August 10, 2021 • 27 mins
My podcast is all about having heart-to-heart conversations with people who are changing the world... and none could exemplify that more than today's episode with Lauren Daigle.
She's young, talented, beautiful, full of wisdom and grace, and 100% authentic! Lauren endears herself even closer to my heart today with the sharing of some deeply personal thoughts and feelings. and I know you'll all feel the same way! Join us! ~ Delilah
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Hello, my friend, Welcome back to love someone with Delilah.
Have you ever heard the term the dog days of summer?
I always thought it referred to the lazy late summer
months when things have become so hot, so sticky, so dry,
(00:24):
that all the pups in the world were united in
their mission to just lay down, to take it easy,
and to pant their way, if you will, through the heat,
along with their human companions like me. Well guess what
that has nothing to do with this saying the Dog
(00:45):
days of summer. The Google Dictionary tells me. It's actually
a very specific period of time when the sun occupies
the same region of the sky as Serious, the brightest
star of visible from any part of Earth, and part
of the constellation Canus major, the great Dog. Ancient astronomers
(01:10):
referred to this time as dias canacularies or dog days.
This year twenty twenty one, the Dog Days of Summer
started Saturday, July third and run through Wednesday, August eleventh.
In other words, read about now, what a perfect time
to be talking about And two one of the brightest stars,
(01:34):
one of the brightest lights that light up the sky
and light up the radio. One just happened to have
descended from the heavens for a quick chat with us today.
Her star began to rise in twenty fifteen with her
debut album How Can It Be. It reached number one
on Billboard's Top Christian Albums chart. Her third studio album,
(01:57):
look Up Child Ugh, Such a Great Song, Such a
Great Album, was released three years later and contained the
huge pop crossover hit you Say That became the highest
charting Christian album by a woman since Amy Grant's success
twenty years earlier. The album and the single earned her
two Grammy Awards and millions of adoring fans all over
(02:22):
the world, including me and my daughter Briar. My daughter Briar,
who is the latest member to join our family. We
adopted Brier more than two years ago. She has been
a fan of this lady since the day I met her.
When I met her and she realized that I had
(02:44):
this little radio show, all she wanted to know was
did I know today's artist? She said, Mom, do you
know Lauren Dagel? Well, today you get to know Lauren Daegel,
and so does Brier. By the way, Lauren Diagil is
here and love someone to shine a little light into
(03:05):
our world. I'm thrilled to be able to chat with
her to find out what she's been up to. Right
after I share a word about one of my fabulous
podcast sponsors. This podcast is sponsored by better Help, a
company set up to help people. It's not a crisis
line or self help groups, but a group of professionals
(03:30):
who provide counseling that's done securely online. They make it
possible for you to talk with them from the comfort
of your own home or office. You don't have to
limit yourself to counselors near you, and it's much more
affordable than traditional counseling. With financial aid available. Better help
(03:51):
matches you with licensed professionals that specialize in everything from
depression to stress, family conflict, trauma, grief to self esteem
and much more. Everything is confidential and it's easy to
make appointments via video or phone. They can help you
start living a happier life today. Received ten percent off
(04:15):
your first month by visiting betterhelp dot com. Slash love
Someone that's b E T T E r h E
l P betterhelp dot com slash love Someone so with
me on love Someone is an amazing artist who has
had quite an amazing laster for years and like I said,
(04:39):
a moment ago, I discovered you before we started playing
you on my radio show because of my daughter Brier,
when I adopted b I think you had had discovered
her even before we adopt. Yeah, before I we our
family was blessed to adopt her. She was in foster
care for a few years and went through some stuff,
(05:02):
some stuff that I would not have been able to survive.
She not only survived, she went through it with grace.
And I think, honestly, I think your music was a
big part of that. Lauren, Wow, well that is beautiful.
I didn't know that part. That's amazing. I tell you,
(05:26):
I have so much care and concern for people in
the foster care system. And I was just with a
friend the other day who had what a gift adoption is.
She was able to adopt this child and her the
child's parents came to the United States and were here
(05:49):
like on a trip. They weren't even a resident of
the United States, citizens of the United States, and she
had her baby while she was here, And it just
so happened that because my friend was registered in the US,
she was able to adopt this child and it changed
her life. Both of their lives, and I love stories
(06:12):
of redemption like this. I love people coming out of painful,
broken situations and there's someone else to greet them on
the other side of that. It's really beautiful. I hope
to do this someday. You are a part of the story.
