Josiah Queen wages war against the negative spiral of thoughts racing through his mind on his latest single, “Demons.” Battling a wave of anxiety, the burgeoning artist renounces the lies, demanding his worry flee in the name of Jesus.
“This song came from a real battle in my mind and the reminder that I don’t fight alone,” Queen shares. “When I prayed, God didn’t just hear me — He answered. It’s a declaration that fear and darkness don’t get the final word when your trust and hope is in Jesus.”
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Before it even dropped, the folk-flavored, boot-stomping track generated more than 1,200 TikTok creations, which inspired the Tampa native to host an “open verse” contest where contenders were invited to write and submit their own second verse to the song for a chance to duet with Queen. A pair of winners, Florida-based singer/songwriter Julia Poe and emerging folk-pop artist Reagan James Broome, were eventually chosen as Queen’s collaborators on two unique reimagined recordings of “Demons.”
“The goal of this open verse was to highlight how many incredibly talented artists are out there and to give people a real opportunity to showcase their songwriting skills,” Queen explains of the challenge.
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He released additional versions with his respective co-writers, John Michael Howell and Zac Lawson, who records under the moniker ZVC.
“Demons” marks Queen’s first taste of new music following his sophomore album, “Mt. Zion.” In support of the project, Queen is currently headlining a nearly sold-out 34-date North American run through early May. In September, the “Dusty Bibles” singer will return to Europe for a batch of international shows with support from Strings & Heart.
Since the release of his breakout hit, “The Prodigal,” in just a few short years, Queen has become one of Christian music’s swiftest success stories, garnering multiple “new artist” nods, radio airplay and high-profile touring opportunities with Forrest Frank, Phil Wickham and Brandon Lake.
