Following the release of his debut single “Brand New,” singer/songwriter Bay Turner headlined 16 worship nights across eight states this spring. While on the tour, Turner took the time to talk to The War Cry about music, faith and his harrowing health challenges. 

Can you share a bit about your experience on TV and the process of being “discovered?” 

I was on season 17 of “America’s Got Talent” (AGT). I was living in New York at the time, and I auditioned for the panel and they liked my audition. Seemed like they enjoyed me, and I never heard a word back. I got a call in January 2022, and they said, “Hey, we liked you from 2019. Would you like to come and audition for the show?” I was like, “Sure, let’s do it.” They said, “You may or may not hear back from us in April, depending on how the show casts everybody.” So in April, they called me, and they said, “Hey, you’re leaving tomorrow for the show. Here’s your flight; we’ll see you in LA.” So I showed up, sang my audition, and it premiered in August. 

It was cool to meet everybody and sing on a national stage, but actually, I got discovered by singing a cover of CeCe Winans’ “Alabaster Box” on Instagram. Steven Floyd from Centricity found me online before anything from AGT ever premiered. So we developed a relationship, and then AGT happened, and it just all snowballed from there. 

How has your faith journey affected your trajectory as a musician?

I’m from Texas. It seems like everybody is Christian there. I went to church and did the “church thing” growing up, but I never had a real intimate connection with Christ until later in life. When I went to college, I began to slowly deconstruct my faith, all the things that I learned as a kid and think about what I believed as a man. I took some time to discover who Christ was to me. All of my discoveries ended up lining up with what I heard as a child, but I think I needed to make those conclusions myself without having somebody show me the way. 

I moved to New York City and pursued a career in opera, but the operatic career was one of self-promotion. How long can I sing, how high can I sing, and how well can I sing in these languages to promote me? It just didn’t align with my beliefs. I quit singing operatic music, and I began leading worship with the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. That opened this whole world that I hadn’t anticipated ever getting into. I didn’t grow up wanting to get on Christian radio and be a Christian artist. But my faith directed my journey. I was just a musician, and now I’m a Christian musician. 

What’s the distinction between a secular musician and a Christian musician? 

It’s the heart behind it. If you’re just making music for yourself or just making music for other people, you might as well just call yourself a pop or R&B singer. But my music is 100 percent fueled by my faith. And all the messaging, the heart behind why I get up and do it every day, why I want to go out and tour and meet people isn’t just for me or just to make good music. It’s to show people the love of Christ through my songs. Music honestly comes second to me. First and foremost are the people. I just love hearing people’s stories. I love praying with them and getting a feel for the church outside of the one that I go to on Sundays. It’s just the most rewarding, humbling, amazing thing. 

You couldn’t sing at all after a vocal cord was paralyzed in surgery. What were those months like when you had no choice but to be silent? 

They were miserable. I’m more outgoing, I think, than the average human, so for me to shut my mouth for longer than five minutes was not easy. There were some tough times, but to be quiet with yourself and your thoughts is such an eye-opening thing. Just to shut off your inner dialogue and just let the Lord speak. It says in the Word, “Be still and know that I’m God,” but the “still” part was hard for me, and when I was forced to do it, it changed my life. 

You couldn’t even talk, correct?

Yeah, it’s true. It was hard for me, and some of the doctors even recommended not listening to music because of involuntary movements with your vocal cords when you’re listening to music. I used an app that would tell people what I was trying to say. I would type it out, and there was this robotic voice that spoke for me for almost three months. It was miserable but I kind of got used to it. Then, it took me a minute to warm back up to talking to people again because you can’t put yourself in a lot of social situations just because you’re tempted to socialize. It was weird warming back up to the world again.

What was the first thing you thought when you were told that you could sing again? 

I came to the knowledge that I was going to be able to sing before I was told I could. I had a total God moment when I just knew He was going to heal me 100 percent. It was a faith thing. At first, I thought, “I think I heard God’s audible voice telling me this. I’m just going to have to have faith that it’s the truth.” And it ended up being the truth. I had already kind of gone through the grieving process of losing my voice. So, of course, there was relief, but it was a bonus on top of the life that I had already started to create for myself. I was told I would never sing the same, and now I’m doing better than I was before.

What inspires you as a musician? 

My faith is first and foremost. That’s kind of a cop-out answer, but it is the truth. But secondly, hearing people’s stories. There was a lady that I was speaking with, and I feel kind of bad, but in the middle of our conversation, a song just kind of popped into my head based on what she was saying. I get a lot of inspiration from human connection. We’re all ultimately storytellers, so hearing other people’s stories and how they tell them informs my artistry a lot. 

How do you spend time with God? 

At first, spending time with God was forced. I just made myself get in the Word every day in the morning and night, and now I wish that’s all I could do. My most intimate time with the Lord is when I’m silent, and I just sit and listen. Sometimes, He doesn’t say anything, and I just need to be quiet. It’s like we go on a journey together. He reveals things from my past and things in my heart. When I’m silent, my heart ends up bubbling to the surface of what I need to deal with. I tell people all the time that when you’re silent and just letting the Lord speak, the first thing that you want to speak up about is usually the thing that you need to bring before the Lord, and it’s usually not what you expect. 

Does your appreciation for silent time with God come from those three months when you had to be quiet? 

Absolutely. It takes two weeks to build a habit. It was terrible at first, and then, after 14 days, it was heaven. It was like, this is the only way I ever want to talk to God — shutting my mouth and letting Him speak. He has a lot better stuff to say than I do; I can promise you that. 

What accomplishment are you most proud of? 

Outside of music is where I feel most proud. Of course, music is something that has always been a part of me, like a kidney or a liver or something. It’s just always been a part of my life, so when I accomplish something with music, that’s cool. But when I grow as a human being, that’s when I’m most proud. 

I struggled with really, really difficult anxiety and depression. I wouldn’t say I’m an expert on mental health, and however people choose to treat it and tackle that thing, I wish them the best. I felt, for me, that I wasn’t supposed to go down the medication route. I think people have to do what they have to do to survive. But I just felt a real call from God to let Him take care of it. That was the hardest thing I think I’ve ever done, fully surrendering my body and mind to Him, and it was also the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done.

What are you most looking forward to in your career as a recording artist? 

I know I’ve said this already, but I’m just looking forward to connecting with more people. I feel like at a church you get to know everybody there. You get to know a lot of their stories and a lot of the reasons why they get up in the morning. But to get to go to another town far outside of the place you’re used to, it’s like you just get a touch on the heartbeat of God, and I’m looking forward to growing in that intimacy with Him through other people.

What can we expect from your music in the future? 

A lot of fun. I started writing in kind of a down-the-middle way for a while because I thought that’s what I was supposed to do. I was supposed to be a good Christian boy and make the good music that I heard everybody else make. But it wasn’t until I tapped into the sounds of Stevie Wonder, Donnie Hathaway, Luther Vandross and these great soulful musicians that I grew up listening to that I think I found my sound. I think I sold myself short a little bit. So, I’m hopeful that you guys will enjoy some just fun music. There’s going to be some heart-wrenching stuff and some ballads, but I want to infuse joy into people’s day, and that’s the kind of music we’re getting ready to put out. 

For more information on Bay Turner, his new EP and his upcoming album, visit bayturner.com.