May 15, 2026 - Today, Charles Wesley Godwin announces his highly-anticipated new album Christian Name, out July 24th via Big Loud Records, and releases the first single “Better That Way” featuring Luke Combs. Christian Name is an intensely personal collection of songs, but it’s more than just another body of work; it’s how Godwin learned to live again. Through moments of mourning. Through tales of redemption. And ultimately, through a tried-and-true reaffirmation of his faith.

“These songs really meant a lot to me,” Godwin explains. “There’s parts of me and parts of the things that I’ve gone through in the last couple years that are in each and every song on this album.”

In 2024, Godwin and his wife, Samantha, suffered an unthinkable tragedy when their third child, Samuel, was stillborn. “To put it simply, my heart was broken,” Godwin says. “It took me a few months to get myself back up off the ground, so to speak, and get back into the game and to write songs again.” And while the human instinct following such loss might be to turn away from the divine, Godwin says the devastating experience recommitted him to God and firmly cemented his faith. “Coming out of that, I recommitted to my faith in God more so than I have at any point in my life. It really changed me,” he says, speaking to not only his personal transformation over the past few years but also to how this distinctly spiritual quest is reflected in Christian Name. “The point of this project was to point to God,” Godwin continues, “and let people know he’s really helped me through this time in my life.”

“Learning to trust/Ready to get back up /Hard things hurt but my faith still works,” Godwin sings on the heartwrenchingly beautiful “Try Again,” which, following a powerful opening sermon, kicks off a tantalizing narrative through line on the LP that captures the singer’s meditation on finding hope again amid the darkness. Later, on the contemplative “I Caught The Sunrise,” a reflection on forever carrying one’s memory with you, Godwin proclaims, “Was blind but now I see/Today, I caught the sunrise.” And on the magnificent closing track “Brand New,” Godwin declares, “Heaven humbled me in fire/Damn near melted all the tire tread/Radiator couldn't burn no hotter/You made me, you made me/You made me brand new.”

While Christian Name is without question a highly personal affair for Godwin – he took direct inspiration for both the album title and album cover from his late grandfather, Charles Godwin, a Methodist preacher – he’s quick to note how critical a role his creative community of friends and musical collaborators played in the album’s conception.

Not only does Christian Name include a pair of thrilling feature collaborations – the earworm “Better That Way” with Combs and the remarkable “Hey There, Son” featuring Wyatt Flores – but it’s also the result of Godwin partnering with some of music’s most treasured songwriters: Stephen Wilson Jr. (“Brand New”), Liz Rose (“I Caught The Sunrse”), Lori McKenna (“Hey There, Son”), Aaron Ratiere (“God’s Been Good To Me”), Travis Meadows (“Try Again,” “Every Once In Awhile”), Scooter Carusoe (“Better That Way,” "Hallelujah High,” “Place I Know”), and Tom Douglas (“Street Advice”).

“I had a lot of help with this album — I sought out people and they brought a lot of the hope and the light and the lighter moments of the album,” Godwin offers. “That was a lot of their influence. The album needed that.”

Perhaps few played as critical a role, however, as Godwin’s Alleghany High bandmate and Christian Name’s producer, Al Torrence. While Christian Name was recorded over several months at a variety of studios in Nashville and New York City, Godwin recorded the bulk of the LP at a familiar place: Torrence’s Music Garden Studios in Pennsylvania.

“He’s world-class,” Godwin says of his longtime friend, Torrence, with whom he’s now been working for a decade. “Al knew exactly what I was going through throughout this process. We have a mutual respect for each other, and we each bring our own ear to every project we work on together.”

Godwin will tour extensively in support of Christian Name. In addition to his own headline shows, Godwin will embark on a co-headline tour with Dylan Gossett this Summer. This Fall, Godwin will join Kacey Musgraves on her “Middle of Nowhere Tour.” More Godwin tour dates should be announced soon.

Christian Name tracklist

1. Sermon [Al Torrence, Dave Stacy]

2. Try Again [Charles Wesley Godwin, Travis Meadows]

3. Better That Way (feat. Luke Combs) [Charles Wesley Godwin, Scooter Carusoe, Al Torrence]

4. Hallelujah High [Charles Wesley Godwin, Scooter Carusoe]

5. Hey There Son (feat. Wyatt Flores) [Charles Wesley Godwin, Lori McKenna]

6. I Caught the Sunrise [Charles Wesley Godwin, Liz Rose]

7. Place I Know [Charles Wesley Godwin, Scooter Carusoe]

8. Street Advice [Charles Wesley Godwin, Scooter Carusoe, Tom Douglas]

9. Every Once in a While [Charles Wesley Godwin, Travis Meadows, Dave Stacy]

10. Christian Name [Charles Wesley Godwin]

11. God’s Been Good to Me [Charles Wesley Godwin, Aaron Raitiere]

12. Gospel of the South [Craig Boyd, Tony Lane, David Cory Lee]

13. Brand New [Charles Wesley Godwin, Stephen Wilson Jr.]

Charles Wesley Godwin 2026 Tour Dates

Jul 2 - Calgary, AB - Cowboys Music Festival

Jul 10 - Saint Paul, MN - Minnesota Country Club Festival

Jul 11 - Fargo, ND - UP District Festival Field

Jul 14 - Sioux Falls, SD - The District

Jul 17 - Emigrant, MT - The Old Saloon

Jul 18 - Kalispell, MT - Majestic Valley Arena

Jul 19 - Whitefish, MT - Under the Big Sky Festival

Jul 22 - Jackson, WY - Teton County Fair

Aug 28 - Lubbock, TX - Cook’s Garage*

Aug 29 - New Braunfels, TX - Whitewater Amphitheater*

Sept 23 - Kansas City, MO - T-Mobile Center#

Sept 26 - Nashville, TN - The Pinnacle*

Sept 29 - New York, NY - The Rooftop at Pier 17*

Sept 30 - Atlanta, GA - State Farm Arena#

Oct 1 - Raleigh, NC - Red Hat Amphitheater*

Oct 9 - North Charleston, SC - Riverfront Revival

* co-headline with Dylan Gossett

# supporting Kacey Musgraves