The Frosts On Their Music: "Nearly Every Song Has a Story or a Personal Testimony Behind It"

Michael and Jen Frost, along with daughter Jael, make up The Frosts. The family trio has just released their brand new album Love Like That. Before their daughter joined them on stage, Michael and Jen managed "The Michael Frost Trio," appearing twice on the main stage at The National Quartet Convention and releasing two CDs with Chapel Valley Records. To purchase their music, click HERE.

The Frosts lead worship at Freedom Fellowship Church, which meets Sunday mornings at Presley's Theatre in Branson, MO. The Frosts are also members of Woodland Hills Family Church in Branson, where Jen and Jael serve as leaders of children's worship. 

We are honored to catch up with Michael Frost for this exclusive interview.

Q: Thank you for doing this interview with us. Who are the Frosts?

Thank you kindly for inviting us to this interview. The Frosts are myself (Michael Jason Frost), my wife Jen Frost, and our daughter Jael Frost, who is 12-years-old. Gospel music has always been a big part of my life. I grew up in East Tennessee surrounded by southern gospel music. The original "Frost Family Band" goes back to when I was barely a teenager, singing and traveling with my uncle and my cousins to churches all across the Southeast. That evolved into "The Michael Frost Trio" in the late 2000s. Now, I'm very proud to be singing as a trio with my wife and daughter as "The Frosts." We live in Branson, MO where we work full-time in Branson shows. We also serve as worship leaders at Freedom Fellowship Church, and we travel on select dates.

Q: With so many trios and quartets in Gospel Music, what do you think sets your music apart?

I think what sets our music ministry apart is that I write and arrange almost everything we sing, so it is very personalized. Nearly every song has a story or a personal testimony behind it. As much as we love to sing, I think our greatest joy comes from sharing our testimonies and how we believe God has worked in our lives. Additionally, I think we have developed a sound and style that is our own. While it is primarily southern gospel in lyric content and message, our sound is a "melting pot," influenced by so many wonderful styles of music - certainly traditional southern gospel, but also contemporary gospel, praise and worship, country, bluegrass, and even musical theatre. My wife and I both have a musical theatre background, so it's natural for our music to reflect a bit of that flair.

Q: Michael, besides writing and co-writing every song on your new album, you have had also written for other artists. Talk to us a little about your songwriting. What inspires to write? Which artists have you written for?

I've been writing songs since I was a kid, but I really began to take it seriously at the age of 19 after the sudden passing of my Dad. My dad was an ordained minister and he pastored a small country church in East Tennessee. He had a heart for Jesus and spreading the gospel. He died so young, at age 39. When he died, I felt as if he had passed a torch along to me. I believed my calling was in singing and songwriting. The first song I wrote after that experience was a song called "That's God." The opening line says it all... "Looking back, do you wonder how you've made it this far? That's God." The song was picked up by a group called Heirline and it became a Singing News Top 10 hit for them in the early 2000's. I can recall hearing it on the radio for the first time and the feeling I had that my dad would have been so happy and proud. I still sing that song to this day, and it has been recorded by a host of other artists throughout the years. 

Since then, I have continued to build my catalogue and I'm always looking for ways to simply tell what God has done for me in a song. I have written and published about 150 songs in my company, Morning Frost Music. I have been blessed to have a few of those songs recorded by other gospel artists, including Ivan Parker, The McKameys, The Hyssongs, The Dixie Melody Boys, The Blackwoods, The Wilburns, Kali Rose, and many more. "Choose Life," as recorded by The Hyssongs, was the #1 song in The Singing News Magazine in September 2019.

Q: What's your vision behind your new album "Love Like That"?

That is a great question, because our vision for this project evolved over time. I first had an idea in 2019 to do a five-song EPK to introduce my wife and daughter and myself as "The Frosts." I had plenty of material, but I really wanted high-end production. I knew I would have to invest a lot to make that happen, so I went for the best. I decided that I wanted Kent Wells as producer. He is the long-time band leader and producer for Dolly Parton. We contacted him, and after he listened to my demos, he generously took us on. 

After we cut the first five songs, we were all so pleased with the results that we decided to do a full-length album. Interestingly, we recorded everything just before the pandemic hit. We spent January and February of 2020 traveling back and forth from Branson, MO to Nashville, TN to make the album. We intended to release it in the Spring of 2020 - but of course it was March of that year when the world shut down. We obviously didn't know what was to come, and we certainly didn't know what to do with this new album. So we decided to put everything on hold. 

In 2021, we chose to release a couple of singles. We released "Joy Has Come At Last," and then we followed it up with "God Has Got This." Amazingly, the timing of "God Has Got This" fell right in line with what so many people were dealing with at the time. It's as if God wanted us to wait before releasing this album because so many of the songs offer a message of hope and peace found only in trusting Him. So, the vision for this project evolved from a 5-song EPK into a full-length album of encouragement for a post-pandemic world. We finally released the album as a whole in April of 2022. The title cut, "Never Seen Love Like That," is the current single and is now gaining airplay across the country with help from promoter, Les Butler.

Q: What were some of the highlights in making this record?

Making this record was an unforgettable experience. Working with Kent Wells was a dream come true because I had watched him play next to Dolly Parton almost all of my life. Kent was able to get some of the very best players in Nashville to come and be a part of this, including Jerry McPherson, Gary Prim, Paul Hollowell, Evan Hutchings, Lonnie Wilson and Gary Lunn. Those are names you'll see on almost every major release out of Nashville. We also got to meet some wonderful people and work in some amazing studios, like the famous Dark Horse Studios and The Castle, both in Franklin, TN. 

Another highlight was when Kent very kindly and graciously went to Dolly herself on our behalf and asked her to lend her vocal to one of our songs. We will never forget that February day in 2020 when he came into the studio and told us that she was on board. It was a thrilling moment for us. Our hope was to be in the studio with Kent and Dolly later that spring - however, the pandemic kept that from happening. We're still hopeful for something with Dolly in the future. 

Q: My favorite song on the new record has to be "Angels Are Near." Tell us more about this song.

I am so happy to know that song is your favorite. Our daughter, Jael, sings lead on this one - and it is a cappella style. I had asked my daughter, if I write a song for you, what would you want to sing about? Her answer, without hesitation, was "angels." So I sat down and wrote and arranged "Angels Are Near," specifically for her. It was yet another highlight for us during this recording as we watched our daughter step into the vocal booth like a pro. It was the same microphone that Dolly uses, to be exact. She wasn't nervous or intimidated at all - and she nailed it. She was only 9 at the time, and it was a proud moment for us. The song turned out exactly like I heard it in my head - and even though her voice has matured since we recorded that song, I wouldn't trade that recording for anything. It is very special to us. We have sang it a few times at church, and it is always endearing to the congregation.

Q: How do you hope these songs would impact the lives of your listeners?

Thank you for asking that question. My mind automatically goes to the bridge of "Never Seen Love Like That." It says this: "God's love does not discriminate, it cancels every form of hate, it knows no color, no boundaries, no race - I've never seen love like that." Read that again. I want to people to know what that means and I want them to understand it. I want people to realize that we should strive to love each other like God loves us. I want people to know that in this cruel and hateful world, there is hope and peace in knowing Jesus as your personal Savior. I want people to realize that beyond sickness, coronavirus, financial struggle, job loss, family issues, hate crimes, war, or whatever life throws at us - there is a God above who loves us. We can lean on Him. He gave us His word, after all. That's what I truly believe - and I hope I've been able to put that into the songs on this album.

 

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