Brandon Lake Reveals the Unconventional Way He Financed His First Album
Brandon Lake Reveals the Unconventional Way He Financed His First Album
Daniela AvilaWed, July 1, 2026 at 12:05 AM UTC
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Brandon Lake in Los Angeles in January 2026Credit: Emma McIntyre/Getty
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Brandon Lake sat down for an interview with CBS Mornings that aired on Tuesday, June 30 and opened up about getting creative with the way he financed his first album, Closer, which he released independently in 2016.
"I decided, 'I'm going to have to ask people for money and raise this money,'" Lake, 36, said.
"I said, 'If you give me a certain amount of money, I'll tattoo your name on my leg,'" he continued. "I have 23 last names tattooed on my thigh — 23 to get the record done."
Lake concluded, "I was willing to do anything short of sin to get this record done. Anything short of sin."
Elsewhere in the interview, Lake opened up about feeling "panic" and "dark thoughts" after finding success — so he leaned on God to get him through.
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"I'm like, 'This is not who I am. I'm on the mountaintop right now. My dreams are coming true and it's just crazy.' I guess I'd say a lot of people's lowest moments come from a low moment," he said. "Mine came from a high moment."
On Friday, June 26, Lake released a live album called King of Hearts - in the Room!, which was recorded during his most recent tour.
"I could try forever to describe the presence of God in the room during these nights. This tour is one of those markers on my life that I'll tell the stories of for decades. Thank you, Lord, for Your faithfulness. Thank you for the hundreds of thousands of lives changed. Thank you that you're not finished yet," he wrote on Instagram.
Days later, on June 29, Lake teased "something's coming" on Instagram and included a clip of an unreleased song.
Brandon Lake in Los Angeles in February 2026Credit: John Shearer/Getty
Lake released King of Hearts in April 2025. After its release, he opened up about its inspiration in an Instagram post.
"I'm not sure if I knew who this record was for when I started writing it, but as the songs came the more I realized it was not for the seemingly put together, but rather those who are honest about their brokenness, but also have a desire to connect with their creator and experience Him in everyday life," Lake wrote.
"This creator is King of the universe, King of Nations, King of creation, but none more important than King of hearts. ♥️" he added.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
