“God has pushed our songs out to the whole world”

LIN D are releasing their new album "Honest to God" and have achieved a breakthrough they could only dream of.

– It feels like we are living in an answered prayer, says Emmy Lindéh. 

Two years ago I met the pop group LIN D in their hometown Örebro. They talked about having a calling as a family and wanting to reach out with the message of Jesus to the younger generation. That time they performed at the event "Love for Örebro". Apart from a bunch of enthusiastic teenagers at the front, the audience was quite hard to please. Behind the scenes, Ella Lindéh said she felt worn out; final grades, graduation, and then a musical venture had become too much. 

When I now interview the sibling trio, they are in a completely different situation. Ella Lindéh has publicly testified about how she felt God lifted stress and pressure off her. And as a group, LIN D has entered a new era, they say. 

On their Instagram account, they illustrated the change by deleting all old posts in April this year. 

– We feel that we have developed in terms of sound and content, and more than before found a common thread in the music we want to write, explains Ella Lindéh, who together with her siblings wrote all the songs on the new album "Honest to God". One of the songs – "Move" – has so far been streamed over ten million times on various music platforms and reached people all over the world. 

– We didn't have any special expectations for that song really, just uploaded a video clip a bit out of routine. Then it started to take off on Tiktok, says Ella. 

Were shocked 

Läs artikeln på svenska: ”Gud har pushat ut våra låtar i hela världen”

The siblings remember how they sat in the studio and watched the number of views tick in. On Instagram, well-known profiles like Tori Kelly and Jason Derulo found the song and commented. 

– We were completely shocked! It felt unreal. In two weeks, more happened than had happened in our entire career, says Ella.

Dennis continues and says that they worked almost around the clock after they released the video clip and then the song "Move". They want to be available and respond to messages from the growing amount of followers.

– The cool thing about this song is that many who listen to it and like it have no connection to the church. We get messages from people who say they are atheists or Muslims but think the lyrics are beautiful, says Emmy. 

What do you think this breakthrough is due to?

– It's a catchy melody that captures people, and maybe the sound fits the time we're in right now. But we also believe there's something in the message that attracts. We often get the response that it's something different from what you hear in the mainstream world. They feel something else, something warm, says Ella.  

But LIN D also don't hide the fact that they have worked hard. At the beginning of 2024, they were on a three-month tour in the USA with 38 stops at various venues, as part of the Christian event Winter Jam. They were the first act every night, playing only 10 minutes. But it was enough. A new audience took notice of them, and most importantly, they connected with other Christian artists, producers, and dancers. Among them, one has now mixed their new album, another has created dance challenges on TikTok, thereby spreading the song.  

– We were very inspired by other artists. In the USA, there is a much larger community doing what we do, says Dennis, who, together with his sisters, immediately sat down in the studio to write new music after returning from the USA. 

He admits that the Christian culture in the USA is different from that in Sweden. 

– In the USA, some songs might not be Christian enough, and in Sweden, they are too Christian. So we end up somewhere in between. 

Pop group LIN D: We feel we have a calling as a family

Sharing Personal Experiences

Their new album “Honest to God” consists of seven songs. The first begins with the line “Jesus, I just want to praise you” while some other songs do not have such a clear Christian language.

– These are our most honest songs so far, we are sharing personal experiences in a new way, says Emmy.

She has herself struggled with feelings of inferiority, thoughts that she might not be good enough. She has used these in the song “Foolish Mind” and hopes it will strengthen others who have similar negative thoughts about themselves. 

In the song “Lies” Ella sings about caring too much about people's approval.

– I tend to overthink: Am I saying the right things? Am I dressing well? But I have learned to seek approval from God above all. 

Dennis emphasizes that “every word in the songs is real”, they are not written just to “sound good”. 

LIN D has the most listeners and followers in the USA, but also many in Brazil and all over South America. Likewise Australia and the United Kingdom, and several countries in Africa. In January, they are invited to play at a newly started Christian festival in Jakarta, Indonesia. 

You can follow exactly how many people are listening to your songs or interacting with your posts on social media. How do you avoid focusing too much on numbers?

– We try to remind each other that the numbers don't mean everything, even though they are an indicator that people like our music. It has also been helpful to be out playing while releasing music. It becomes not just numbers or names on a screen, but faces of real people who get to share in the message, says Dennis.

Emmy adds that there is a big difference in the reception when they are out playing. She mentions the Big Church festival in the UK as an example. LIN D has played there several years in a row.

– Previously, there might have been a few who knew our music and came up afterwards, but when we were there this summer, many more people came to our concert and sang along to our songs. 

LIN D are aware that algorithms play a certain role in so many people hearing their songs, but they are also convinced that God has His hand over what is happening. 

– God has pushed our songs out into the whole world, states Ella. 

– Yes, it feels like we are living in an answered prayer, adds Emmy. We have dreamed for many years about reaching out to the whole world with our music, and outside the church. We see that very clearly now and just feel: Wow! Thank you, God!

Collaboration with Tori Kelly

The successes have also led to LIN D meeting people they have admired from a distance for many years, they say. Like the American singer Tori Kelly. She commented on Instagram that she liked the song “Move”. Before she was to come to Sweden to support Ed Sheeran, LIN D reached out to her on Instagram. 

– She was absolutely amazing! And she sings just as well as you would expect. Or even better, says Emmy. 

LIN D and Tori Kelly met one day in the studio and worked together on a project that is still secret. In addition to trying to get as much exposure as possible for the new album, they are releasing a Bible reading plan based on their songs in the coming days. It fits well with their overarching purpose, Emmy explains. 

– We want people to listen to our music, but ultimately we want them to get to know God!

"I regret not talking more about Jesus with my friends in high school"