damage it had caused. When he returned home, he walked away from the band and committed his life to following Jesus.
That decision eventually led Williams to serve at Central Baptist Church in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Instead of writing songs for clubs and rock venues, he began creating music inspired by the struggles and testimonies of people sitting in the congregation.
Then came the song that changed everything.
During a songwriting trip to Nashville, Williams joined Jonathan Smith and Mia Fieldes to write "Chain Breaker." The song transformed his experience of addiction and spiritual rescue into a declaration that Christ could break the chains of fear, pain and bondage.
Just months after the demo was recorded, executives at Provident Label Group heard it and wanted to sign Williams-before he had performed a traditional industry showcase. "Chain Breaker" subsequently spent nine weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Christian Songs chart and launched a career that would include "Old Church Choir," "Fear Is a Liar," "Rescue Story" and the Dolly Parton collaboration "There Was Jesus."
Williams's appearance continues the first season of In the Kitchen with Gigi, a new faith-based cooking and conversation series hosted by Butler. The program brings Christian artists and personalities into the kitchen to share food, personal stories and the faith that has carried them through life's hardest seasons.
For Williams, the conversation promises to reveal more than the familiar outline of a celebrity testimony. It traces how a struggling Southern rocker became a church worship leader-and how a song born from his own brokenness became an anthem of freedom for millions.
Watch Zach Williams on In the Kitchen with Gigi Saturday at 11 a.m. Central on CTN.
