Brandon Lake And Lainey Wilson Deliver Moving Performance Of “The Jesus I Know Now” At 57th Dove Awards
Christian music star Brandon Lake and country superstar Lainey Wilson brought their faith to the spotlight at the 57th Dove Awards, performing their award-winning duet “The Jesus I Know Now” in a moment that celebrated both their musical collaboration and their personal relationships with Jesus.
The performance came after the pair won Country/Roots Recorded Song of the Year from the Gospel Music Association (GMA), marking another major achievement for Lake in a category he had won the previous year with “Hard Fought Hallelujah,” his crossover hit featuring Jelly Roll.
Their latest collaboration carries a deeply personal message about faith, grace, and how a person’s understanding of Jesus can change throughout life. For Lake and Wilson, the song also reflects the importance of creating music that connects with people beyond the boundaries of Christian and mainstream country music.
From A Faith-Based Songwriting Retreat To A Dove Award
The story behind “The Jesus I Know Now” began earlier in the year, when Brandon Lake hosted a five-day, faith-centered songwriting retreat. The gathering brought together several prominent country music artists to write songs celebrating the Lord, ultimately producing 43 songs during their time together.
Lainey Wilson was among the musicians who took part. A few months later, she and Lake teamed up with songwriters Emily Weisband and Luke Laird to create “The Jesus I Know Now.”
The collaboration brought together two artists from different corners of the music industry, united by their faith. Wilson’s established presence in mainstream country music and her sincere Christian beliefs helped give the song a distinctive perspective.
Its message centers on the idea that professional success and public recognition do not replace the need for Jesus. The lyrics also explore how people’s perceptions of Him can evolve as they grow older and experience different seasons of life.
That message resonated at the Dove Awards, where the song earned Lake and Wilson the Country/Roots Recorded Song of the Year honor.
Brandon Lake Shares A Message About Grace And Faith
While accepting the award at the 57th Dove Awards, Lake reflected on the song’s message and expressed gratitude for the recognition, making clear that trophies were not what mattered most to him.
“I’m thankful that it doesn’t take trophies to make Him proud,” Lake said, alluding to the song’s lyrics.
He followed that thought with another statement of gratitude, saying, “To God be the glory, in country music, Christian music, and what He’s doing all over the globe.”
Lake also spoke about the response to the song, particularly among listeners who have had difficult experiences with church or developed an inaccurate understanding of Jesus.
“It’s just cool to see people connecting with this song, especially for those that have had church-hurt, or maybe had this wrong picture of who Jesus is,” he said.
He acknowledged that the song’s emphasis on grace had drawn criticism from some people online. However, Lake explained that he sees grace as something that encourages spiritual growth rather than an excuse for wrongdoing.
“I even know that there’s some trolls on the internet that were hating at this whole grace, grace, grace thing, but what I love about grace is that it’s not an excuse to sin, it’s what makes us want to be more like Him when you experience grace,” he said.
His remarks reinforced the central idea behind the duet: understanding Jesus more deeply can change how people view themselves, their faith, and the way they live.
Lainey Wilson Explains The Personal Meaning Behind The Song
Wilson also took a moment to reflect on what she has learned through songwriting and working with other artists.
“I feel like I’ve learned so much from the people I get to sit in a writers room with and write songs with,” she said.
She then recalled the songwriting session when she, Lake, Weisband, and Laird began discussing their personal relationships with Jesus. During that conversation, Wilson shared how her own understanding of Him had changed since childhood.
“Immediately, we were just talking about our relationship with Jesus, and I said, ‘I feel like the Jesus that I know now is not the one that I grew up knowing — the one that was shaking His fist and the one I was, like, scared of,’” she explained.
That realization became a key part of the song’s message. Rather than presenting faith as something rooted in fear, the lyrics reflect a more personal understanding of Jesus shaped by grace and a growing relationship with Him.
Wilson also highlighted one of the song’s central lines: “He says who I am, and it’s not what I do.”
She connected the lyric to the role that musicians and songwriters can play in people’s lives, encouraging those gathered at the ceremony to see their work as something greater than entertainment.
“And so I just want to remind all of y’all creators in this room that we’re not just singers, we’re not just songwriters, we are connectors,” Wilson said.
Her words captured the purpose behind the collaboration: using music to help people connect with a message that holds personal meaning for both artists.
Another Major Moment In Brandon Lake’s Country Music Crossover
The win marks another notable achievement for Lake, who has increasingly collaborated with artists from the country music world.
In the previous year, his duet with Jelly Roll, “Hard Fought Hallelujah,” became a major crossover success. The song won Country/Roots Recorded Song of the Year at the Dove Awards before also earning Song of the Year honors.
In 2026, Lake returned to the same category with a different country star, this time sharing the recognition with Wilson for “The Jesus I Know Now.”
The two songs showcase Lake’s growing connections across musical genres, while his latest collaboration places a particular emphasis on grace, personal transformation, and faith.
For Wilson, the project also offered an opportunity to share her beliefs through a song created alongside artists who understand the personal significance of its message.
A Powerful Performance To Close The Celebration
Following their acceptance speeches, Lake and Wilson took the stage together to perform “The Jesus I Know Now” for the Dove Awards audience.
Their duet brought the song’s message to life, bringing together Christian music and mainstream country in a performance centered on their shared faith.
As the performance came to an end, Lake gave Wilson a warm introduction, saying, “Y’all, give it up one more time for my sister, Lainey Wilson.”
The moment served as a fitting conclusion to a collaboration that began with a songwriting session and culminated in one of Christian music’s major award ceremonies.
Watch Brandon Lake and Lainey Wilson perform “The Jesus I Know Now” at the 57th Dove Awards in the video below.
Their acceptance speeches and additional moments from the ceremony are also available in the Instagram footage shared below.