That's what I'm trying to tell you. You You are a
part of that story. But if you want to talk
(06:33):
about building a family through adoption more and I can
hook you up. Okay, I really want you. People are
always like, what are you going to have babies? I'm like,
if I have children, great, If I don't, great. I
just really I'll tell you this is kind of a secret.
But I remember I was sixteen years old and I
was sick at the time, and I'd walk around in
(06:55):
the backyard of our home and I was just dreaming.
I was always dreaming because I was placed on homebound
for like two years, and that was kind of the
only place I had to exist, right outside of the
walls of our home. And so I used my imagination
a lot. And I saw this picture of this little
(07:18):
tiny cottage, and behind this cottage was a mansion and
it was a huge home. And I walked into the
mansion and it was two long hallways and multiple doors
on the hallways, and kids were running all over the
place like laughing and super joyful. And I still remember
(07:42):
seeing their faces and seeing exactly what this looked like.
And that was half of my life ago. And I
remember God saying, you think that music is going to
be the mansion, but actually music is going to be
the cottage to support what is going to be built
inside of the mansion. It was all of these children
that were in foster care and orphans in different countries,
(08:05):
and I saw all of these spaces, and so I
feel like there's so much in me that wants to
get my hands into that world. So I fully accept
your offer of getting me connected, but also just I
feel like those are the kind of moments that I
(08:28):
live for. Those are the moments that when I think
about music, I feel like that is the sole purpose.
I think back to that mansion often, like I will
live in a cottage for the rest of my life.
Probably I'm kind of a cottage person. I love little cottages, right,
and I feel like the space in which music dwells
(08:50):
can be this much. But the passion to see life
change come to people is like a mansion inside of me.
You know. So I love this story. This is personal,
this is awesome. You just described my life. Only it's radio,
not music that built the mansion. Only the mansion isn't
(09:12):
a mansion. It's a farmhouse. And Brier is the twelfth
child that God has brought to me through adoption. Wow.
And so what you just described that kids of all
nations running in and out of the rooms. It's not
that happy and cheery as your vision was. There's a
(09:34):
lot of screaming mom, Mom, tell on, tell baby Paul
to knock it up. You know, there's let's get real.
Life isn't cheery and happy all the time I was
at this concert, it's like a worship night a couple
of nights ago, and this lady shared her adoption story
(09:57):
and I uncontrollably wept. I wept for a long time.
I was like the woman in the room that everybody
was like, okay, seriously, like that happened twenty minutes ago.
She's still crying like I was that person. And it's
I think it's because there's something so deep in there
that I don't even have the awareness of quite yet.
(10:21):
And that's just honest. Like there's something in there that
I don't even quite know. But the way that I
feel about my nieces and nephews, it's made me scared
to become a parent because I'm like, man, I don't
know if I could love kids greater than my nieces
and nephews, Like, I don't know if that's possible because
of my love for them. And everybody tells me, oh,
just wait, just wait till it's your own. You're you're
(10:43):
gonna have all the love that you could possibly imagine
in store for them. And so to see that you've
been able to carry that love out for so many people,
for so many children, is really encouraging to me. Well, uh,
it's not easy, and it will break you into a
(11:04):
bazillion pieces because when whether you adopt or give birth
or foster, your heart is walking around outside your body
for the rest of your life and you can't protect it.
Oh yeah, who, I love this. I'm willing to wait.
It's worth the way Lauren Dagia. Let me tell you
(11:26):
it is worth the way it is worth the way.
Were you raised in a house with faith? I was,
and I grew up in a household that was honest,
and I think there's something about that where we could
I mean, I'll never forget being around like drugs for
the first time or something and going home and telling
(11:46):
my dad and there wasn't this like scolding. There was
like a hey, if you ever get nervous in those situations,
just call me. I'll come get you. And it was
like what you know? And I feel like because we
had this household of people who got they just got it.
They got what the world was like, they got what
(12:07):
faith looks like in the middle of the world. And
I feel like it gave us a pretty holistic view
of how faith can interact in a world that's so different.
And for me, that's what that's what faith looks like. Lauren,
your music is heard by millions. Every time I play
(12:29):
one of your songs on my radio show, you got
ten million people listening to it. And that's just me.
That's not Christian radio, that's not the international market, that's
not your videos, that's not your YouTube, that's not you know.
