Brandon Lake was already successful in his own right before releasing “Hard Fought Hallelujah,” his chart-topping collab with Jelly Roll. The South Carolina pastor had collected five Grammy Awards and sent six songs to the top of Billboard’s Hot Christian Songs chart. But “Hard Fought Hallelujah” launched Lake’s career to a new level as he performed with Jelly Roll at the Grand Ole Opry, on American Idol, and at Nissan Stadium during CMA Fest. The song opened a door into the country music world for Lake, and he isn’t done yet.
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“This Is a Secret”: Brandon Lake Shares Major News
Last month, Brandon Lake released a soulful new single called “When a Cowboy Prays.” Fans immediately began pointing out the striking resemblance to a certain 2025 CMA Entertainer of the Year nominee.
“I heard all of your comments,” said the “Praise You Anywhere” singer, 35, during a recent King of Hearts tour stop. “I wrote this song, and you’re like, ‘This sounds like CoJo. You gotta get CoJo.’ And I was like, ‘Honey, already on it.’”
Introducing the track, Lake said, “The cool part about this song is… and I’m not telling anybody except for those who showed up for my tour. But you can’t post about it. This is a secret. But this song I’m about to sing, I just recorded with Cody Johnson, and we’re gonna come out with this.”
Of course, Lake’s fans did not follow these instructions. Clips of the announcement began making the rounds on social media, stoking fans’ excitement for a collaboration between Brandon Lake and Cody Johnson. The contemporary Christian hitmaker hasn’t announced a release date, but with “When a Cowboy Prays” still gaining steam on streaming platforms, we can likely expect it to drop soon.
[RELATED: Brandon Lake Addresses Backlash Over Jelly Roll Collab (From an Unexpected Place)]
Dabbling in Country
When venturing into country territory, Brandon Lake didn’t stop at Jelly Roll. Back in June, he teamed up with Gabby Barrett on “As For Me And My Home.” And earlier this month, the South Carolina worship pastor welcomed Cole Swindell to the stage in Atlanta for a performance of Swindell’s latest song, “Make Heaven Crowded.”
“I’ve been just having fun writing country songs filled with faith and country songs about my wife and all this fun stuff. Well, a really special guy, DM’d me and just super, super encouraged me. I’ve been a big fan of his music and he has a really special song that he just released,” Lake said.
Featured image by Carly Mackler/Getty Images
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