When you sit down with Melbourne-based singer-songwriter Caleb Lewis a couple of things become immediately clear: He's having a blast on his music-making journey, and it's about a lot more than music.
As he describes, his journey is about using music to shine light in the darkness, all whilst “having as much fun as possible along the way.”
“We love making music that carries something real. Light into darkness. Hope into despair. Heaven into earth. Music that genuinely builds you up when you’re at your lowest, and that you want to celebrate with in the high moments.”
“And we want it to be fun. God made us to have fun. To exude joy. So our music and our whole journey will always lean that way. A phrase I’ve sort of adopted is to ‘have as much fun as possible doing what we’re doing.’ So however that looks, whatever the next project is, we’ll try and make it as much fun as it can possibly be – for ourselves and our listeners and everyone we encounter along the way.”
Heaven on earth.
Caleb’s latest release encapsulates this heart.
Heaven on Earth is a cry to escape the boundaries of ordinary life and discover the wonder of all God wants us to experience.
“Life wasn’t made to be dull. The first lyric is ‘he’s stuck in the rut’ and that really sets the tone. This song is for anyone who ever feels like they’re stuck in the rut. Anyone who longs for something more.”
“I wholeheartedly believe that Heaven is way more than a place in the sky that we’ll reach one day and finally escape the struggles of life on earth. I believe God wants that life of heaven to come and invade our lives here today. For our lives and our homes and our families to become like pockets of heaven on earth.”
“I hope this song conveys that message. But even more than that, I hope it carries a piece of heaven into your life.”
As part of the release, Caleb and his wife Kyra recorded an acoustic duet of the song, which Lewis describes as one of his more special, and more memorable recording experiences.
“We were just at home in the lounge room. I was at the computer holding our newborn in one arm, while our two-year-old was climbing up Kyra’s legs at the microphone and she was trying to record her parts as quickly as possible whenever he was quiet. It wasn’t the perfect setup, but at the same time I wouldn’t change it. It was a beautiful moment…and I love the product that came out of it!”
Shining light in the darkest corners.
Caleb’s journey began as a worship leader in his local church (Breakthrough Church in Bayswater), where he started a band along with mates in youth group.
“The first official title of our band was The Youth Band – because we were just the guys in youth that made a band. It was that creative. It grew through a few various iterations, different lineups and name changes and sort of landed where it is today.”
Lewis’ first recording project was a worship EP under the name Flight Sixty, recorded and produced by Joth Hunt at Planetshakers. Through the following years Lewis not only refined his production skills, releasing a series of self-produced projects recorded in his home studio, but also his vision to use music to take a message of hope into the darkness.
“I’ve always loved doing church music, and I still love leading worship on Sundays. But my heart is to make music that goes far beyond the four walls of the church. Our mission as a team is to shine light in the darkest corners, and our music is a great tool to carry that light.”
“Music is sort of a universal language. It can break down a lot of barriers. And we’ve already seen so many times where it’s been the perfect carrier to bring hope to someone in a really dark place.”
This heart is reflected in the band’s logo of a flaming torch being carried into the night.
“I love the torch concept because a torch really only has one function: To carry a flame. That’s exactly how I see our music. It has one function, which is to carry God’s light. To carry His Glory. If it’s not doing that, it’s as useless as a torch with no light. But if it is carrying something real – something of God – it’s an amazing torch that can take that light into dark corners far and wide.”
A significant part of this vision is the Torch Bearers, fans of the music who have put their hand up to support the ministry work of Lewis and the band.
“The Torch Bearers are literally our family, wherever they’re from. They’ve connected with our vision to use music to shine light in the darkest corners, and their support means that we can reach further with that torch.”
“We tell them constantly that every time we shine light in the darkness – be it through a song or a concert or a podcast or anything else – they’ve had a hand on the torch, carrying it along with us.”
If you want to get in contact to discuss how Caleb and the team could help share hope in your area, we’d love to chat, or check out how we minister with churches.
Find out more about joining the Torch Bearers family.
