Hillsong Taya Smith goes solo! Prepares to release of her self titled album and shares her struggle to find her voice for years
Taya Smith-Gaukrodger is among the most famous voices in worship music after rising to fame as a member of Hillsong United and Hillsong Worship.
Now, on the heels of a pandemic and amid numerous scandals surrounding the Hillsong Global Church Network, the artiste, professionally known as “Taya,” is gearing up for the release of her self titled album, Taya.
“I count it such a joy that I got to step into this with 14 older brothers in the worship team United,” she said.
“They’re 14 brothers I didn’t ask for, but didn’t know that I would need. Stepping into all of this, getting to steward songs, it was a new thing for me. But it felt like the kindness of God to have brothers who would help me learn how to steward this and steward songs and getting to glean from their wisdom of so many years.”
The singer credited her Hillsong United church family for helping train her up to be ready for this moment to stand alone. She said Joel Houston, son of former Hillsong Global Senior Pastor Brian Houston and lead singer of Hillsong United, was the first to encourage her to make her own album as early as five years ago.
Hillsong Taya Smith goes solo with her new album and it is one of the most anticipated album in town, as everyone waits to hear. It will be released May 27th
“God knew that I would need someone to really encourage and to say, ‘Hey, I think this is on your life,‘” she said, adding: “I knew that I was meant to be songwriting. I knew that I had something like this at some point, but I wasn’t going to be the person that’s like, ‘Hey, pick me.’ So it was actually Joel who really called it out and was like, ‘I think you need to be writing.’ Even though he didn’t know if I can do it. I hadn’t shown him.”
Taya said she wouldn’t have had the courage to release an album on her own, but Houston helped her find her voice.
“It’s so silly; the girl who’s known for her voice just struggled to raise it in a songwriting session,” she noted.
After hearing a message from a fellow church member, whom she affectionately calls a brother, she realized her timidness was fake humility, which is a version of pride.
“It’s actually pride, because I’m not willing to put myself out there,” she said. “Even if God was the only person who would eventually hear the songs, that’s worth it because He’s so worthy.”
The artist was supposed to release the album around 2020, but due to the COVID-19 it was delayed. She said the delay was a perfect way to help her find her voice again.
The artist said she wrote songs on the piano her husband gave her as a gift while dressed in sweats pants in her one-bedroom apartment. There, she learned to co-write and finish a song successfully.
Her first single, “For All My Life,” was released shortly after news broke about Brian Houston challenges and allegations.
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