Cory Asbury Pioneer

A native of North Carolina, singer, songwriter, author, speaker, and praise & worship leader Cory Asbury launched his recording career in 2009 with the release of Let Me See Your Eyes, but he truly gained momentum when he signed with the Bethel Music label in 2015. His 2018 album Reckless Love soared to the top of the Billboard Christian Albums chart and took home a GMA Dove Award for Worship Album of the Year. He released his third album, To Love a Fool, in 2020, then collaborated with several leading Nashville songwriters for 2023's Pioneer. Asbury cultivated a love of the church and music at an early age. When he turned 14, he started leading worship services at his local church. Once he became an adult, he instituted a ministry at Kansas City's International House of Prayer in 2005. Asbury released Holy, a collaboration with Matt Gilman, in 2008. The following year, he issued the solo debut album Let Me See Your Eyes. He and his family moved to Colorado in 2012, and in May 2015 he signed with Bethel. The year after Asbury joined the Bethel roster of artists, his family relocated to Kalamazoo, Michigan, and in January 2018 he released Reckless Love, his first solo album for the label. His third LP overall, the set included the inspiring, Grammy-nominated single of the same name, which became his signature song. The following year saw the arrival of the energetic stand-alone single "The Father's House," as well as the devotional book Reckless Love, which chronicled both the making of the hit song and Asbury's journey to faith. That same year, Asbury appeared on the Bethel Music albums Victory (2019) and Bethel Music en Español before returning to solo work with 2020's To Love a Fool. The album was another success for Asbury and made a Top Five showing on the Christian charts while earning him two more Dove Award nominations. In 2021, he teamed up with We Are Messengers for the single "Come What May +." For his next project, Asbury collaborated with prominent Nashville songwriters like Lori McKenna and Shane Stevens to record 2023's country-indebted Pioneer. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine