Ke'Erron On How Having Ulcerative Colitis Inspired Him to Create New Worship Music

Better With You, the latest studio recording from acclaimed vocalist and worship leader Ke'Erron. The project was produced by David O. Ramirez, who has contributed synths/keyboards on recent recordings by Natalie Grant, Lincoln Brewster, Rend Collective, Phil Wickham and Michael W. Smith, among others. Better With You features seven songs and three interludes, all written solely by Ke'Erron, with the title cut co-penned with Hailey Trevino. In addition, the collection includes four live bonus tracks.
 
Raised in Trinidad by his great-grandmother, Ke'Erron's love of music began at an early age. Following his return to the U.S. in 1999, Ke'Erron had a life-changing experience while leading worship at the age of 11 as he felt the love of the Father for the first time. From 2010 to 2016, he led worship at Emmanuel Church, a bilingual congregation in Baytown, Texas, outside Houston. In 2017, Ke'Erron released his debut recording, For Us, followed by 2018's For Us Acoustic EP and Por Amor EP. His song, "You Deserve," has been sung in churches across Latin America, and he has collaborated with leading bilingual artists, including English/Spanish worship forerunner Evan Craft; Latin GRAMMY® nominee Lucia Parker; the Dominican Republic's Barak; and Venezuela's Pedro Gomez. Ke'Erron currently serves as worship pastor at Faith Family Church in Baytown. 

Q: Ke'Erron, thanks for doing this interview with us. Tell us about your upbringing and what life was like for you while you were growing up.

Thank you so much for the opportunity! I was raised in both Trinidad and the United States. Growing up in Trinidad was pretty interesting, from drinking rain water to preparing and eating the chickens we raised, I learned a lot about enjoying what you have and not taking anything for granted. However, when I came to the US and learned about McDonald's, I quickly fell in love with fast food!

Q:  What was the role of music in your formative years?

My mom and sister are amazing singers and dancers, so music was definitely a big part of my formative years-it was almost like an escape for me. From hearing music blasted from homes all day and night in Trinidad to coming to the US and hearing all styles of music- from calypso, to reggae to gospel-those influences were huge parts of my upbringing. 

Q: How did you feel the call to become a worship pastor?

I knew I wanted to help create a space where people could experience the love of the Father like I have. I first led worship at 11 years old, and I remember having my eyes closed for the duration of the song. When it was over, I opened my eyes to the entire church worshipping and having moments with the Lord. I knew in that moment this was something I wanted to do forever.

Q: You were recently diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. How are you feeling now?

I am still walking through that journey at the moment, but I am growing stronger every day. When I have bad days or flareups, I praise God for the good days- they keep me focused when the days are hard. I knew this wasn't going to be easy, so I am glad to have such a good group of people in my corner that remind me who I am and of the purpose of God on my life. I think the songs I've written through this process have been therapeutic for me, and also a reminder of God's nearness and faithfulness.

Q: Your new song "Every Promise" came out of a very personal place in the midst of your sickness.  Tell us the story behind this song.

I had been feeling bad for quite some time and I began got get worried, so I finally decided to go the doctor. In that moment, I remember hearing and feeling a voice tell me, "You won't have this forever." I didn't think much of it at the time because I honestly thought I just had a really bad stomach virus. After a few tests, my doctor informed me it was ulcerative colitis, an "incurable" chronic illness I would have to walk through for the rest of my life. 

I got a call to do an event in Dallas that night. It was a three-year church reunion, and during the service we began to feel the presence of God in a pretty amazing way. People were being healed and I remember thinking to myself, "If God doesn't heal me right now, is He still a man of His word?" The answer was, "Yes, He is." I remember telling the Lord that "even when my eyes can't see, I'll still believe..." I began writing the chorus in that moment and by the time we got back to Houston later that night, the song was completed. He is a Promise Keeper and If I look back through every chapter of my life, I can see His hand from the very beginning.

Q: You got to work with Leeland Mooring on this song.  How did you connect with him?

This was honestly a dream come true. I've known Leeland for a long time because we're from the same city, Baytown, Texas. In 2017, I wrote "Every Promise" and showed it to him, and he told me he couldn't wait to sing the song! Knowing what he and his wife have had to walk through while believing the promises of God has inspired me deeply, and I asked him to record it live with us last year. He has been a musical inspiration for years, so it was honestly surreal and so heartfelt. Love you, Lee!

Q: What were some of the highlights for you in the making of your new album?

The band and I got to go to Nashville to record a portion of the album at Gnome Studios with David Ramirez. That was so much fun, getting to see my guys in the studio helping create these beautiful songs. I think this trip brought us closer musically and really helped us dig deeper as a group. Lifechanging for sure.

Q: How have your own personal struggles with ulcerative colitis strengthened or deepened your faith in Christ?

Having ulcerative colitis has really taught me to depend on the strength of God for each day. The Bible talks about Him being our daily bread, and I wrote a track on the project entitled "Love Song" that talks about Him being the air we're breathing and each word He speaks being all we need to sustain us. I'm grateful for the journey and even more grateful to know He's on it with me.

For further information, visit keerronmusic.com or turningpointpr.com. Follow Ke'Erron on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.   

 

 

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