Think about how many millions of lives have been impacted
by the lyrics. And it's not just the lyrics. The
(12:51):
lyrics are pretty impactful. If someone were to just go
through your song list. You go through your CD and
read the lyrics to each song. Song. The lyrics are
a sermon, you know, a message, but it's the way
you deliver them and your voice and your love that
(13:11):
comes through loud and clear. And I think for God
to grow that child of your music and to grow
you to the point that you wouldn't be destroyed by
the success you're experiencing. Wow, Oh my gosh, that is
a revelation right there. I feel like I sit in
(13:34):
that for a long time. I have interviewed so many
and got to spend time with so many amazingly talented
young people, so many really talented young people when they're
in their teens or twenties, and by the time they're
in their thirties or late twenties. Oftentimes my heart is
(13:56):
grieved when I see how the worldliness and the machine
has taken over. The machine, the industry has taken over,
and that innocence and that joy that I noticed when
I met them is completely gone, and it's just the
machine cranking out. You know, you got to keep feeding
(14:19):
the machine. And when I look at you, I don't
see any of that. Oh wow, I see just raw
natural beauty does that make sense, Oh one. I used
to tell people it was a hard season. That became
my favorite season. I would tuck away, I'd walk up
(14:41):
the stairs and I would sit in this closet like
I had the whole house to myself. I was alone.
But I just remember reading this devotional that was so simple.
It was like two pages of this much, you know,
a short little paragraph. It was just enough that was
digestible for me in that season, and I was given
(15:06):
a lifetime of something to hold on to. And I'll
never forget going into the studio and writing you say
and you talk about the machine. And I just finished
my first double Awards and I grew up in Louisiana.
I'm like a Southern girl through and through, and I
remember feeling so out of place and I was on
(15:31):
a red carpet and people cared about what I had
to say and there were lights in my face. And
I won all these awards and I left the awards
show and the next day just hit rock bottom, just
like it was like such an extreme high, and I
crashed and I was so lonely the next day because
(15:53):
I realized, this will take me away from who I am,
This will take me away from the things I love
about myself. This will take me away from that Louisiana
girl that is totally down to just jump in a
kayaking go looking at some alligators, or go to my
friend's house and have some moores around the fire, you know.
(16:15):
And I've felt so lonely, like this is something that
no one else in my circle is experiencing. And this
platform and having people care what you have to say
becomes so you place yourself in an area of vulnerability
(16:36):
that not many people have to walk through. And so
there's some defense mechanisms that naturally get built up. And
how do I stay shielded but to a healthy amount
where I'm not just crippling who I actually am in
the process, where I'm not fearing myself underneath boulders, but
that I actually stay pure to who I am. And
(16:59):
I walked into to the studio the next day and
I sat there and talked with my producers, and I
was like, this is too much for me to handle.
And I remember there being a crossroads where it was
like you can jump ship and no one will really
ever notice, Like you just finished your first award show,
like it's not going to be a big deal. Or
(17:19):
you can just stick this out. But right now you
have a choice to make that you will fight to
keep your core intact. And I haven't done it perfectly.
I'm not even going to say that. But from that interaction,
we took all the lies that I was believing about
what this industry will do to me and replace them
(17:41):
with the truth of what God can do through me
and how how I can if I keep the core
of who He's made me in those two years in
that season of isolation, if I keep that core fed
and nourished, I can do this. And I will one
say that there were you you had mentioned like three
(18:06):
or four years of things turning a page. I will
say two of those years I handled it very poor,
Like just internally. There there were so many things that
I had to learn at such a fast pace, and
I've made decisions that I would totally change and if
I could go back and change them, you know. But
(18:28):
I feel like two nights ago I had a conversation
with my manager about this very thing, and I told her, Lee,
regardless of what comes for any of the music I
put out from this point forward, if I if you
(18:48):
see my feet wandering, ever, stop me in my tracks.
I I want to make sure that at the end
of this road, I care about people more than the
way I cared about than when I started. I want
to get to the end of this and know that
when people came to my shows in the beginning of
my career, they experienced they experienced something pure, and when
(19:11):
I am on my deathbed the last show that they
came to, they still felt the same presence, in the
same comfort. I don't want to forsake that space for
the things of the world. And though it is tempting,
I mean, my gosh, the hustle and the amount of
(19:31):
opportunities and the imminent pressure to keep success beyond anything
you've ever produced before, like stay successful, and then some
that is like vulturistic. Don't ever listen to any of that.
Just shut your ears to it. Yeah, that's what we
(19:53):
say internally all the time. Like just from that conversation
the other day, we were like, we're not going too
working hardest, beautiful thing. It is a strong work ethic.
