Colton Dixon just topped the charts with his latest song, “Build A Boat,” but the hit single follows a long season of discouragement and doubt for the artist. The “American Idol” alum confesses he had to live the song before he could write it. Now, with a new label home, a fresh perspective and a No. 1 smash, Dixon is looking ahead to the future, dreaming about writing the best songs of his career and watching his twin daughters grow up.
KLOVE.com recently caught up with the “Miracles” singer to chat about all things fatherhood, his new partnership with Mercy Ships and how “Build A Boat” actually started out as a love song he didn’t write.
WATCH NOW: "Build A Boat" Official Studio Performance
K-LOVE: “Build A Boat” — an unabashedly Christian song inspired by the biblical account of Noah — just went No. 1. But your last batch of new music was a self-titled EP that felt wider in scope. Your lyrics were more universal, and the topics you wrote about were intentionally broader in the hopes that there would be some mainstream appeal. What caused this transition in your writing?
Colton Dixon: I love this question. I love this conversation of our lanes as artists and what God has put on our hearts. And that looks different for every artist. I guess to answer your question, we really have to rewind even a little further. I was with a major Christian label for a long time and did three records with them and absolutely loved them. But we parted ways, and I did a lot of soul-searching and had a lot of questions and eventually found myself in the path of Atlantic Records, which is not a Christian label. It just automatically broadened the scope of who the audience was for my music. With my background being “American Idol” and knowing that not everyone who listens to my music is necessarily a believer, I was trying to create a palette that’s not just for church people, but for people who just need some encouragement. And I think that’s important. So with the EP I released in 2020, I had a cool opportunity to write songs for those people who maybe don’t know God. That was my goal with the EP, with songs like “Miracles” and a song about my wife, about the importance of marriage, and basically saying that love is a choice, not always a feeling.
I’m so proud of the EP we created. It released at a perfect time when people just needed hope. We all know that 2020 was a tough year, but that’s what I love about God — His timing is perfect. I wrote those songs out of that season where I got dropped by my record label and didn’t know what the future looked like, and they released during a season where so many people were losing their jobs and, like me, didn’t know what the future looked like. I’m thankful I had this little gift-wrapped package of music to hand to the world to say, “Hey, I just came out of this. I hope these songs encourage you during this time.”
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K-LOVE: Following your EP, how did “Build A Boat” come about?
Colton Dixon: I always try to let the song kind of dictate production and just let the song go where it needs to go. And this was actually an outside song initially. It was already written, but it was very different from what you hear today. It was still titled “Build a Boat,” but it was more along the lines of, “Let’s build a boat and get away from the world…” — a relationship song.
I heard the song and, one, thought it was amazing and beautiful, but thought, wow, what an opportunity to tell the story of Noah here and what he must have been going through. And so I jumped into the studio with songwriter and producer Seth Mosley. (Those who check the songwriting credits on pretty much anything in Christian music know his name.) But for this song, we told the story of Noah and even put ourselves in his shoes of what that must have been like — taking a step of faith before you see the promise. And I love what this song turned into. This song wound up being a little more on the nose. But what’s interesting is, even though I don’t always paint with that type of brush, I will say, you come see us at a show, and the way I talk about these songs — whether it’s obvious or not — it’s pretty clear, to me at least, where I stand; and I’ll never shy away from that.
K-LOVE: Did you keep the same melody you heard on the original demo for “Build A Boat”?
Colton Dixon: The melody is very similar. We changed, I would say, 99% of the lyric. Not that it was bad, it just took on a new story for us. So we went in and really rewrote most of the song. But the feeling, if you were to just sing the melody, is still very much the same. It still felt very hopeful whenever we first heard it, which is what sparked that initial thought of, Oh, we could really do something with this.
K-LOVE: It probably stretches you as a writer, too. I would imagine it forces you to flex a different writing muscle.
Colton Dixon: Yeah, it almost feels like a fun exercise. You hear a finished song and then you go, “OK, how would I write this song?” So you break it down, and it’s really interesting.
K-LOVE: What is it in particular about “Build A Boat” that you feel has resonated with people so quickly?
Colton Dixon: Man, it’s turned into our favorite song to play in our set every night. Just to be perfectly candid, I’m blown away by the success it’s having with people and at radio right now. But if I had to put my finger on one element of the song, there’s such a feeling of, man, don’t give up before you see the miracle. That’s the whole point. It’s about this unashamed obedience. Regardless of what the world is doing, regardless of how crazy it looks, I’m going to do what I know to do because God’s Word never returns void. And if He gave me a promise, it’s going to come to pass.
And man, what a perfect time for a song like this. God bless the world. It’s like, what is going on right now? The Bible says that the dark will get darker and the light will get lighter, and that divide is happening. I’m just thankful this song is encouraging people in their walk with the Lord.
K-LOVE: Do you feel like you already lived this song out, in a sense, when you were between label deals?
