Rooted in Faith: Judah Zamar’s Journey Through EARTH TONES
- Alexus
- Jun 7
- 6 min read
Judah Zamar is a rising artist and producer whose sound mixes indie and RnB. Creating music entirely on his phone using BandLab, Judah offers a fresh and honest perspective on Christian music. His upcoming project EARTH TONES, set to drop June 15th, explores spiritual growth through nine journal-inspired tracks. We talked with Judah about his creative process, finding community in Christian music, and how God is shaping this new season of sound.
You're a producer who creates music using BandLab on your phone, that’s amazing! Can you walk us through what your creative process looks like from start to finish?
Judah: The process for creating I use typically starts with prayer first and then playing some chords on guitar. There are times where I use a sample instead, but this is more frequent. Once I find something, I will play it over and over until I get some sort of lyrics. Then what I will do is go over to my phone and go on BandLab’s sampler to upload some drum one shots that I get from either splice or sample packs I buy. Then I will just mess around and find some drums that work, then record it. Here is where my recording gear comes into play. I have a scarlet interface that I run to my phone by using an Apple HDMI adapter. I power it with a lightning charger and the HDMI from the interface plugs into it to send connection to my phone. This then allows me to play guitar, bass, and sing into my phone with great quality. So after I EQ and track those instruments and my vocals, I then do finishing touches on the song. BandLab allows you to add things like compression, reverb, and many more effects to get your song to have a greater sound quality. So I will add those and then master my song.
You mentioned your upcoming album, EARTH TONES, dropping this month represents "growth through music" which includes 9 journal entries. Can you share how journaling helped shape the spiritual and emotional depth of this project?
Judah: At the very start of working on EARTH TONES, I struggled to reach emotional depth. I had 3 versions of this album before I got to this one and each of those 3 were lacking in feeling. I knew how I felt, but I couldn’t express myself properly. Getting into journaling around November helped me not only process everything in my life, but it was also a way to spend time with God. I sought God daily and studied scripture while applying it to myself. This is where I finally got a song like “NEW BALANCE”, a song where I learned how unbalanced my life felt at the time because I didn’t make God my cornerstone.
With singles like “LOST,” “THE FALL SONG,” and “ON AND ON” already out, how do these tracks introduce the themes you dive into on Earth Tones?
Judah: Even though the organization of this album was a bit messy, picking the singles was honestly the easiest part of this process. I knew I wanted 3 songs that highlight what growth looks like. These are sung from a perspective of “I see the growth”. The rest of the album is “what did that process look like?” The album itself highlights when my heart posture changed to follow God deeper.
You’ve said this album is about “learning patience, trusting God’s timing, and purification from old ways.” Was there a specific season or moment that inspired these themes?
Judah: I would say these themes came from last year while learning how to take God seriously. Being transparent, having the lust of relationships and fame come into my life at an early age was one of the things pushing certain decisions I made. There were a lot of things I was doing that weren’t pleasing to God. As soon as I started learning how to really chase after God, He revealed to me what I needed to give up. I needed purification through the spirit. This is what the song “PURIFY” is about. I then learned that I was lusting over fame. God showed me over time that His timing is perfect. There are some things I may not be ready for in this particular season. But God will mold me for what he sees fit for my life. I talk about this in the song “WAIT FOR YOU”.
Do you have a favorite track from EARTH TONES?
Judah: My favorite track always changes. But right now my favorite is “NEW BALANCE”. This is my second, and proudest, attempt at making a bossa nova song. I love bossa nova as a genre and I thought about how I have never heard a Christian song that had elements of it. But beyond the sound, this is my deepest song on the record. In January of this year (2025), I felt that everything in my life was off balance. The reason I made music, the reason I made certain decisions, etc. I found out through journaling that I wasn’t allowing Jesus to be my center. I wasn’t making him my cornerstone. You can build your life on many things, but the only FIRM foundation that withstands the storms is Jesus.
You’ve shared that in the past, it was hard to find people you could truly relate to in the Christian music space. How has your experience changed over time, and what has it been like finding community within that space now?
Judah: It has definitely gotten easier to find relatability within the Christian music space. I have made a lot of friends and found many artists with similar visions and special ways of spreading the gospel. It was just 5 years ago when I was doubting my gifting because the music I was writing didn’t sound like music I heard in church or on Christian radio stations. I was then scrolling on Frank Ocean’s YouTube videos and came across a now deleted Montell Fish video with the title, “I am not the Christian Frank Ocean”. I was questioning it because the only kind of Christian music I heard was either gospel or CCM (contemporary Christian music). I listened to his music for the first time that day and felt heard. It was the push I needed to trust the unique gift God blessed me with. From then on, I was encouraged to find new Christian artists. Then I found a lot of them ranging from indie music to RNB music.
What would you say to someone currently feeling like they have no one to relate to in the Christian space?
Judah: I would say to them that the gift God has given you is unique and is meant to be shared. Sometimes you will have to seek out the community that you are looking for, but sometimes you need to build it. There are 8.2 billion people on Earth. There are bound to be people you can relate to. Find them and then build that connection.
If you could collaborate with any worship leader or artist, who would it be and why?
Judah: I would love to work with Sondae. I feel like his sound matches mine a bit and I’m always inspired hearing his music. I like that he doesn’t stick to one sound either but still makes it sound like him. This is what I want to do with my music. I’m praying it’s in God’s will!
What’s your go-to worship song when you need encouragement?
Judah: I have a few songs I go to. Holy Forever by Chis Tomlin reminds me of how holy and powerful He is above everything. In The Room by Maverick City Music proves through scripture how God is with me. My last one is Jireh by Maverick City, which reminds me that He is my provider.
What’s next for you?
Judah: After I release this album, I plan on still releasing some more music that is tied to this era. That may come a few months after. I never seem to stop making music so I am looking forward to seeing what God brings out of me next.
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