I love I love it. But striving for things that
the world puts in front versus resting in what God
(20:14):
will provide, those are two very different places. Resting comes
with sustainability. It allows you longevity. Striving creates burnout, it
creates disdain and jadedness. There's a difference between working from
(20:36):
a place of rest versus working to beat the next
door down. And I have seen miracle after miracle of
that very thing where we'll be like, Okay, we don't
know how, wonder how it's going to turn out, scratch
it our head, wonder how it's going to happen. And
God's like, oh, yeah, here's where I'm going to drop
(20:59):
it in. Here's where I'm going to dropping in. And
here's an open door. I hope you enjoy walking through it.
And it's like so exhilarating because you know you're you're
walking hand in hand with what you said earlier with me,
Almighty us talking today is one of those situations. I
listened to your show when I when I was a teenager.
It was like a friend and a comfort. I would
(21:23):
listen to your voice and it would be at the
midnight hour and I would just I don't know, I
remember it playing at midnight and just thinking I have
someone who is peaceful. I felt peace listening. It didn't
matter what story it was. I felt comfort just in
(21:45):
the way that you spoke in the tone of your voice.
Now I know what was behind the voice, but I
feel like it's a full circle moment for me as well,
because there were there were so many times where You're
show held my hand when I would just drive around
the car at midnight because I didn't know what else
(22:06):
to do, you know, And so then to see that
God would use Briar, that he used your story to
sit here and make something beautiful happen, I mean years later,
I wasn't even singing at the time, Like years later,
these words penetrated your Heartbriar and became a place for
(22:31):
a full circle moment to happen. It's pretty amazing. It's awesome. Yeah,
I'm so grateful to be a part of this. I
mean so grateful to see that words and that just
even a voice can mean so much. Your mom's voice
meant something to me, and now my voice has meant
(22:51):
something to you, and therefore it meant something back to
your mom from you. That's wild. And here's the thing
I know, because of who Briar is, when she finds
her voice, when that relationship develops between her and God,
she is going to be able to inspire so many
young people. We got four hundred and eighty seven thousand
(23:13):
kids in foster care right now. Wow, and less than
five percent will ever have forever families. So she will
be god willing the voice to encourage them. Wow. I
look forward to seeing that need to. I'll be standing
next to you, girl, Give me a call. What an
(23:36):
absolute pleasure it was to have Lauren with us today.
I'd like to thank her and my podcast sponsors that
make this conversation possible. I love being creative, and I'm
excited to welcome Annie's Kid Clubs as one of my
podcast sponsors. As fast paced and crazy as the world
is today, I love that Annie's Kids get kids off
(24:00):
the screens and into some hands on creative fun. There's
kids for all ages, even adults, from young woodworker kids
to cardmaking to knitting. Annie's has a great summer offer
seventy five percent off your first month visit Annie's Kit
Clubs dot com slash Radio. Annie's Kit Clubs dot com
(24:24):
slash radio. They let everyone escape into a world of creativity.
We've been talking with Lauren Dagel and if you are
not familiar with her music, trust me you should be
and if you are now you know why she is
so beloved around the world and where can people find you?
Where can people see you? Like, give me the well,
(24:48):
we are going on tour in September. We've finally gone out,
so you can go to Laurendagel dot com for all
the tour dates, and my instagram is at Lauren underscore
Dage for the fun extra behind the same things. Okay,
Lauren underscored Dagel Instagram and Laurendiggel dot com for tour dates,
(25:11):
and we we meaning Brier and Mom and Toe will
see you in September. Yes, okay, good y'all come backstage
and give me hugs. Lauren gifted us with a beautiful,
powerful new single this February called hold on to Me
that we've been listening to a lot here at my house.
(25:32):
Social media exploded after she performed it on the Voice,
so we already know it's going to be a huge
crossover success. You can listen to hold on to Me
and download it from her website Laurendagel dot com. And
if you're lucky enough to score tickets to a performance
while she's on tour this fall, you're going to be
(25:54):
in for a treat. I cannot wait for more new
music from her and to watch and applaud how her charity,
The Price Fund, continues to help build strong kids and
strong communities where every member from every generation is supported
and reminded of their importance. Lauren credits her grandfather with
(26:18):
instilling the idea within her that loving the world happens
one relationship at a time. I couldn't agree more. That
is why I call this podcast Love Someone, and why
I implore you all to do just that. Get to
know the hearts of your family, your friends, your neighbors,
(26:40):
your community. Reach out in love, and you will change
the world one heart at a time, just like Lauren is.
I do hope you're enjoying these long, lovely summer days
and taking the time to do a little stargazing at night.
