Country Star Granger Smith on Losing His Son, Finding Salvation, & Leaving Country Music

Country singer Granger Smith has faced loss few of us can even imagine. After losing his son, River, in a tragic drowning accident in 2019, Granger said he was paralyzed by guilt. It was only through surrendering to the power of the gospel and coming face-to-face with Jesus that Granger and his family were able to survive and move forward in freedom. On this powerful episode of Unapologetic, Julia gets to hear Granger’s story firsthand: How he found relief from crushing guilt only through Jesus, the posture of surrender that saved his family, and the realization that he wasn’t truly saved until he faced the worst life had to offer. Granger doesn’t shy away from the dark parts of his story, and together he and Julia walk through the promises God has for us, even on our hardest days. Julia concludes their conversation by asking Granger about his plans to leave country music and pursue ministry—challenging listeners to be open to the call God has on their lives, even when it looks so different from what we had planned. Granger’s story is one of hope overcoming tragedy, life coming from death—no matter the pain you’ve walked through, Jesus will never leave your side. Granger’s book, Like a River, is available everywhere August 1st! Follow Granger on Instagram to keep up with his latest updates.