Colton Dixon: Absolutely. Yeah, it was a very dry season for my family and me. It’s funny, because my third record with my first label was called “Identity.” And lo and behold, I found that I put so much of my identity and security into having a label as an artist. So, be careful what you write about as a songwriter, because you will wind up meeting it at one point or another in your career. But yeah, it was a season of our roots going deeper and our faith getting stronger. And it’s in those seasons where your faith has an opportunity to grow. It’s not always a fun process — it sometimes can feel like growing pains — but it’s worth it.
I’m so thankful for that season. God was right there, showing us that He was our provider. My identity wasn’t in a job title, or a label, or even what I did for a living. So yeah, “Build a Boat” was a very personal songwriting process for me coming out of that season.
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K-LOVE: In that period of time, did you consider doing music independently? Did you ever think about throwing in the towel on your dream of music completely?
Colton Dixon: There was no stone left unturned. We considered the pros and cons of going independent. We definitely explored that. There were definitely darker days of me going, “Well, I guess that was it. That was a fun ride.” But I did not feel cut out for a nine to five. There’s nothing wrong with it. My brain’s just not cut out for it. Like, please don’t put me in a cubicle. I would love to say it was only a couple weeks until Atlantic showed up, but it was months. So we really just had to trust that God knew what He was doing. That was what it boiled down to. My wife actually said something, too, that kind of changed it for us. She said, “What if this isn’t a setback? What if God’s actually setting you up for what’s next?”
I think, often, we hold on so tightly to what we have in the moment that when it gets taken away or when it’s time for something new, there’s pain involved because we’re so attached. But if we had this posture of open hands, things would come and go, and we would just continue to have the same attitude and the same outlook. It’s a beautiful picture, and it’s something I’ve tried to get better at. Even at the height of the success of “Build A Boat,” I’m so grateful, but at the same time, I know it’s just a season. So I’m going to continue to trust that God knows what He’s doing.
K-LOVE: In conjunction with “Build A Boat,” you’re partnering with Mercy Ships. What made you want to link arms with this organization?
Colton Dixon: Well, I’ve always heard the name Mercy Ships and had a roundabout idea of what they did. But for those who don’t know, they build these ships — they look like cruise liner ships from the outside. They’re massive, and they convert them into hospitals. So they have operating rooms and regular hospital rooms for checkups and things like that. And these ships go to third world countries where families would never get the healthcare or the surgeries that we in America have easy access to. So I just love that they have a heart for people. I think Jesus had a heart for people, and He went out into the world and met their needs, and that’s what Mercy Ships does. So in learning more about what they do, I automatically fell in love with the organization. I got to sit down and have a conversation with one of the engineers who actually built one of the ships and who donates his time as a missionary. And it was just sobering; it was humbling. They’re out on the front lines. It’s really beautiful what they do. We’re actually working on planning a trip to go out on one of the ships, as well, to see their work firsthand, and I’m so excited about that. I’m honored to be partnering with them and helping spread some awareness about what they do.
K-LOVE: When you’re not on the road, you’re at home with your girls. What’s it like being a dad to two-year-old twins?
Colton Dixon: Man, it’s the best thing in the world. We love being parents to twins and wouldn’t have it any other way. So often people are like, “How do you guys do it with two?” And we’re like, “We don’t really know any different. They were our first and our second.” They’re just the sweetest little girls. And any time I get home, my favorite thing is opening the door. They just start screaming. They run to the gate; they start shaking the gate. I’m amazed that gate is still attached to the wall. It’s just the cutest little thing in the world. I’m so thankful God entrusted these two little girls to us.
K-LOVE: What’s it like being away from them when you’re on tour?
Colton Dixon: Our lifestyle is very unconventional — me being on the road and my wife being at home. Thankfully, her parents help any time I’m out of town, which is amazing. But still, it’s very unconventional. I’m so thankful for my wife. She’s made it a point to really celebrate when Dad goes to work. So any time I have to leave, she’ll start clapping. And she’s like, “Alright, Dad gets to go to work. We’ll see him soon.” And it’s this happy thing instead of this dreaded, sad thing. And so even just for me emotionally, I appreciate that. And it’s good for the girls, too.
My wife used to travel with me full-time before kids, so it’s been a new season for us learning to navigate communication. It’s so important just to make sure we’re on the same page and to hear about her day and to know that she’s taken care of. It’s created a lot of new challenges, but challenges that we’re embracing.
K-LOVE: What can fans expect next from you? Are you working on a full record? Do you have any upcoming touring plans you can share?
Colton Dixon: Those are the million dollar questions. I am always working on music. I actually just spent a week in Los Angeles. We got three more songs that we feel really great about. So it just depends on the song. I heard someone say, for every 10 songs you write, one of them might be good. That can almost be depressing. But I’m kind of like, “Alright, let’s just write then. Let’s write as many songs as we can and find the best ones to meet people’s needs and to say maybe what they haven’t found a way to say yet.” So that’s what we’re actively doing. We’ve got a couple in our pocket that we feel excited about. And as far as touring goes, we’re looking at the spring, and we’re looking at doing something pretty big. I can’t share exactly what it is yet, but to say that I’m excited is the understatement of the year. I am very excited about the spring.