Please join me next time on Love Someone for Another
in Inspiring Conversation. New episodes drop the second and fourth
(27:04):
Tuesday of the month. You can subscribe on any of
the dozens of podcast platforms out there, so you won't
miss a single one. God bless you and thank you
for listening.
Hello, my friend, Welcome back to love someone with Delilah.
Have you ever heard the term the dog days of summer?
I always thought it referred to the lazy late summer
months when things have become so hot, so sticky, so dry,
(00:24):
that all the pups in the world were united in
their mission to just lay down, to take it easy,
and to pant their way, if you will, through the heat,
along with their human companions like me. Well guess what
that has nothing to do with this saying the Dog
(00:45):
days of summer. The Google Dictionary tells me. It's actually
a very specific period of time when the sun occupies
the same region of the sky as Serious, the brightest
star of visible from any part of Earth, and part
of the constellation Canus major, the great Dog. Ancient astronomers
(01:10):
referred to this time as dias canacularies or dog days.
This year twenty twenty one, the Dog Days of Summer
started Saturday, July third and run through Wednesday, August eleventh.
In other words, read about now, what a perfect time
to be talking about And two one of the brightest stars,
(01:34):
one of the brightest lights that light up the sky
and light up the radio. One just happened to have
descended from the heavens for a quick chat with us today.
Her star began to rise in twenty fifteen with her
debut album How Can It Be. It reached number one
on Billboard's Top Christian Albums chart. Her third studio album,
(01:57):
look Up Child Ugh, Such a Great Song, Such a
Great Album, was released three years later and contained the
huge pop crossover hit you Say That became the highest
charting Christian album by a woman since Amy Grant's success
twenty years earlier. The album and the single earned her
two Grammy Awards and millions of adoring fans all over
(02:22):
the world, including me and my daughter Briar. My daughter Briar,
who is the latest member to join our family. We
adopted Brier more than two years ago. She has been
a fan of this lady since the day I met her.
When I met her and she realized that I had
(02:44):
this little radio show, all she wanted to know was
did I know today's artist? She said, Mom, do you
know Lauren Dagel? Well, today you get to know Lauren Daegel,
and so does Brier. By the way, Lauren Diagil is
here and love someone to shine a little light into
(03:05):
our world. I'm thrilled to be able to chat with
her to find out what she's been up to. Right
after I share a word about one of my fabulous
podcast sponsors. This podcast is sponsored by better Help, a
company set up to help people. It's not a crisis
line or self help groups, but a group of professionals
(03:30):
who provide counseling that's done securely online. They make it
possible for you to talk with them from the comfort
of your own home or office. You don't have to
limit yourself to counselors near you, and it's much more
affordable than traditional counseling. With financial aid available. Better help
(03:51):
matches you with licensed professionals that specialize in everything from
depression to stress, family conflict, trauma, grief to self esteem
and much more. Everything is confidential and it's easy to
make appointments via video or phone. They can help you
start living a happier life today. Received ten percent off
(04:15):
your first month by visiting betterhelp dot com. Slash love
Someone that's b E T T E r h E
l P betterhelp dot com slash love Someone so with
me on love Someone is an amazing artist who has
had quite an amazing laster for years and like I said,
(04:39):
a moment ago, I discovered you before we started playing
you on my radio show because of my daughter Brier,
when I adopted b I think you had had discovered
her even before we adopt. Yeah, before I we our
family was blessed to adopt her. She was in foster
care for a few years and went through some stuff,
(05:02):
some stuff that I would not have been able to survive.
She not only survived, she went through it with grace.
And I think, honestly, I think your music was a
big part of that. Lauren, Wow, well that is beautiful.
I didn't know that part. That's amazing. I tell you,
(05:26):
I have so much care and concern for people in
the foster care system. And I was just with a
friend the other day who had what a gift adoption is.
She was able to adopt this child and her the
child's parents came to the United States and were here
(05:49):
like on a trip. They weren't even a resident of
the United States, citizens of the United States, and she
had her baby while she was here, And it just
so happened that because my friend was registered in the US,
she was able to adopt this child and it changed
her life. Both of their lives, and I love stories
(06:12):
of redemption like this. I love people coming out of painful,
broken situations and there's someone else to greet them on
the other side of that. It's really beautiful. I hope
to do this someday. You are a part of the story.
That's what I'm trying to tell you. You You are a
part of that story. But if you want to talk
(06:33):
about building a family through adoption more and I can
hook you up. Okay, I really want you. People are
always like, what are you going to have babies? I'm like,
if I have children, great, If I don't, great. I
just really I'll tell you this is kind of a secret.
