ccmBuzz had the pleasure to sit with Mainstay frontman, Justin Anderson.  Read how his past helped define who he is today, and be sure to tell us how YOUR past helped define you. You could win a free copy of Mainstay's sophomore album, Become Who You Are. Don't forget to check out their new bio!

Lead singer Justin Anderson reveals some things from his past that helped him become who he is today. Find out about his upbringing, who impacted his life, and the things he learned from his mistakes.

That is a great question. I grew up in Southern Minnesota. I was from a small farming community. I was in love with music, rock and roll and everything. I was there in a small town of about 2,000 people and I worked in the fields growing up, and I was very agricultural and I realized to myself that I was going to have to get into the city, really run after this thing if I was going to do it. I think I had a lot of things that impacted me on the way, but that was definitely one of the things I learned. You can't have anything without sacrifice. So I left my home to go to college, and I left college to do music. Yeah, lots of different changes in my life where I had to actually go out and pursue stuff.

What were some of the things you did on the weekend when you were a kid?

It was weird being from town that was really small. We found ways to entertain ourselves. Things that some people would think were weird. Being farm kids, it definitely fostered great relationships. I was blessed to have a lot of close Christian friends. There wasn't a whole lot of temptation to party. It was really great because we would do anything from, you know, crazy farm boy stuff. A whole lot of things involving tractors and four wheelers and dirt bikes, crazy stuff. But then we'd have Bible studies and cool stuff like that, too. It's not the typical urban lifestyle, you know, we were in the country.

Was there the one time you got really punished by your parents where you took a step back and realized you needed to change right then?

[Laughter]

I don't know if there was that one time. I can't think of any specific time that I did anything so bad where my parents had to do something ridiculous. But I remember one time where my brother told me, you know, there was going to be one point in my life where I was going to have to start living for myself, or for God. That I could only do one or the other. That was a defining moment in my life. I'll never forget that. I was 13 I think. Because you know, I was doing some stupid stuff, and when my brother told me that, it had a profound impact on me. I had to step back and say to myself, "There's only two options. I guess I have to choose." So yeah, I'll never forget that.

Were there events leading up to your decision to accept Christ?

Well yeah, I mean, I'm a cynic. And I have a rebellious heart, and as it manifested itself when you're growing up, it's those times that you realize you have to go one way or the other in life. There's no middle ground. So, for a person like me, where my natural tendency is to rebel or to criticize or to be cynical, my natural tendency came out at a young age and I realized that was an ugly side. I mean, if there really is only two ways to live, either for me, or for God, then I need to really curb that side and live for God.

Who was the one school teacher that had the most profound impact on you? What did he/she do that impacted you?

Hmm…that's a good question. I grew up with a guy who taught physics and chemistry, and basically all the natural sciences. Mr. Nelson. He definitely had a profound affect on me because I knew he was a Christian, a God-fearing man, and yet could really understand the sciences so well. He saw how they fit hand in hand. How God created the sciences, how He created gravity, and all the facets of what makes this Earth tick, and what makes us, as carbon based life forms tick. He saw that in a beautiful way of God creating that. It really inspired me to think that if science and creation aren't fighting, what's been happening the past 50 years that, you know, something can't co-exist. That was encouraging for me to see that.

What were some of your hobbies in high school? Did any of them reflect your current career path?

I loved music. And sadly, I was big into drama. I played sports as well, for a few years. I played basketball and football and baseball. But I quit those because I wanted to do music. So I would come home from school and practice guitar, and listen to records and play stuff. And I eventually started a band, but I was heavily involved in drama. I did over 10 major productions. I love to act. I was in Speech, too. And that was cool. So I think that stuff prepared me for being on stage, in front of people, not being nervous. Being kind of uninhibited. So yeah, that played into standing up on stage, making a fool out of myself every night in Mainstay.

[Laughter]

Was there something other than music that you thought you'd be doing for a living? What helped you realize God had wanted you in music all along?

