Anne Wilson Interview - Stars Album, Songwriting, My Jesus

Singer/songwriter Anne Wilson is only 23, but she’s already had a strong impact as a powerful vocalist and as an artist who combines Christian & country music for a unique, natural blend. And with the new release of her third album, Stars (via Capitol Christian Music Group), she appears ready to take her career to a higher level.

Wilson first emerged in 2021 (at age 19), when her debut single, “My Jesus,” became a #1 hit on Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart. This led to the release of her first album, My Jesus (in 2022) which established her as a talented new artist to watch in the Christian music field.

Then in 2024, Wilson reached a new level when she released her second album, Rebel. This album combined her love of Christian and country music to create a new sound that brings out the best elements of both genres. Rebel was an impressive album that contained many highlights including the fun, rollicking “Songs About Whiskey,” the empowering songs “Strong” and “God & Country,” and even a fierce rock cut with “Rebel.”

Now in 2025, Wilson has released her new album, Stars. This is probably her best album to date, displaying Wilson’s increased confidence with her songwriting (she co-wrote every song), and her ability to flow easily from Christian and country music, and mix the two styles in a way that appeals to fans of both genres.

In her new bio, Wilson discusses the making of Stars and what inspired her. “As a little girl, I dreamed of becoming an astronaut,” shares Wilson. “I’ve always been in awe of the night sky—the mystery, the beauty, the way it makes you feel small and seen all at once. But somewhere along the way, life happened. Heartbreak, loss and disappointment can make you forget how to dream. This album is my reminder that the same God who created the stars created me, and you, too. God hasn’t forgotten you. He’s placing you right where you’re meant to be. My prayer is that these songs remind you: you were made for the stars. I hope y’all love this album!”

Wilson’s new album, Stars, is a consistently solid album that provides a terrific listening experience from start to finish. Besides her title track “Stars,” the album contains such highlights as the anthem “God Story,” the country-rocker “Til The Road Runs Out,” the playful, humorous “Hold Your Horses,” and her personal, more vulnerable song, “Carry Me.”

Here’s the video of Anne Wilson’s song, “Stars.”

Wilson grew up in Lexington, Kentucky, and early on she dreamed of being an astronaut. But when she was 15, tragically struck when her older brother, Jacob, died in a car accident in 2017. Devastated by this event, Wilson shifted her focus to music and began singing and writing songs in the Christian music genre. She moved to Nashville, signed a label deal with Capitol Christian Music Group, and released her first single, “My Jesus.”

Since then, Wilson’s career has risen steadily, and she’s now a leading figure in the Christian music world while also building a strong following with country fans. In 2022, she received a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album for her album, My Jesus.

We are pleased to do this Q&A interview with Anne Wilson. She discusses the songs on her new album Stars, and how she feels very comfortable combining her love of Christian and country music.

DK: I read that you’re from Lexington, Kentucky, and you signed with the Capitol Christian record label when you were a teenager. Can you talk about your early years leading up to signing a label deal?

Anne Wilson: I grew up in Lexington, and music was something that I wasn’t interested in much when I was younger. But I went through a pretty tragic time in my life when I was 15 years old. My brother Jacob passed away in a car accident, and his loss led me to eventually get into music. So I signed a record deal when I was 17. I moved to Nashville when I was 18 after high school, and then I put out my first song “My Jesus” in 2021. It really catapulted me into the Christian Contemporary space where I ended up putting out my first album, My Jesus. Then that started to naturally shift into the country genre where I put out my last album Rebel, and that was a country record.

DK: Was it a natural direction for you, to combine country and Christian music?

Wilson: Yes it was—it was always really natural. I grew up listening to Christian and country music, and I loved like the sound of country. Then I obviously loved the message of Christian music and that’s where my faith is in. So it was cool to see how this was naturally coming out of me when I was writing songs, or being in the studio. Those were the natural instincts that I was leaning towards vocally and sonically. So it ended up being something that came together really great.

Here’s the video of Anne Wilson’s song, “Carry Me.”

DK: I like your second album, Rebel, and my favorite song is “Songs About Whiskey,” which blends country and Christian and it’s funny, too. I also like the video. Can you talk about writing “Songs About Whiskey”?

