Christian singer-songwriter and worship leader Phil Wickham’s story includes more than the songs fans know by heart.
“Make time to be with Jesus,” he advised Lead Worship Well in 2022. That priority runs through his story, but so do coffee-shop hangouts, an unexpected house call and a little virtual-reality fun.
1. His dad gave him a guitar, and worship chord charts became his classroom. Wickham told Lead Worship Well in 2022 that learning those songs helped him grow closer to God while worshiping in his room.
2. He made his first independent record at 18. In an early CBN interview, Wickham remembered keeping his expectations modest rather than assuming the recording would launch a career.
“When I was 18, I cut my first independent record,” he said.
3. A record-label opportunity came straight to his front door. MercyMe lead singer Bart Millard visited Wickham at home with music producer Pete Kipley after hearing that independent album, Wickham told CBN.
“We hung out for the day, and they chatted with me,” he remembered.
4. Indian food made his favorites list. When CBN asked him to name his favorite food in the interview’s quick-fire questionnaire, Wickham didn’t need a long explanation.
“Indian” was his answer.
5. U2 got his vote as a favorite musical act. The same CBN questionnaire offered a glimpse of what the worship artist enjoyed listening to outside his own catalog.
“U2,” he answered when asked for his favorite music group or artist.
6. His offstage happy place involved coffee and friends. In that early CBN conversation, Wickham picked a decidedly ordinary outing when asked where he liked to be when he wasn’t singing.
“At a coffee shop with friends in San Diego,” he replied.
7. Better organization once topped his personal wish list. Asked by CBN what one thing he would change about himself, Wickham chose a practical improvement rather than a musical one.
“I’d be more organized,” he answered.
8. Recovering his singing voice meant weeks without speaking. In a 2016 interview with Patheos writer Chelsea Patterson, Wickham described the recovery plan after a vocal-cord polyp made singing difficult.
“The surgeon said that I needed to go through 6-8 weeks of silence for my vocal cords to heal,” he explained, before describing the additional therapy ahead.
9. A book helped inspire an entire album. Wickham told Patterson that author Randy Alcorn’s Heaven shaped Heaven & Earth’s focus on eternity, giving him a new perspective on a truth he had known for years.
“I was so taken with the book and the idea of eternity,” he said.
10. He and his touring companions tried virtual reality on a moving bus. During his 2022 Hymn of Heaven tour interview, Wickham described the laughs after their manager introduced Oculus experiences to the group.
“We did do it on the tour bus,” he confirmed to Lead Worship Well.
11. A family sunset photo helped guide an acoustic record. Wickham told Lead Worship Well that a picture of his children watching the sunset kept drawing him back to a simple vocal-and-guitar approach for the reimagined Hymn of Heaven.
“I wanted to make a soundtrack for that moment,” he explained.
12. He wrote “Reason I Sing” with the start of a worship set in mind. Wickham explained to Lead Worship Well that he wanted the song to turn people’s attention toward Jesus and why they had gathered.
“I wrote ‘Reason I Sing’ to be the opener of a worship set to ask: ‘What are we really here for?’” he said.
13. Taking out the trash is one of his examples of loving his wife thoughtfully. In a 2024 Family Life Radio conversation, Wickham said he tries to anticipate a household task before she has to ask.
“So, I want to just take it out now,” he said of spotting the trash before it was completely full.
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