Kenny & Claire Open Up About Suffering, Faith & their New Album

Pointing listeners to the Hope of Christ amidst life's troubles, critically acclaimed husband/wife folk duo Kenny & Claire are set to bow their full-length debut, Upon The Storm, July 19. Produced by GRAMMY Award-winner Mitch Dane (Brandon Heath, JJ Heller), the 12-track set showcases four freshly penned originals and eight modern renditions of enduring hymns.

Known for their emotive acoustic/folk originals and organic revivals of theologically rich hymns of yesteryear, Kenny & Claire's critically acclaimed debut EP, Are You Weary, released in 2021. In addition to participating in Getty Music's prestigious International Hymn Writing Collective, the couple's music has been highlighted by Under The Radar (UTR) and in The Rabbit Room's New Music Roundup, and Claire was also named among "Ones to Watch" by the Nashville Songwriters Association (NSAI) in 2021. 

Kenny & Claire now reside in the Nashville area with their three children, and they maintain an active touring ministry, leading worship and performing in numerous churches around the country each year.  

Q: Thanks for doing this interview with us. I am so sorry to hear about Kenny's brain tumor. What happened there? How is he now?

Kenny initially had undiagnosed symptoms of what we now know is Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. In 2015, his doctor ordered a brain MRI to figure out what was going on. They happened to find a tumor on his brainstem that was unrelated to his EDS symptoms. Due to the size and location, they first thought it to be malignant and did other scans to see if it had spread. Thankfully, those scans came back clear. By God's grace, we found a surgeon who specialized in the kind of tumor they thought Kenny had, and he had surgery to remove it at the end of January 2016. Originally, they thought the tumor could not be fully removed but as far as his surgeon could tell, it was completely removed. It was also found to be Stage 1 and benign. It was truly the best result possible. He's doing much better now and as far as we know, nothing has returned.

What we didn't realize at the time is that the invasive brain surgery caused Kenny's Ehlers Danlos Symptoms to flare up. His symptoms were so severe that a year later his doctor performed a physical aptitude test that revealed Kenny had the health of a sick 72-year-old man, and he needed to stop working for an indefinite amount of time. There were all sorts of fears and wondering if his health would ever come back. By God's grace we've been able to manage the EDS and over time Kenny started working again. 

Q: How has suffering impacted your view of God and the Christian faith?

There have been times I felt my faith hanging on by a thread with despair close as hand. I would then hear the Bible read, preached, or sung, and the Lord used His Word to assure me of Him. He holds me fast to Him. He keeps me His. Christ is truly all that I have, and He can be trusted. Corrie Ten Boom is quoted as saying, "You may never know that Jesus is all that you need, until Jesus is all you have." I completely agree. Honestly, though I would never want to relive what we've gone through I will forever hold dear how I saw the Lord's hand, felt the Lord's comfort, and glimpsed a small glimmer of who He is in ways I would have never been able to, had we not walked this path. The Lord truly uses all circumstances for the good of those who love Him. 

Q: How did you decide to serve God in the music ministry?

I've wanted to be a musician since I was a little girl, and Kenny and I began playing together in a band the day after we met. In college I remember specifically asking the Lord how He would want me to use these desires. The more I prayed and read Scripture, the more He used His Word to convict me that I was to first and foremost serve my church with the gifts I had. I stopped pursuing music as a profession and committed to serving my local church. Kenny did the same.

Years later when Kenny was physically unable to work, I felt convicted to pursue what I knew and loved for a career-music. The Lord guided every step of the way, helping me figure out how to start a music teaching business, and He later led us to be full-time touring musicians. It was because of the struggle with Kenny's health that we felt burdened to make the kind of music that personally brought us comfort-music that directed our hearts to Christ and the promises of His Word. 

Q: Knowing about your struggles gives me a greater appreciation when I hear you sing about suffering as reflected in the hymns. Why have you decided to visit the old hymns?

There are so many hymns that are deeply rooted in the Truths of Scripture and packed with rich theology and doctrine. We've found ourselves going back to these songs time and time again. We've also seen firsthand the importance of the words that we sing. Tunes and lyrics can stay with a person for a lifetime. Therefore, it is vital that we are careful with the theology our songs teach. We also love using old hymns because they not only give a different generation's perspective, but in a way, they unite us with the saints who have gone before as we continue to sing the songs they did. 

Q: On your new album, you also have a few originals too. Tell us more about them.

Each original song was inspired by different circumstances. "Surely His Goodness" was a song I wrote in 2022 to remind my heart of the promises of Psalm 23 right around the time we quit our day jobs to become full-time touring musicians. My kids quickly picked up on the tune as I was writing it and that inspired me to write it not only for them but for whoever else may listen. It's one of my favorite songs to sing.

When we set out to write this album, we were inspired by a traditional church order of service. Historically, the different aspects of a church worship service fit together as an overall reminder of the Gospel-who God is; who we are in light of Him; and what Christ has done on our behalf. We set out to write songs that would serve the different parts of a worship service. "Forgive Us Lord" is a song of confession inspired by the hymn "All Our Sinful Words and Ways." "Have Mercy on Us" was inspired by a quote from Gregory the Great that we formed into a song of lament. "We Believe" is based on the contents of the Apostles Creed and our desire for it to be a memorable anthem for the church to sing. 

Q: How do you hope these songs will impact your listeners, especially those who are also suffering?

Our hope and prayer is that the Lord would use these songs as He sees fit. We desire that these songs would come alongside the listener and point hearts and minds to Jesus and His trustworthy Word, especially in the midst of suffering when hearts may be prone to wander.

For further information, visit kennyandclaire.com or turningpointpr.com. Follow the duo on Instagram and Facebook. 

 

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