Hillsong's Benjamin Hastings Shares the Story Behind "Eden (Isn't Just Like You?)"

Hillsong Worship's Benjamin Hastings, known for writing UNITED'S "So Will I (100 Billion X)," has released his brand new single "Eden (Isn't Just Like You?)." The song is taken from Hastings' forthcoming self-titled solo album, which is set for release on November 4th. Hastings' debut full-length album will feature 25 songs with co-writtes with Joel Houston, Aodhan King, Blessing Offor, David Leonard, Hank Bentley, Jeremy Lutito, and Josh Grimmett. 

As for the song "Eden," Hastings reveals how the song came about.  "The story of Eden has always been an incredibly fascinating story to me, perhaps my favorite biblical narrative. The more I look the more I see, especially as I study it and the historical backdrop. There's so much happening that I couldn't even begin to unpack in a song.

"However, I did attempt (with a great deal of amazing co-writers) to show one thread of the meta-narrative and that is this song. The story of a God who takes even the worst and redeems it till it's better than before. A tale of three trees, two Adams, and a whole new Eden in the end." 

Hastings continues, "I've been really quite fortunate that in the various things I'm connected to that I've always had the ability to write freely and be myself, say the things I've needed to say and say it in a way that sounded like me. Things with my accent, my lilt, and between that and occasionally writing songs for friends, I have felt really quite content with my life and contribution to the world.

"However, a number of years ago now, songs started coming out of me that didn't feel like they belonged anywhere but they didn't feel like they should die either. I felt like there were things that needed to be said and I felt like I needed to be the one to say them. They were too personal to me to just put through any other voice and I'm so so grateful for everyone who embarked on this very long journey with me, and I'm so proud of where it landed. If I could summarise what you should expect from this album in a sentence or two it would be precisely this lyric from the first track 'Hold onto your hats, hold onto your hearts. We're gonna lie in the dirt but we'll stare at the stars.'" 

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