Like many great gospel artists, Albert Artis’s story begins in the walls of the Christian church. For much of his upbringing, he was there so often that he likes to say he lived there. In a church constantly filled with gifted singers and musicians spreading the word of God through music, he spent his childhood singing these inspirational songs with his siblings, and now as an adult, he performs in the choir too. Yet his passion for this genre and its overarching mission do not stop there. Pulled into songwriting by his former pastor and renowned entertainer Candi Staton, his artistry grew as he did himself, leading him to write “I Feel Your Love.” Seven years later, he decided it was finally the right time to share his musical masterpiece with anyone who wanted to feel accepted for who they are. Instilled with this basic human principle, this song has a connection that can be grasped and understood by just about everyone.
The inspiration for “I Feel Your Love” came in a prophetic service while Albert was leading worship. The pastor asked Albert to start singing the phrase, “like a wave of the sea.” So, he did, but from that moment on, the line stuck with him. He could feel the great potential for a song, but it did not come to him instantly. It had to marinate for a while until one day, the lyrics came to fruition all at once, when he was finally mature enough in his walk with God to feel and understand the Lord’s grace and unconditional love. What’s more, his journey with music and God goes full circle, as Staton’s son, Marcus Williams, produced “I Feel Your Love” in the studio. The main takeaway in Albert’s single is that God’s love is free and does not need to be earned through your performance because, in God’s eyes, you matter. Albert said, “I really began to learn God loves me not because of what I do, not because of how great I am or how good I am; he loves me because he’s God.”
The comparison of God’s love to the sea’s waves is brought forward with the music video shot near the ocean at the beach. Further pushing the symbolism of being physically and spiritually close to the God where the water meets the shore, the mental picture is completed with viewers seeing Albert and his supporting singers dressed in white, angelically delivering the impactful message. This had always been Albert’s creative vision, and Marcus Williams and Brian Washington heard Albert loud and clear in shaping his vision into actuality. All in all, Albert’s debut in the gospel genre highlights his unwavering faith and devotion to God, which can not be missed through this visual performance, and it is felt through his hard-hitting baritone vocals in this comforting song.
