Interview: Joel Caws
Christian artist Joel Caws talks to Louder Than The Music about his new worship single, 'We Give You Thanks', and his plans for a five-song EP later in the year. Read on to find out more about his inspiring story about becoming a songwriter.
For those who haven't heard of you before, can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you got involved in making music?
I've been involved in church worship since I was a teenager but I came to start writing songs quite late on in my 40's. It all started about 10 years ago when God prompted me to start a weekly worship night which I ran for 3 years. During those nights God began to inspire new songs in my heart and this became the start of my songwriting journey. In 2020, He challenged me clearly through the verse in Matthew 5:15 about not hiding the light under a bowl but putting it on a stand so it gives light to the whole room. I sensed Him prompting me to begin to release the songs he had been laying on my heart and to 'let my light shine', which I have been doing ever since.
Tell us about your new single 'We Give You Thanks' and what the inspiration behind it was?
'We Give You Thanks' was inspired around the theme of Psalm 118. If you listen through you will recognise references to some of the scripture verses and verse 1 in particular ended up being the chorus of the song. In essence, I wanted the song to carry the central idea of giving God thanks just because He is good, whatever life is looking like right now for the listener.
That song is taken from your upcoming EP - what more can you tell us about that release?
'We Give You Thanks' is the first single from my upcoming 5 song EP titled 'House of Praise'. At the beginning of 2025 a friend asked me what I was aiming to achieve that year. Without thinking the words 'I'm going to write a 5 song praise EP' fell out of my mouth. I was taken aback as I hadn't even thought about what music I might do during that year, but looking back I believe it was prophetic, and something God was prompting me to do. It's taken a whole year to write and produce the EP and I'll be releasing a further single from the EP in June before the full EP drops with the remaining 3 songs in July.
What message would you like people to take from your music?
Primarily I want people to be encouraged and pointed to Jesus. I've always been inspired to write songs which contrast the struggles and reality of living as a Christian in a broken world against the truth that Jesus is King and has ultimately overcome the world. I pray that makes my songs relatable but also inspires those listening to fix their eyes on Jesus whatever situation they find themselves in.
How would you describe your style of music and what are your influences?
I would say I'm heavily influenced by the worship artists I listened to in my youth which would have been early Matt Redman, Tim Hughes, Chris Tomlin and Michael W Smith. I would say (and I've been told) that my style is a bit retro-worship!
If you could work with any songwriter, who would it be and why?
I think it would be Phil Wickham. Working on my praise EP has given me a new respect for writing upbeat songs! It's actually pretty hard compared to mid-tempo ballads - or at least it has been for me! Phil seems to be pretty consistent in releasing great upbeat songs and is a gifted songwriter and worshipper, carrying a distinctive sound. I'd jump at the chance to glean some songwriting advice or co-write with him.
How would you define success in your career as an artist?
For me, my songwriting journey has primarily been about obedience in following the path that God has set before me. So following His path is ultimately success to me; to know I'm doing His will and living out His purpose for my life in this season.
I guess aside from that, streaming stats and numbers are difficult to avoid and are an indication of impact on a secondary level. As a Christian artist, the idea of success by numbers of streams or listeners is therefore a tricky balance. When I started out I said that if one person is encouraged by a song I release, that would make it worth the time and effort I had put in! So when I receive a message telling me of how a song I wrote touched someone, I feel incredibly humbled by that. I feel blessed that many continue to listen to my songs and I pray that continues (God willing).
What is your favourite album of all time?
Christian album would be Delirious? 'Live and in the Can' as it reminds me of the days I went to the Cutting Edge youth events in my hometown. Secular album would be Jamiroquai 'Synkronized' as I love the funk factor that they bring!
You're stuck on an island, it's hot, you only have enough battery life left to listen to one song on your phone. What track is it?
Probably Jamiroquai 'Canned Heat', I could listen to that on repeat for days - it also seems relevant to a hot day on an island!
What does the next year hold for you?
The process of song production and release is quite demanding in terms of both time and resources, so once the EP is fully released in the summer I will probably take a short break to breathe in. I will use the time to begin to focus back on songwriting and I also have a Podcast that I will look to record a 2nd series of. I started writing a kids song by accident late in 2025 so I may work on moving that forward, plus I love to collaborate with other artists so will look to setup some co-writing sessions.
