Possess the Land (New Album by Embassy Worship)
Interview with Anna Dixon
In this day and age, people are hungry for a new sound―a sound that is unique―a sound that will wake them up from their slumber. Embassy Worship Center’s new album, Possess the Land, was just what the people asked for. It is powerful, it is both beautifully song and written, and as one online reviewer stated, it is “oily.”
We were able to sit down with one of the worship leaders from Embassy Worship Center, Anna Lonelle, to get a more in-depth look behind this wild worshiper, whose powerful voice is featured on this album.
Cristina: What first got you into music?
Anna: I have been doing music and ministry since I was a child. My mother was the Musical Director at several churches. She played the piano and directed the choir, so she raised me and my two older brothers in music as well. My family would travel around the U.S. to many churches singing together. I fell in love with music because it was all around me. Music easily became my safe place.
Cristina: Who or what inspired you to make music for this album?
Anna: Apostle Bryan Meadows!! He was the one who put the fire under Embassy Worship. He said, “It’s time to capture what people get to enjoy every Sunday and Wednesday on CD.” He knew that the world needed to hear this apostolic, futuristic, and prophetic sound. We couldn’t wait any longer; we knew that we had something unusual and that the world was waiting to hear something fresh, straight from God’s mouth to our ears. That is what we wanted to capture at our live recording.
Cristina: What was the songwriting process like?
Anna: The songwriting process was beautiful. There were no egos, just crazy-anointed, and gifted songwriters in one room collaborating together. We all came with ideas; we allowed room for change and correction and produced several songs that we thought you guys would enjoy―songs that represent who we are as a ministry and what God is saying in this season.
Cristina: How did you choose what songs to put on this album?
Anna: Believe it or not, a lot of songs did not make the album. We actually ended up cutting about four songs. If you guys have listened to the album, then you know that my amazing mentor, Psalmist Raine, was a part of the project. She is known for her prophetic worship, and one of the things she told us was that we had too many songs. She urged us to allow room for God to speak to us and birth out songs organically the day of the recording. The truth is that even though the album came out to be 24 tracks long, we only really prepared six songs. The remaining tracks are a mixture of prophetic songs,intercession and prophetic words. So, we definitely captured the raw move of God and put that on an album.
Cristina: How is this project different from the other ones?
Anna: This project is different because it is US! Embassy Worship is one of a kind. Before we changed our name to Embassy Worship, we were called Xstream because of our radical expression of worship. It is spontaneous, it is free, it is Spirit-led. We leave room during worship for God to interrupt our set list and that is what we wanted on our album too―for God to say what He desired to say to His people. This is not your typical commercial music, this is your “prayer room,” and “intimate time with God ” music.
Cristina: How would you describe the music that you typically create?
Anna: Personally, I love different genres of music, so you may hear me express the heart of God on top of different styles of music. I love R&B , Soul, and Pop, but of course, my favorite music is contemporary Christian Music/Gospel. There is no better place to be than in his presence.
Embassy Worship’s album Posses the Land is available on all streaming outlets and digital platforms.
Interview by Cristina Piquion
Interview by Cristina Piquion