Matthew West has a new version of “Before You Ask Her,” out now. The singer-songwriter, who previously released the sentimental tune earlier this year, is joined for the new take on the sweet song by his daughter, Lulu.
It was Lulu’s idea to record the song for her dad, with the intention of it being a gift for him on Father’s Day. However, once his record label found out about it, they decided to release the new version with Lulu’s vocals, across all streaming platforms.
Lulu documented the song’s journey in a video, which culminates with her playing West the new version as a surprise.
“That’s amazing,” West said when the song ended. “You did that for me? … That’s the best thing I ever heard.”
West previously said that he was thinking of both of his daughters when he penned “Before You Ask Her,” especially as they get older and prepare to someday leave home.
“I always say that there’s a piece of my girls in every song I write,” West explained. “But some songs hit even closer to home for me. This is one of those songs. God blessed me with two daughters, and while I’m far from a perfect parent, this song represents my heart for my girls and my prayer for the kind of man they deserve in their lives someday. Someone who will, as the song says, ‘always let her know that her voice matters.’”
Lulu recently made her Grand Ole Opry debut, when she performed “Before You Ask Her” with West.
“What a treat,” West told Everything Nash of her first Opry performance. “She nailed it too. It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing. I was playing the Opry, and I wrote a song called ‘Before You Ask Her’,” which is about any boys who try to date my daughters. I asked her if she wanted to join me on the stage and she said ‘Absolutely,’ and walked out on stage like it was nothing. Talk about getting nervous. She wasn’t nervous at all.”
West is one of Christian music’s biggest singers and songwriters, as well as the host of his own podcast, a book author and more. While he might have a lot of different roles, his favorite, and most important, are husband and father.
“I think in terms of priorities,” West says. “It’s no question that the most important part of my life is my faith first, then my family, and then all other pursuits fall after that. I’m very thankful for the platform. I have to make music for a living. But at the end of the day, the most significant title I have is as a husband and a father.”
Find all of West’s music, including “Before You Ask Her,”as well as a list of his upcoming shows, at MatthewWest.com.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Elicity Public Relations / Sean Hagwell