BRVNDONP Brings Gospel, Hip-Hop and Worship Together With Anthem Nights
The founder of Anthem Nights discusses his new single «Thank You Chant» and his vision for cross-generational worship events in major cities worldwide.
BRVNDONP is building a musical movement that deliberately blurs the lines between traditional gospel, contemporary worship, hip-hop and modern culture. As the founder and creative force behind Anthem Nights, he has created an event series designed to bring creators together for worship and collaboration, and the project has now yielded a new single titled «Thank You Chant» featuring gospel singer Lisa Knowles-Smith.
Speaking about the initiative, BRVNDONP described Anthem Nights as more than a concert. «Anthem Nights is really an event for creators to just come together and worship and sing and create an amazing moment in time,» he said. «And songs come from it.» That creative process is central to the project's identity: the gatherings are intended as spaces where music emerges organically from shared worship rather than being planned as a conventional performance.
Knowles-Smith, whose musical roots lie in the traditional quartet sound, said the events bring together styles that are rarely placed side by side. «You kind of get old school, new school, trap, worship,» she said. «It's all in one conglomerate of a moment.» For her, the appeal of joining the project was the opportunity to be part of something larger than herself while preserving the musical heritage that has shaped her career. «I appreciate him for allowing me space to be myself in their world,» she said.
The collaboration also introduced Knowles-Smith to a younger audience. She recalled attending an Anthem Nights event where young people stood and danced throughout the experience, joking that she wondered whether «Auntie» would be allowed to join in. That cross-generational exchange is precisely what BRVNDONP hopes to cultivate as the movement expands.
The origins of «Thank You Chant» were similarly organic. BRVNDONP came across a music clip gaining attention online and decided to record a verse, an idea that eventually grew into a full song. After hearing Knowles-Smith's music, he knew he wanted her involved, though he was uncertain how the connection would come about. «God just brought it together at the right moment,» he said.
With the single now available on streaming platforms, BRVNDONP is turning his attention to a much larger vision for Anthem Nights. He wants to establish hubs in major cities around the world, including Chicago, Atlanta, London and cities across Africa. During a recent conversation, Erica Campbell and Knowles-Smith also made sure Los Angeles was included in that vision.
The ambition reflects a broader shift in gospel and worship music, where traditional sounds increasingly share space with hip-hop, trap and other contemporary genres. Anthem Nights positions itself at that intersection, aiming to create room for different generations, musical styles and expressions of faith to coexist. For BRVNDONP, the goal is not simply to stage events but to foster a community of creators whose shared worship produces new music and sustains the movement over time.
As «Thank You Chant» reaches listeners, the project's next phase will test whether that model can scale from individual gatherings to a global network of hubs. For now, the focus remains on the moment itself: creators coming together, singing together and allowing the songs to emerge from that encounter.
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