Group’s chart-topping first single inspired by sermon

Elizabeth Mabie
Spur Ottawa Correspondent

myChurch Music, a worship band formed by Ottawa’s myChurch, released a chart-topping single and the response has gone from local to global.

The “Hear Your Heart” video was posted on myChurch Music’s YouTube channel on June 24, 2017. Since then, the song has been airing on Christian radio stations across Canada and even as far away as Germany and South Africa. It became so popular in Ottawa that on August 12 Family Radio CHRI declared “Hear Your Heart” their number-one song for the weekly listing.

“It is an honour that people are even liking it and picking it up and playing it,” says band member Matt Sangalli, one of the song’s co-writers. “We actually celebrate in our church office every single time someone says we were picked up by a new station. We’re excited that people love it.”

One element listeners say really resonates with them is the song’s feel-good vibe.

The lyrics were inspired by a sermon Davidson preached on the grace of God.

Aliya Sepkowski, another band member and “Hear Your Heart” co-writer, says the response pushes them to uphold that standard in future projects.

“It’s super encouraging,” she says. “A lot of people say to me that it’s summery and it’s a song they can picture rolling their car windows down to.”

In addition to Sepkowski and Sangalli, the other members of myChurch Music are Glory Tayo, Kelvin Narkah, and Brent Visser.

The group says “Hear Your Heart” came out of a song called “Life in the Hallway”, by myChurch co-pastor Caleb Davidson. The band loved the chorus and wanted to rework it into an upbeat worship song, but it didn’t turn out the way they hoped. Visser began experimenting in the studio and built a new the chord progression and bass line. When Sangalli and Sepkowski heard what Visser put together, they loved it so much they wrote a new song to go with it.

“John was the only one who leaned on Jesus during the Last Supper.”

The lyrics were inspired by a sermon Davidson preached on the grace of God, particularly one part from the Gospel of John.

“The inspiration behind it ultimately is out of the Gospel of John and how John calls himself a disciple that Jesus loved,” explains Sangalli. “John was the only one who leaned on Jesus during the Last Supper. It was this picture of having a relationship with God where you can lean against Him and are so close that you can hear His heart—there’s no distance. It’s knowing that God is madly in love with you and responding.”

myChurch Music plans to release more music this fall, reveal their EP during the church’s Flourish Conference in November, and release an album in 2018.

“We’re aiming to create songs that connect with people,” says Sangalli. “We want to give them a song to sing when times are great or when they’re feeling defeated and need encouragement. That’s our vision.”