UPDATE — May 2, 2026: Nick Jonas surprised the Charleston crowd Friday night, joining Brandon Lake on stage at Credit One Stadium for the live debut of “The Author” hours after the song's release. The unannounced appearance marked the first time the two artists performed the song together in front of a public audience.
"We had some mutual friends that we work with that teamed us up - I got a text about a songwriting camp - so I showed up and we got right into it - this idea of this song started with just a title at first, then he (Brandon Lake) came in with chorus and kind of set up the whole bigger idea and its just been incredible" - Nick Jonas
“The Author,” the brand-new single from Brandon Lake and Nick Jonas, releases Friday, May 1, 2026, on all major streaming platforms. The unlikely-yet-undeniable pairing arrives as a deeply confessional song about surrendering the pen of our own stories to the One who is actually writing them.
The collaboration first sparked widespread speculation in December 2025, when behind-the-scenes footage surfaced of the two artists working together in the studio. The clips spread quickly across TikTok, Instagram and Threads, with fans of both camps trading theories about what the GRAMMY-winning worship leader and the multi-platinum Jonas Brothers frontman might be cooking up. Now, nearly five months later, the answer has arrived.
Co-written by Lake, Jonas, Benjamin William Hastings, Trannie Anderson and Micah Nichols, “The Author” reframes the prodigal son parable through the lens of self-surrender. Across the song, the narrator wrestles with worth, identity and the temptation to “play God” with his own story, before landing on a chorus that gives the song its name:
“Who am I, who am I
To question the pen in the hands of The Author”
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For Lake, “The Author” continues a remarkable crossover run in recent Christian music. Over the past two years, the South Carolina-bred singer has carved out unexpected friendships across genre lines, teaming with Jelly Roll on the GRAMMY-winning “Hard Fought Hallelujah,” Cody Johnson on “When A Cowboy Prays” and most recently, Lainey Wilson on “The Jesus I Know Now.”
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Nick Jonas brings his own current chapter to the collaboration. The singer, songwriter and Jonas Brothers member released his fifth solo studio album, “Sunday Best,” in February 2026, a record critics described as his most reflective and emotionally grounded effort to date. Reviewers noted that themes of love, fatherhood, identity and faith ran throughout the project, and Jonas, who comes from a faith-rooted family, brings a personal weight to “The Author” that resonates throughout the song.
The credits behind “The Author” span the worship and country songwriting worlds. Lake and Jonas join Benjamin William Hastings, known for co-writing modern worship staples, Trannie Anderson, a frequent Lainey Wilson collaborator and songwriter Micah Nichols. The result is a song that lives comfortably in both the worship and broader pop singer-songwriter spaces, an extension of the same crossover lane Lake has been carving.
“The Author” dropped on the same day Lake kicked off two homecoming nights at Credit One Stadium in Charleston, South Carolina, closing out his “King Of Hearts Tour.” Hours after the single went live, Jonas joined Lake on stage for an unannounced live debut of the song, turning the tour's homecoming weekend into a moment fans won't soon forget.
“The Author” by Brandon Lake and Nick Jonas is available now on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and YouTube Music.
Key Takeaways
- “The Author” by Brandon Lake and Nick Jonas releases May 1, 2026.
- The song was co-written by Lake, Jonas, Benjamin William Hastings, Trannie Anderson and Micah Nichols.
- The track reframes the prodigal son parable, anchored by the chorus line, “Who am I to question the pen in the hands of The Author.”
- “The Author” continues Brandon Lake's crossover run alongside collaborations with Jelly Roll, Cody Johnson and Lainey Wilson.
- Nick Jonas made a surprise appearance at Brandon Lake's Charleston, South Carolina concert on May 1, 2026, to perform “The Author” live for the first time.
