Marc Martel – Rooted In Christmas

CCM: What we consider definitive Christmas recordings are typically chock full of hugely orchestrated, anthemic-produced tracks. Your Christmas EPs remain concertedly restrained, in a good way. Is that reflective of how you feel about the season?
MM: Part of that is because it’s more expensive to hire orchestras and choirs. Part of that is, as a Canadian, maybe I have a higher appreciation for subtlety, and I’ve been discovering my voice more in recent years—figuring out what I sound like outside of rock ‘n’ roll. The more low key stuff allows me to just be a singer and let the music sort of support that, instead of finding my little window of sound amidst big guitars.

CCM: Speaking of big guitars, you were in the Christian music limelight for several years as the front man for your band, Downhere. Now you are fronting a wildly successful run of Queen Extravaganza, and becoming this sort-of poster boy for cover tunes gone viral—which has afforded you tour dates in halls and on platforms with artists that I can only imagine growing up a pastor’s kid, and as a part of a largely contemporary Christian music band, you never even dreamed of. Does this season of your career feel completely detached from the first part of your career?
MM: It definitely feels like a new season. When Downhere ended in 2013, the first Queen tour I did overlapped with a Downhere tour. It was a seamless transition for me as a musician. I was going from one type of music to a slightly different kind of music. The big transition was the people I was with, because all of a sudden I wasn’t in that bubble of contemporary Christian, which you really get used to. It becomes a very safe place. I wasn’t in that environment anymore.

CCM: Did you feel unsafe?
MM: No, I’m pretty firm in what I stand for. I was never the wild child—my brother took care of that. [Laughs] I’m pretty good at falling in line for whatever the purpose is at hand. There’s a bit of a natural leadership that comes out of my personality somehow that people sort-of sometimes look up to. I’ve had it said to me more than once, “Whenever you are in a situation, it just feels more calm and peaceful,” and I really like that.

Martel performing with “Queen Extravaganza”

CCM: Now being in more “secular” settings, do you feel like that has had a certain impact on your faith—on how you define or experience your faith?
MM: I pretty much formed the foundation for my faith earlier in life, even before I was in a Christian band or went off to Bible College in the 90s.

CLICK “3” TO ADVANCE