Before he inked a major recording contract or won Breakout Single of the Year at the 11th annual K-LOVE Fan Awards, Seph Schlueter DMed Phil Wickham with one of his original songs and volunteered to open for him. Wickham eventually responded and invited the then unknown singer/songwriter to open a trio of shows for him in Florida. Moreover, before his surprise hit, “Counting My Blessings,” became Schlueter’s official introduction at Christian radio, a demo of the song actually got him signed. The second oldest of six siblings, the newcomer lived in Pennsylvania until he was 14. That’s when his family moved to Ohio, where he and his wife still reside today and where he serves as the worship director for a Christian retreat-planning ministry called Damascus. Schlueter is gearing up for a busy fall that will see him vie for both New Artist of the Year and Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year at this year’s Dove Awards before joining Danny Gokey, Mac Powell, and Tasha Layton on the “United We Worship Tour” in November. He recently stopped by the K-LOVE Studios to chat about being honored alongside his peers as the next-gen in Christian music, the artists that inspired him growing up and his initial dream of becoming the next Shawn Mendes.
K-LOVE: 2024 was your first year to attend the K-LOVE Fan Awards. Not only were you a first-time attendee, but you were also a first-time nominee and a first-time winner. What was that experience like?
Seph Schlueter: It was really fun just to get to meet all of the other artists. Everyone there is so good and so talented. The songs [in the Breakout Single category] were awesome. And, honestly, any of them could have won. So I would have been happy regardless, because all of them are so deserving.
K-LOVE: What’s the story behind “Counting My Blessings”?
Seph Schlueter: I was in the writers’ room with [songwriters] Jordan Sapp and Jonathan Gamble, and Jonathan actually came in with most of the chorus. And so then that kind of got us talking about that reality of counting blessings and how we were living in the answer to prayers we had prayed years ago. Years ago, we had prayed for this to happen in our careers, and this to happen in our lives, and this to happen in our families. It’s like, this is happening; and we have so much to be grateful for.
It’s so easy to always be chasing the next thing that we lose track of where God is in the moment. And so, I feel like for us, the song came from that place of just pausing and thanking God for what He’s done. I’ve heard it said, “If you wake up tomorrow with only the things you thank God for today, what would you still have?” And it’s like, wow, that’s a gut check. I want to actually get in the habit of thanking God, of counting my blessings, of seeing where He is, so that in any moment — whether it’s an easy moment or a hard moment — I can see His fingerprints.
K-LOVE: Have you been surprised by the out-of-the-gate success of “Counting My Blessings,” or did you know it was extra special when you were writing it?
Seph Schlueter: I feel like it was special to us. I kind of walked away from it, and it was like, ‘Oh, that feels like a special one.’ And then it was actually even funny because, at that point, I wasn’t signed as an artist yet. I literally got the demo back when I was showcasing for a [prospective label], and I was like, “Oh, let’s listen to the demo right now.”
K-LOVE: Did you grow up loving music? Tell me a little bit about your background.
Seph Schlueter: I started taking piano lessons when I was five. I loved playing. I felt like it was my way to express how I was feeling. My dad was a musician. He played guitar; I played piano. We’d lead worship as a family. I’m one of six, so big family.
K-LOVE: Was Christian music something you listened to?
Seph Schlueter: Christian music was a big thing, yeah. I grew up listening to Rich Mullins and Matt Maher.
K-LOVE: So when did music become a true passion for you?
Seph Schlueter: We moved to Toledo, Ohio, and I would literally just spend hours in our basement. My parents were involved in ministry things, so we had our own little sound system for events; and it was pretty much just always set up in the basement. I would go down to the basement, and — for hours — I would play along to songs. I’d play a song on my MP3 player and then figure out how to play it on piano. And then in high school, I picked up guitar. Post high school, I joined a ministry in Ohio called Damascus, and that’s really where I started writing songs.
K-LOVE: Did you always want to be in ministry like your parents, or what were you dreaming of doing?
Seph Schlueter: That’s a good question. I feel like I had moments playing in the basement where I’m like, I want to be the next Shawn Mendes. But I think, gradually, as I began to fall more and more in love with the Lord, the more I wanted to do ministry. I didn’t know what that looked like, but that was my biggest goal. And then when I joined Damascus, I started leading worship more, and I really felt like God was just like, “I’ve given you a gift for this. I’ve given you a call for this, and so this is actually how I want you to do ministry right now.” I was probably 18 or so, and I felt like that’s when the Lord kind of made it clear, “Hey, this is where I’m leading you. This is where I’m guiding you. This is what I’ve called you to do,” at least for this season.
K-LOVE: What’s next after “Counting My Blessings”? What can we expect from you in terms of new music?
Seph Schlueter: There’s a new song called “Running Back to You.” The hope is to release that to radio and then maybe a Christmas song. I was just in the studio last week recording three new songs, so we’ll see what the whole release plan looks like. Probably a full-length project next year.
K-LOVE: What’s the message behind your new single, “Running Back to You”?
Seph Schlueter: I feel like for a lot of people, the Gospel isn’t actually “Good News” anymore. And it’s just like, no, this is the best news. As Christians, we should be so joyful and so expectant and so hopeful because of this Good News that we get to experience daily as believers in Jesus. And so the song is really kind of about that. It’s kind of a repentance song, but a joyful repentance. The Father’s calling, and we just get to run back to His wide-open arms. That’s the beauty of the Gospel. No matter how far we’ve run, all we have to do is just turn around and head back to Him, and He’s right there.
K-LOVE: Is there a current Christian artist you’re listening to on repeat?
Seph Schlueter: I’m a huge Brandon Lake fan. I feel like he’s somebody who’s pushed the bounds of what things can sound like while being so true to himself.
K-LOVE: How does it feel to be a part of a whole new generation of Christian artists?
Seph Schlueter: It’s just exciting. Each of us has such a unique story and perspective, but we’re all so needed in the Church and in the Christian sphere today. I think there’s so much value in that. The reality is this music is impacting people’s lives daily. I think there are literally millions of people out there who can point back to these songs and say, “That song was a holy moment for me,” or “That song saved my life.” So I feel like it’s just an exciting time to be a Christian artist.