But I remember I was sixteen years old and I
was sick at the time, and I'd walk around in
(06:55):
the backyard of our home and I was just dreaming.
I was always dreaming because I was placed on homebound
for like two years, and that was kind of the
only place I had to exist, right outside of the
walls of our home. And so I used my imagination
a lot. And I saw this picture of this little
(07:18):
tiny cottage, and behind this cottage was a mansion and
it was a huge home. And I walked into the
mansion and it was two long hallways and multiple doors
on the hallways, and kids were running all over the
place like laughing and super joyful. And I still remember
(07:42):
seeing their faces and seeing exactly what this looked like.
And that was half of my life ago. And I
remember God saying, you think that music is going to
be the mansion, but actually music is going to be
the cottage to support what is going to be built
inside of the mansion. It was all of these children
that were in foster care and orphans in different countries,
(08:05):
and I saw all of these spaces, and so I
feel like there's so much in me that wants to
get my hands into that world. So I fully accept
your offer of getting me connected, but also just I
feel like those are the kind of moments that I
(08:28):
live for. Those are the moments that when I think
about music, I feel like that is the sole purpose.
I think back to that mansion often, like I will
live in a cottage for the rest of my life.
Probably I'm kind of a cottage person. I love little cottages, right,
and I feel like the space in which music dwells
(08:50):
can be this much. But the passion to see life
change come to people is like a mansion inside of me.
You know. So I love this story. This is personal,
this is awesome. You just described my life. Only it's radio,
not music that built the mansion. Only the mansion isn't
(09:12):
a mansion. It's a farmhouse. And Brier is the twelfth
child that God has brought to me through adoption. Wow.
And so what you just described that kids of all
nations running in and out of the rooms. It's not
that happy and cheery as your vision was. There's a
(09:34):
lot of screaming mom, Mom, tell on, tell baby Paul
to knock it up. You know, there's let's get real.
Life isn't cheery and happy all the time I was
at this concert, it's like a worship night a couple
of nights ago, and this lady shared her adoption story
(09:57):
and I uncontrollably wept. I wept for a long time.
I was like the woman in the room that everybody
was like, okay, seriously, like that happened twenty minutes ago.
She's still crying like I was that person. And it's
I think it's because there's something so deep in there
that I don't even have the awareness of quite yet.
(10:21):
And that's just honest. Like there's something in there that
I don't even quite know. But the way that I
feel about my nieces and nephews, it's made me scared
to become a parent because I'm like, man, I don't
know if I could love kids greater than my nieces
and nephews, Like, I don't know if that's possible because
of my love for them. And everybody tells me, oh,
just wait, just wait till it's your own. You're you're
(10:43):
gonna have all the love that you could possibly imagine
in store for them. And so to see that you've
been able to carry that love out for so many people,
for so many children, is really encouraging to me. Well, uh,
it's not easy, and it will break you into a
(11:04):
bazillion pieces because when whether you adopt or give birth
or foster, your heart is walking around outside your body
for the rest of your life and you can't protect it.
Oh yeah, who, I love this. I'm willing to wait.
It's worth the way Lauren Dagia. Let me tell you
(11:26):
it is worth the way it is worth the way.
Were you raised in a house with faith? I was,
and I grew up in a household that was honest,
and I think there's something about that where we could
I mean, I'll never forget being around like drugs for
the first time or something and going home and telling
(11:46):
my dad and there wasn't this like scolding. There was
like a hey, if you ever get nervous in those situations,
just call me. I'll come get you. And it was
like what you know? And I feel like because we
had this household of people who got they just got it.
They got what the world was like, they got what
(12:07):
faith looks like in the middle of the world. And
I feel like it gave us a pretty holistic view
of how faith can interact in a world that's so different.
And for me, that's what that's what faith looks like. Lauren,
your music is heard by millions. Every time I play
(12:29):
one of your songs on my radio show, you got
ten million people listening to it. And that's just me.
That's not Christian radio, that's not the international market, that's
not your videos, that's not your YouTube, that's not you know.
