Michael W. Smith is certainly no stranger to the Christian music scene, but he just achieved another career first. The 62-year-old just notched his first No. 1 on Billboard’s Christian Airplay chart, with “Waymaker.” The song is from his 2019 Awaken: The Surrounded Experience album. Although Michael is grateful for the career accolade, chart success is something that has never been a high priority for him.
“It’s great that it went to No. 1, but if it didn’t, I’d be totally fine with it,” Michael told Billboard. “One of the most important things for me is that people are connecting with this song all around the world, and not just by me, but by other artists, as well. I think it’s just an important song and I have found myself in this situation before.
“It’s the right song for the time,” he continued.”It seems to be everyone’s go-to song and it’s helping people get through what’s sort of an unprecedented time. So, while it doesn’t make me tick to have chart success, I am also very grateful and especially thankful for my team that worked so hard.”
Michael credits one of his children with introducing him to the song, which he heard for the first time the day he was playing a free concert at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.
“This song found me, and it found me through my daughter Anna,” Michael recalled. “It was two years ago and I was working on an event at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, where thousands of people come together and we pray over the city. Long story short, Anna was going through a difficult time and she said that she found this song and that it became her go-to song. She played a version that a church somewhere in the U.S. had done and I just remember going, ‘Wow.’
“I said we needed to do it at the Bridgestone event, and we did that night,” he added. “I just knew right away there was something really special about ‘Waymaker.'”
“Waymaker” might mark Michael’s first No. 1 single on the Christian Airplay chart, which began in 2003, but he had dozens of hit singles over the last almost 40 years, with some even crossing over to the pop charts as well.
“To me they were more than just pop hits,” Michael maintained. “They were life-changing for so many people, especially ‘Place in This World.’ To this day, people tell me how that song saved their life. You know, it just doesn’t get any better than that. Those stories are way, way, way better than having a No. 1. I just think it’s astonishing how a three-and-a-half-minute song can change someone’s life for the better. Pretty incredible.”
Awaken: The Surrounded Experience is available at Amazon