Wilson: Yeah it has a fun, lightheartedness to it, and I think it’s a message that a lot of people don’t necessarily talk about. But I think I was coming into this country space, and a lot of fans in country music didn’t know who I was. And then the Christian fans were worried that I was leaving the Christian genre to cross over to country, so this song sums up both of those opinions. I was like…I’m not going to sing songs about whiskey, I’m singing songs about Jesus…this is why I’m not leaving God behind. And then the video was really fun to create, because we filmed it in a bar. It was like…we’re still having fun and everything, but we’re not singing songs about whiskey, we’re singing songs about Jesus. So I loved how it ended up tying things together.

DK: You’re just released your new album, Stars. Can you talk about the making of this album?

Wilson: Absolutely. It’s a brand new album…my third record. I wrote this album over the last six months of my life, and then we went to the beach and finished it up there. This record is about a lot of self-reflection on my childhood, going back to the dreams I had as a little girI. That was when I wanted to be an astronaut and work for NASA…that was my passion growing up. But when Jacob passed away, everything shifted and I began to dream new dreams and to lay down what I wanted for my life. I was like…Okay I’m gonna let God lead it, and sure enough it was music. So Stars ties together that idea of what it means to lay down your dreams and to let God write your story.

There’s a couple of key songs on the record that’s heightened into that. It’s “Stars,” and then “God’s Story” talks about God writing a story in your life. And there’s songs like “Carry Me” and “23” that go back to that place of grief. Or you’re feeling the weight of the world is on your shoulders, and still going back to Jacob and some of that. So it all ties together in this overarching theme of reflection, and then also that hope of the future as well.

DK: Your song “Stars” seems very positive and hopeful. What inspired you to write this song?

Here’s the video of Anne Wilson’s song, “God Story.”

Wilson: Well, it was about reflecting on wanting to be an astronaut. I wanted to go back in time and reflect on what I wanted to do before music and this idea of encouraging people to never stop dreaming big dreams, and to never stop having those visions for your life. Sometimes it feels like we’re just doing our best to get through day-to-day with all this going on in our world right now. But I hope it’s an encouragement to people when they listen, to dream bigger dreams and have hope for what God can do in your life.

DK: I also like your new songs “God Story” and “Jesus on the Radio” which have a Christian theme. Can you talk about writing those songs?

Wilson: “Jesus on the Radio” was such a fun song to write. Both of these songs have that Christian contemporary vibe to it, but also the country sound as well. And both of those are tied into my story…loving both Christian music and country music Then reflecting back on God writing your story and getting to a place in my life where I’m realizing that my story is not nearly as good as what God could have written for me. So living in what is God’s best for my life has been what I’ve lived in the last few years. I believe…God, you’re going to write something better out of my life than I could have written for myself.

DK: Another one of my favorites is “Carry Me,” which seems very personal and tells your story. What inspired you to write this song?

Wilson: “Carry Me” is definitely the most vulnerable song on the album. It goes into the struggle of feeling like I carry the weight of the world on my shoulders with my career, with grief, and with my brother passing away. And feeling like sometimes it can be so heavy in this life that we live in. This song is almost like a cry of help—someone help me carry what I’m going through in my life right now. And I feel like it’s a song that a lot of people can relate to, no matter what you’re going through in your life, and even people outside of the faith can relate to it as well.

DK: On your new album, besides the songs we’ve discussed, what are your other favorite songs?

Here’s the video of Anne Wilson’s song, “Til The Road Runs Out.”

Wilson: I love “Still Do.” It’s a song that I related with personally over the last years. It’s things I’ve been going through in my life—wrestling with my faith and having these up and down moments in your faith journey. “Still Do” is a really vulnerable song about losing your way and coming back to church and coming back to God. And knowing that God still loves you despite all the mistakes you make.

DK: This fall, you’re launching a new concert tour called the Stars Tour. Can you talk about your live show and this tour?

Wilson: Yep, we’re heading out on a 9-show tour this fall, and it will be amazing. Basically, it’s gonna be these new songs from the Stars album as well as songs from the last two. It’s gonna be an incredible concert. We also have Jordan Rowe opening up for us; he’s a country artist and incredibly talented. So we’re really excited about it.