That is such a great question. You know, I went to college to study communication, so I came out of all those theater experiences, all those speaking experiences, trying to figure out how to translate that into a career. I really just wanted to do music. I love music. I love writing it, recording it, playing it, and all that stuff. It wasn't until I was about 19 when I dropped out of college I said to myself that I wanted to give it my best. I wanted to play every club, every bar, every church, and everything in between just to see if it was where God wanted me. And it's funny, because I don't know if I ever felt the call from God for me specifically to be in music. It was always just kind of a hands off thing. I sought God, and I sought after His heart to see what He wanted from me. And there was never any super huge confirmation other than that He kept opening doors.

I still to this day never felt any call to do music explicitly from God, but I'm here, and we've had a record deal for about three years now, and if God wants to keep me here that's great. But at the same time I don't want to hold on too tightly. I want to be in a spot where if God says "Go be a janitor at this church," I could say "OK."

Your song, "Becoming Who You Are," explains that some mistakes are good to make since they sort of define who you become. Was there the big mistake/mistakes you made in your life that you were happy to make? When did you realize that making them wasn't such a bad thing?

That's another great question. I think there are those mistakes we make that really cause us to look at who we are and who we want to be, more importantly. Each time we trip and fall and stumble, I mean, it could be anything. A relationship, or a circumstance, or a job, or even sin. But whatever it is that is making you fall, it's those times that you could really grow. Every hardship is a chance to grow. These things really do shape who you are. And the song asks, you know, "Who do you want to be?" Do you want to just survive and be a carnal Christian who kind of just makes it through somehow? Or do you want to really cling to Jesus and become who we are called to be in Him?

Being in the industry for a while now, how have you learned to stray from society's standards on who you should become, and more toward God's vision of who you are meant to be?

You know, the older I get, I mean, I'm 25 now, I'm not that old.

[Laughter]

But the older I get, the more I realize that all the stuff that the culture dictates to us as musicians or people, or college students, or wherever you are in life, all that stuff is just so worthless. I don't really think God cares if we are hip, or if we have the coolest hairstyle, or if we lost that 15 pounds to fit into that bathing suit. I don't think God cares about all that too much. I've just really found out over and over again the characteristics that Jesus values, and He values people who are after the kingdom. And so often, I don't value that kind of stuff because I'm too busy valuing business and music and friendships – things that aren't bad, but it's times like that where I realize my priorities need to be Jesus' priorities. The kingdom, and character, integrity, faith, hope, and love, generosity, patience. These things that the world couldn't really care less about and God created all these things, and He's the One I need to be concerned about, not US Weekly or TIME Magazine, or anything else the world has to offer.

What is your personal favorite song on the album?

I would have to say that the last track on the record is one of mine and some of the other guys in our band's favorite song. It's called "Hang On" and it's about growing up and seeing the church let you down, seeing the people in your church let you down, and then realizing that I have a cynical, bitter heart and I need to come back to a simple faith in Jesus. That's just been a really recurring theme in our lives this past year. That simple faith and grace and love of Jesus. I mean, there's so many ways that stuff can get convoluted. People in church leadership can fall, Christian friends can hurt you, things could appear to let you down and really, it's hard because the older you get the easier it is to become cynical about Christianity and about the church in America. And "Hang On" is just a call to say remember the first time you heard, remember the first time that love turned you around, remember what it was like to know hope and to know joy, and hearing that your sins can be forgiven by this gracious loving God. That's what Christianity is about. It's not about the stuff that we sometimes make it out to be. It's about redemption and forgiveness in Jesus.

That's a really touching song because it's not trying to be overtly happy. It's actually really broken hearted, like why-am I-this-way-I'm-tired-of-being-bitter-I-just-want-a-simple-faith-in-Jesus-Christ. It's an encouraging song for us and hopefully it's encouraging for others, too.

What are your current tour plans?

We go out with Jeremy Camp on September 21st, and we're out with him for about two months. It's actually called "An Intimate Evening with Jeremy Camp" and it's really him and a band playing very acoustic, very stripped down, and Mainstay is doing the same thing – very stripped down, very personal and very old-school church setting. No huge lights or crazy production. It's just a time for believers to just come out and connect. That gets lost sometimes in all these productions, so it'll be a time to connect. And that's what music is about. To connect with people.

Any last thing you want to say?

SEPTEMBER 25TH! Become Who You Are in stores everywhere!

[Laughter]

Thanks, Justin! We appreciate you taking the time to talk with us!