Sanctus Real
If Sanctus Real has learned anything over the course of their career, it’s this: We’re all a work in progress. For Dustin Lolli (lead vocals) and founding members Chris Rohman (guitar) and Mark Graalman (drums), it’s a refining that’s been realized through hard-won seasons as a band. The result is a bond of remarkable musicians that are making the best music of their career, and coming out on the other side more resilient than ever before.
Since forming in Toledo, Ohio, in the mid-’90s, Sanctus Real has become one of the most well-loved artists in Christian music. With eight No. 1 songs, 19 Top 10 hits and more than 2 million singles sold, their catalog boasts well-known anthems like “Lead Me,” “I’m Not Alright,” “Forgiven,” “My God Is Still the Same” and RIAA Gold®-certified single “Confidence.” With a pair of GRAMMY® nominations, a GMA Dove Award and massive streaming numbers that place them in an elite tier of Christian artists garnering more than 2.5 million listeners a month on Spotify alone, the trio has carved out a name for themselves with their raw lyrics and deft musicianship, evidenced during their critically lauded live shows.
Following co-founder and original frontman Matt Hammitt’s exit, Lolli joined the group in 2016. While the transition wasn’t easy, it strengthened the band — and their subsequent bond — in ways they never thought possible. But it took a resource that is often scarce: time. Now, nearly a decade in, they’ve hit their stride.
“The whole time you’re wondering if this thing even has a shot — I mean, most people were telling us it wasn’t going to work — but we really just held on to this internal belief that this is what we were called to do,” Lolli reveals. “I felt like we were writing great music together. I think it’s right where God wanted us to be.”
Their longevity was cemented when “Confidence” became an unexpected Top 10 hit at radio. “My God Is Still the Same” followed, peaking at No. 2 and spending 40-plus weeks on the Billboard charts. The singles proved this iteration of Sanctus Real wasn’t an epilogue; it was a second act.
In turn, they rediscovered a newfound freedom and ownership surrounding their craft. “It feels very collaborative and very much like ‘this is our band,’” Graalman affirms. “This is what we sound like, and this is what we want to say.”
Void of the extensive label teams they’ve partnered with in the past, the band’s methods have become extremely DIY — a rewarding approach, despite the hard work it necessitates. “We do so much in-house. We’ve all gotten better at what we do, and we’ve found those people that we work well with,” Rohman says of being an independent act via their own Framework Records. “It all comes back to the songs for us. That’s where the focus has been since Dustin’s been in the band.”
Rohman and Lolli both have publishing deals via Curb | Word Music Publishing, and from the moment Lolli stepped in as the lead singer of Sanctus Real, they immediately doubled-down on their songwriting. The creative energy they’ve put in over the course of the past decade is resonating with fans as they hear new songs like “On the Mend,” an original that’s as transparent as anything they’ve ever written.
The selection is especially personal to Rohman, who penned the pop-centric confession with Lolli, Benji Cowart and Thomas Toner following a nervous breakdown that sent him to the ER during a scary moment on the road when the weight of holding the band together caved in on him.
“The stress of the transition and then trying to get things back off the ground, for years and years… It just kind of imploded on me,” Rohman admits. “And then I got to a point where I was able to release it to God, and I expected the change to be instant, but it was definitely a process of working through stuff; and being open and honest about that in a song really helped. When we wrote it, it was a moment of vulnerability.
“Just like when you become a Christian, it’s not a night and day change, necessarily,” he continues. “There’s things you’re working through, and it’s a constant refining.”
The refining process has also filtered down to Sanctus Real’s sonic direction as well — a definitive shift heard in the diverse musicality coloring their new music — as the band members have allowed their respective musical preferences to bleed into the songs they’re assembling. Case in point, anthemic offering “The Difference” was built on top of a singular guitar riff Rohman created. Once the principle vibe was laid, the lyrics came easily as Lolli, Rohman and their collaborators — songwriters Matt Armstrong and AJ Pruis — began talking about a key difference between believers and non-believers: Hope.
“We’ve all felt like hope has been missing in our world for a while,” Lolli offers. “We go to churches all over the country, and it’s become one of our greatest mission fields, because we see so many depressed and sad people in the church. So, we are in a season of writing songs about hope. When you put your faith in Jesus, He doesn’t just give you hope; He is our hope.”
The Hope they’re so focused on in the writing room is also a value that compels them to take their music across the country. “We still love getting out there on the road and meeting people and making that personal, face-to-face connection. We don’t want a screen to constantly be between them and us. We literally put it in our band name 29 years ago; we want to be real. We want everything we do to be authentic,” Graalman offers. “I feel like we’re a better live band now than we’ve ever been.”
Sanctus Real didn’t reach their longtime headliner status overnight, however. They spent years honing their musicianship and sharing stages with some of the biggest names in Christian music, including TobyMac, MercyMe, Switchfoot and Steven Curtis Chapman. They earned their full 90-minute set one short opening slot at a time. Today, their camaraderie and dialed-in connection on stage is felt even by the audience.
“I think in a lot of ways, we’re trying to be the kind of steady force that makes really good music, but also is very consistent with who we are — both through the message and foundationally,” Lolli observes. “That’s one of the reasons I joined the band — that kind of heart, that willingness to do what’s right, even when easy is much simpler and could lead to short-term success. It’s always been about doing it right, doing it well and being steady.”
It hasn’t been without difficulty, but trusting the process has paid off — one slow, steady step after one slow, steady step. “It’s amazing what God has done with these songs, bringing Dustin in, allowing us to move forward,” Rohman reflects. “All these little things that had to happen, really, are pretty miraculous.”
That stack of little miracles is the cornerstone Sanctus Real is building on as they look toward their next album, their fourth full-length project with Lolli in the lead. Their mission remains unchanged, but their passion for ministry through the vehicle of music is heightened.
“I feel like these are some of the best songs we’ve ever had as a band. The lyrical content and the themes are so genuine and inspiring,” Graalman says. “There’s a handful that just feel like God kind of touched them and did something special. And I’m really excited to see what transpires and how they impact people.”
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