Tony Cummings reports on the pop man from Austin, Texas, ZANE WALLS

Zane Walls

In America, Zane Walls is one of the new wave of singer/songwriters who has broken through - he has clocked up 2.5 million streams on Spotify. In Britain though, he is only now beginning to connect with Joe Public and his Cross Rhythms radio hit "Dry Bones" shows just why this crafter of earworm anthems from Austin, Texas, is now well on the way to international popularity.

Zane spoke about how his trajectory towards a career in music began. "I first became interested in music when I was a kid. My dad always tried to teach me how to play guitar but I never really wanted to sit down and learn. I always just wanted to hear it. A couple years later my grandfather gave me my first guitar and asked me to promise him I would learn to play. Unfortunately, two weeks after he had given me that first guitar he had passed away. From then on I never gave up on that promise I made to him and music quickly took over my life."

Zane didn't start in Christian music. He told jubileecast.com, "Before I started writing Christian music I was doing pop music and it was always a race to see who was the best, who had more money, more fame, more of everything and if you didn't have that you were worthless. But God sees us differently. He loves us so much, and the things this world can give us are nothing compared to what our God thinks about us. My song 'Free' was very personal, I used to think that if I honestly didn't crave success and material things I was doing things wrong and was a failure, but the song talks about craving Jesus instead. He's the only one who can free us from world desires and things not of him."

Zane has courageously spoken about his past and his addiction with pornography. He discovered that by trusting in God's guidance and deepening his relationship with him, he was able to overcome his addiction. Zane is also keen to see his songs reach people who are struggling with depression. He said, "We live in a world where anxiety, depression and all kinds of negative emotional and mental things can make people feel they aren't worth anything. I pray that through these songs they are able to see they aren't alone, and that there is a Father in Heaven who you are an important person to."