Tony Cummings reports on HUNTER PLAKE, Baton Rouge, Louisiana's worship leader challenging the secular/sacred divide

Hunter Plake

There will undoubtedly be a Christian music listener or two who will be a little shocked that Hunter Plake, who has released such successful songs as his composition "Holy Ghost (Fill This Room)", can also be someone who's latest Cross Rhythms playlist track is the Bing Crosby oldie "White Christmas". But clearly the worship leader from Louisiana has no time for the secular/sacred divide which has held back Christian musicians for so long. And in fact Hunter first came to national attention in the US when, in 2017, he appeared in America's renowned TV talent search the voice. Hunter, then 20, was eliminated in the semifinals.

Hunter showed commendable modesty when talking about his own semifinal elimination when performing the U2 song "With Or Without You". He said, "With the U2 song, I honestly just wanted to do something for my hero. My hero is Bono, he's probably my biggest influence in the music industry. So I actually don't regret it at all, and I'm not even sad about going home. I'm actually really excited about the future."

Hunter was born in November 1995 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in a family of musicians and ministers. As a teenager he led worship in his church and attended ministry school. With his brother Dakota, Hunter formed an indie pop band called, appropriately enough, Plake. But then after seeing a friend, Koryn Hawthorne, do well on The Voice Hunter decided that he too should give the TV talent search a go. After his elimination he tried making a go of it in a full-time music career, moved to Los Angeles and tried writing and producing pop songs. A couple of independent singles were released but nothing was really taking off for Hunter. He felt something missing in his life. In June of 2020, a nagging and ever-present sense of emptiness grew into a full-on collapse. "I hit a breaking point and had a total breakdown. I hit the end of myself." Plake turned inward, writing songs between himself and God instead of performing for an audience. Those private worship moments eventually became the songs found on 'Thunderbird', his digital EP released by Seattle's BEC Recordings in 2023. Wrote website New Release Today, "An amalgamation of the last 30 years of alternative rock, 'Thunderbird' hints at The Killers, Foo Fighters and Coldplay offset by worship filled lyrics focused on a love that's worth the risk. Hunter commented, 'when you create music, you end up creating from your influences. This is me genuinely liking alternative music and praying at the same time. These songs are me crying out to the Lord and doing it with something that has a catchy melody and a style of music that resonates with me.'"

Hunter's Cross Rhythms radio hits have included "Holy Ghost (Fill This Room)", "West Coast Babies", "More In Love" and the 2024 duet with Britt Nicole, "Daylight". Now his 'Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas' shows that in the hands of a talented singer and record producer like Hunter Plake, even an over recorded mainstream oldie like "White Christmas" can warm the hearts of Christmas radio listeners.