Seattle singer/songwriter Shawn McDonald recently released his third record in less than two years. That productivity actually cost him a shot at winning GMA's New Artist of the Year last year. He had been nominated for the award after his August 2004 debut, Simply Nothing, but when his second album, Live in Seattle, released in April 2005, he was ruled ineligible for the new artist nod—because GMA rules stipulate that a new artist's second album cannot release within a year of his/her debut. In this conversation, McDonald shares his feelings on that ruling, and talks about the content and direction of his new release, Ripen.

How did you feel about the withdrawn Dove Award nomination?

Shawn McDonald: It's a pretty cool thought that I would get nominated. My family was a little more upset about [the withdrawn nomination] than I was. I had actually checked out for a week; I went out to the woods to a cabin to be alone with God when it all happened. When I got back, everyone knew about it. The award is cool but it's not necessary. That's not what defines my music or me. Perhaps God took it out for a reason, and I trust that fact to him.

Your debut, Simply Nothing, was written over a five-year period. How did you do your new record so quickly, especially while touring and still promoting the first record?

McDonald: It was a definite challenge. I had to be a lot more intentional this time, continuously taking time to write about what first brought me here. I've been writing songs since the first record came out, so I felt prepared going in, but still had some spontaneous things happen.

Do you struggle to write songs that match or exceed the first batch?

McDonald: The pressures are there; I experience it just like anybody else in any job. It's what you do with that pressure. I just write what I'm passionate about, not so much thinking about writing better. Musically, it's not the same record as the first one, but lyrically and heart-wise, it is. It's a continuation of who I am as a person. If anything, this record is less "poppy"—I didn't write any songs like "Gravity" and "Take My Hand." With [listeners] wanting to hear that sound, [the change in style] makes it a risky move. But God is portrayed in life and music, and I'm serious about Christ, so people who journey with me will see that this record is deeper and more mature.

Are you pulling from anywhere specifically for the songwriting and themes on Ripen?

McDonald: I don't know that lyrically it's changed a ton. You're still going to find an extreme desperation of "I need God" and the coming of Christ—from the first song on. I think if anything, my relationship with God and Christ has grown tremendously [over this time]. That's the part that changed the most, the deepening.

Has anything or anyone specifically led to that maturing?

McDonald: There is not just one thing; moreso, it's just life. I wrote a lot of those first songs when I was 22, 23, 24, and I'm 28 now. It's just experience in life. It's more how your mind naturally sees new things, and you learn through the experiences God is taking you through. I got married nine months ago, and I had to grow up a lot and be a man in areas that I wasn't.

How did you arrive at the album title?

McDonald: We asked our fans to name the record. They put in lots of ideas. I knew the direction I was going with the record, and wanted to focus on a metaphor of change. We had suggestions along the lines of butterfly and metamorphosis. "Ripen" was suggested, and I think it explained what I was going for in a fresh way that isn't overused.

When you sing some of these lyrics, I buy into it, but with another artist, I might write it off as cheesy. Could that be because your lyrics come from a very real place, that your story came with a price—leaving a lifestyle that included drug addiction? Do you have an "advantage" over other artists to make it more believable?

McDonald: When I became a believer, I wasn't aware of the [Christian] terms or of this whole [Christian] culture. I didn't understand what they were talking about, but felt like I should. Sometimes it seems contrived when people write songs, like they're driven by motives to write songs. I have to fight cynicism when I feel stuff like that. But what speaks out to me and other people is honesty and passion.

When someone is truly passionate, it's almost like you [the listener] feel it; that song is coming from somewhere deep within them. That's what I strive to do; I hope that's what people find in me. Most of these songs were written from me hanging out with God, and usually with tears. Sometimes they are my own issues, but these things are what I'm thinking.

There seems to be more atmosphere on this record. It's more ambient. What inspired the change?

McDonald: I'm passionate about God, but I'm also passionate about music. I believe it's a beautiful way to express yourself. Music is very spiritual. It brings tears; it brings laughter. It's a powerful tool.

I'm pretty much always discovering new music; I listen to a lot to know what's going on. I love tones, strings and orchestra, singer/songwriters. I explore music all the time, and use it to affect what I do. I don't want to sound like another artist, but I take what influences me to create what you hear. I can't say what brought this exact sound. When you get to the studio, what you plan changes—and that's what you have here. I definitely make producers work and have fun at the same.

Do you have a plan when you go into studio? Or just waiting and seeing what happens when you get there?

McDonald: It's different with each producer; that affects how it's done. I had two producers on this new record. Chris [Stevens] is really extremely laidback; he's from the West Coast where it's "whatever, no worries." We tend to procrastinate and "hang it loose," as he says. Will [Hunt] was a little more structured. Everything was out on the map, to have such and such sound there. It was very laid out. You can hear the difference between the songs. I don't know that either was a better way. It's different kinds of creativity.

The bio says Ripen is meant to be a complete listening experience—with three interludes. What went into that idea?

McDonald: None of the interludes were planned; they just kind of happened. The one at the end, "Imago," was a freak thing. I was playing on the Wurlitzer. Chris jumped on the piano and jammed with me. We liked it so we recorded it; it was a one-take thing. The one near the beginning, there was a snag to it, that's why it's called "Ramblings of a Beggar." There was no direction; it just is what it is. "White Horse" was a random thing I wrote in the studio. I was listening to Bob Dylan, so musically it has that old country/folkish sound. It really fit the theme of "I want to be ready," so … There was something lacking in the order; by adding the interludes it became a piece of art through the whole thing.

It has been two years since you went from an indie to a signed artist. What surprises have come along with that, good and/or bad?

McDonald: The biggest surprise has been the Christian culture. I come from the West Coast, where it's more liberal. It's different from the rest of the U.S. If you tell people you're a Christian out here, they will tell you that you're an idiot. It's a different mindset.

So, getting on the road and seeing all this Christian culture away from the West Coast, it was a surprise to me. I had never experienced so much of the culture being into Christianity. I had always heard those things, but I like having the [first-hand] experience and knowledge.

Another thing I noticed about being signed is that there is a lot of expectation [being on stage in the spotlight]. As a Christian artist, there's the feeling that you can't screw up anymore. You have to be an example for everyone. If that [expectation] isn't taken right, artists could become secretive and keep from being honest, because they're afraid to be judged. The song "Free" is my take on it, talking about how I want to be free to be who God has made me to be and let go of expectations.

For more about Shawn McDonald, visit our site's artist page. To read our review of his latest effort, Ripen, click here. And be sure to visit Christianbook.com to listen to sound clips and buy the music.

© Jackie A. Chapman, subject to licensing agreement with Christianity Today International. All rights reserved. Click for reprint information.

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