Think about how many millions of lives have been impacted
by the lyrics. And it's not just the lyrics. The
(12:51):
lyrics are pretty impactful. If someone were to just go
through your song list. You go through your CD and
read the lyrics to each song. Song. The lyrics are
a sermon, you know, a message, but it's the way
you deliver them and your voice and your love that
(13:11):
comes through loud and clear. And I think for God
to grow that child of your music and to grow
you to the point that you wouldn't be destroyed by
the success you're experiencing. Wow, Oh my gosh, that is
a revelation right there. I feel like I sit in
(13:34):
that for a long time. I have interviewed so many
and got to spend time with so many amazingly talented
young people, so many really talented young people when they're
in their teens or twenties, and by the time they're
in their thirties or late twenties. Oftentimes my heart is
(13:56):
grieved when I see how the worldliness and the machine
has taken over. The machine, the industry has taken over,
and that innocence and that joy that I noticed when
I met them is completely gone, and it's just the
machine cranking out. You know, you got to keep feeding
(14:19):
the machine. And when I look at you, I don't
see any of that. Oh wow, I see just raw
natural beauty does that make sense, Oh one. I used
to tell people it was a hard season. That became
my favorite season. I would tuck away, I'd walk up
(14:41):
the stairs and I would sit in this closet like
I had the whole house to myself. I was alone.
But I just remember reading this devotional that was so simple.
It was like two pages of this much, you know,
a short little paragraph. It was just enough that was
digestible for me in that season, and I was given
(15:06):
a lifetime of something to hold on to. And I'll
never forget going into the studio and writing you say
and you talk about the machine. And I just finished
my first double Awards and I grew up in Louisiana.
I'm like a Southern girl through and through, and I
remember feeling so out of place and I was on
(15:31):
a red carpet and people cared about what I had
to say and there were lights in my face. And
I won all these awards and I left the awards
show and the next day just hit rock bottom, just
like it was like such an extreme high, and I
crashed and I was so lonely the next day because
(15:53):
I realized, this will take me away from who I am,
This will take me away from the things I love
about myself. This will take me away from that Louisiana
girl that is totally down to just jump in a
kayaking go looking at some alligators, or go to my
friend's house and have some moores around the fire, you know.
(16:15):
And I've felt so lonely, like this is something that
no one else in my circle is experiencing. And this
platform and having people care what you have to say
becomes so you place yourself in an area of vulnerability
(16:36):
that not many people have to walk through. And so
there's some defense mechanisms that naturally get built up. And
how do I stay shielded but to a healthy amount
where I'm not just crippling who I actually am in
the process, where I'm not fearing myself underneath boulders, but
that I actually stay pure to who I am. And
(16:59):
I walked into to the studio the next day and
I sat there and talked with my producers, and I
was like, this is too much for me to handle.
And I remember there being a crossroads where it was
like you can jump ship and no one will really
ever notice, Like you just finished your first award show,
like it's not going to be a big deal. Or
(17:19):
you can just stick this out. But right now you
have a choice to make that you will fight to
keep your core intact. And I haven't done it perfectly.
I'm not even going to say that. But from that interaction,
we took all the lies that I was believing about
what this industry will do to me and replace them
(17:41):
with the truth of what God can do through me
and how how I can if I keep the core
of who He's made me in those two years in
that season of isolation, if I keep that core fed
and nourished, I can do this. And I will one
say that there were you you had mentioned like three
(18:06):
or four years of things turning a page. I will
say two of those years I handled it very poor,
Like just internally. There there were so many things that
I had to learn at such a fast pace, and
I've made decisions that I would totally change and if
I could go back and change them, you know. But
(18:28):
I feel like two nights ago I had a conversation
with my manager about this very thing, and I told her, Lee,
regardless of what comes for any of the music I
put out from this point forward, if I if you
(18:48):
see my feet wandering, ever, stop me in my tracks.
I I want to make sure that at the end
of this road, I care about people more than the
way I cared about than when I started. I want
to get to the end of this and know that
when people came to my shows in the beginning of
my career, they experienced they experienced something pure, and when
(19:11):
I am on my deathbed the last show that they
came to, they still felt the same presence, in the
same comfort. I don't want to forsake that space for
the things of the world. And though it is tempting,
I mean, my gosh, the hustle and the amount of
(19:31):
opportunities and the imminent pressure to keep success beyond anything
you've ever produced before, like stay successful, and then some
that is like vulturistic. Don't ever listen to any of that.
Just shut your ears to it. Yeah, that's what we
(19:53):
say internally all the time. Like just from that conversation
the other day, we were like, we're not going too
working hardest, beautiful thing. It is a strong work ethic.
I love I love it. But striving for things that
the world puts in front versus resting in what God
(20:14):
will provide, those are two very different places. Resting comes
with sustainability. It allows you longevity. Striving creates burnout, it
creates disdain and jadedness. There's a difference between working from
(20:36):
a place of rest versus working to beat the next
door down. And I have seen miracle after miracle of
that very thing where we'll be like, Okay, we don't
know how, wonder how it's going to turn out, scratch
it our head, wonder how it's going to happen. And
God's like, oh, yeah, here's where I'm going to drop
(20:59):
it in. Here's where I'm going to dropping in. And
here's an open door. I hope you enjoy walking through it.
