Faith and God were never part of Breitbart’s own, Jon Kahn’s upbringing. But the singer/songwriter behind the Trump-inspired #1 Billboard hit song “Fighter,” discovered both later in life…and only after finding faith, did the real tests begin.
With his latest release “Fingerprints”, Kahn takes listeners on an emotional musical journey that traces the origins of the faith he initially felt but denied as a young boy, only to embrace as a man. The song was completed over a year and a half ago, yet Kahn hesitated to release it. He told Breitbart News, “I didn’t know if it was my place. I’m very new to the world of faith and I didn’t want to overstep, being that I consider myself a bit of a rookie. I did know that the journey I was on felt right. I felt, and feel a peace — that no matter what happens, I’ll be okay. It’s bigger than I am, and I like the idea of holding myself accountable to something greater.”
So, he waited. During that time, a season of loss began for the L.A. native. “In the last year and a half, I broke up with a girlfriend, I lost my mom several weeks later, my dad fell and needed major surgery, and I lost my home in the Palisades fire,” Kahn said. “‘Fingerprints’ originally was written as an exploration of my faith but now I realize it actually represents a test of that faith. So, I figured what better time to release a song than during a storm.”
When asked if he’s passing the test, Kahn reflected, “I hope so. I know that if I had not gone down this road, had I not started going to church regularly, and having amazing conversations with amazing people about God and faith, I don’t think I would be handling these experiences the way that I am. I do feel tremendous loss and grief, but I also feel a peace that things will work out.”
Kahn’s journey into faith began about 5 years ago in a writers’ room in Nashville, where he met fellow songwriter Michael Farren, the son of a Baptist preacher. They spent hours just talking before ever picking up their guitars. They just talked about life. At which point, Farren remarked, “You know, you talk like a Christian.” Kahn admits, “I didn’t really know what that meant but it got me curious.”
Kahn began exploring God and faith, not only through church but through conversations with friends and colleagues. “Interesting doors began to open once I started thinking about the world in a different way. The concept of ‘doors’ has always fascinated me and I always include that in my prayers at night, asking God to close the doors behind me and open the ones He wants me to go through. Given all the loss I’ve experienced lately, including my home, the only way I can look at these events is that doors are being closed and new ones are opening.”
The song title “Fingerprints” came from a pivotal conversation with a colleague here at Breitbart, who said “Listening to you, it’s so clear that God has his fingerprints all over you right now.”
“My songwriting mentor and good friend, Jeffrey Steele always encouraged me to really listen to conversations because they generate so many ideas. When I heard the concept of fingerprints, I knew immediately it was a song. The music and lyrics poured out of me rather quickly once I sat down to write it.”
When asked what he hoped listeners would take away from the song, Kahn said, “I think what people take away from any song is deeply personal. But I hope that a few might consider that it’s never too late to start a journey like this.”
“Fingerprints” is out right now and is available for purchase and streaming on all platforms.
When I was 10
laid on the bed and cried
No one could hear me
No one could hear me
I thought there’s gotta be a reason
For my life
But who’d believe me?
Who’d believe me?
I don’t want to be someone who dies
With everything I am locked up inside
I wondered if anything
was really mine
I didn’t know there was more I could lose
Up in the sky I could only see blue
But if my eyes were really open
I would’ve found the clues
I would’ve heard you say
There’s nothing you can’t do
I got my fingerprints on you
Seen way too many hearts break
to understand
What you wanted
What you wanted
Why would pain be
part of any plan
That’s always haunted
That’s always haunted
me….
I didn’t know there was more I could lose
Up in the sky I could only see blue
But if my eyes were really open
I would’ve found the clues
I would’ve heard you say
There’s nothing you can’t do
I got my fingerprints on you
Now that little boy he cries
For all those years and years of all that he denied
He ain’t looking for a reason
‘Cause he knows now that believing
Ain’t a lie
When it gets dark and it’s so hard to breathe
You’ll be right there and I know won’t leave
It took a whole long while to get here
Lord I know now what I need
‘Cause Even in the darkness I can see
You got your fingerprints on me
You got your fingerprints on me
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