And it's like so exhilarating because you know you're you're
walking hand in hand with what you said earlier with me,
Almighty us talking today is one of those situations. I
listened to your show when I when I was a teenager.
It was like a friend and a comfort. I would
(21:23):
listen to your voice and it would be at the
midnight hour and I would just I don't know, I
remember it playing at midnight and just thinking I have
someone who is peaceful. I felt peace listening. It didn't
matter what story it was. I felt comfort just in
(21:45):
the way that you spoke in the tone of your voice.
Now I know what was behind the voice, but I
feel like it's a full circle moment for me as well,
because there were there were so many times where You're
show held my hand when I would just drive around
the car at midnight because I didn't know what else
(22:06):
to do, you know, And so then to see that
God would use Briar, that he used your story to
sit here and make something beautiful happen, I mean years later,
I wasn't even singing at the time, Like years later,
these words penetrated your Heartbriar and became a place for
(22:31):
a full circle moment to happen. It's pretty amazing. It's awesome. Yeah,
I'm so grateful to be a part of this. I
mean so grateful to see that words and that just
even a voice can mean so much. Your mom's voice
meant something to me, and now my voice has meant
(22:51):
something to you, and therefore it meant something back to
your mom from you. That's wild. And here's the thing
I know, because of who Briar is, when she finds
her voice, when that relationship develops between her and God,
she is going to be able to inspire so many
young people. We got four hundred and eighty seven thousand
(23:13):
kids in foster care right now. Wow, and less than
five percent will ever have forever families. So she will
be god willing the voice to encourage them. Wow. I
look forward to seeing that need to. I'll be standing
next to you, girl, Give me a call. What an
(23:36):
absolute pleasure it was to have Lauren with us today.
I'd like to thank her and my podcast sponsors that
make this conversation possible. I love being creative, and I'm
excited to welcome Annie's Kid Clubs as one of my
podcast sponsors. As fast paced and crazy as the world
is today, I love that Annie's Kids get kids off
(24:00):
the screens and into some hands on creative fun. There's
kids for all ages, even adults, from young woodworker kids
to cardmaking to knitting. Annie's has a great summer offer
seventy five percent off your first month visit Annie's Kit
Clubs dot com slash Radio. Annie's Kit Clubs dot com
(24:24):
slash radio. They let everyone escape into a world of creativity.
We've been talking with Lauren Dagel and if you are
not familiar with her music, trust me you should be
and if you are now you know why she is
so beloved around the world and where can people find you?
Where can people see you? Like, give me the well,
(24:48):
we are going on tour in September. We've finally gone out,
so you can go to Laurendagel dot com for all
the tour dates, and my instagram is at Lauren underscore
Dage for the fun extra behind the same things. Okay,
Lauren underscored Dagel Instagram and Laurendiggel dot com for tour dates,
(25:11):
and we we meaning Brier and Mom and Toe will
see you in September. Yes, okay, good y'all come backstage
and give me hugs. Lauren gifted us with a beautiful,
powerful new single this February called hold on to Me
that we've been listening to a lot here at my house.
(25:32):
Social media exploded after she performed it on the Voice,
so we already know it's going to be a huge
crossover success. You can listen to hold on to Me
and download it from her website Laurendagel dot com. And
if you're lucky enough to score tickets to a performance
while she's on tour this fall, you're going to be
(25:54):
in for a treat. I cannot wait for more new
music from her and to watch and applaud how her charity,
The Price Fund, continues to help build strong kids and
strong communities where every member from every generation is supported
and reminded of their importance. Lauren credits her grandfather with
(26:18):
instilling the idea within her that loving the world happens
one relationship at a time. I couldn't agree more. That
is why I call this podcast Love Someone, and why
I implore you all to do just that. Get to
know the hearts of your family, your friends, your neighbors,
(26:40):
your community. Reach out in love, and you will change
the world one heart at a time, just like Lauren is.
I do hope you're enjoying these long, lovely summer days
and taking the time to do a little stargazing at night.
Please join me next time on Love Someone for Another
in Inspiring Conversation. New episodes drop the second and fourth
(27:04):
Tuesday of the month. You can subscribe on any of
the dozens of podcast platforms out there, so you won't
miss a single one. God bless you and thank you
for listening.
Host
Delilah
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