Artificial intelligence has become a buzzword in technology circles and a subject of reflection across social, cultural and faith-based spheres. “Hello Human,” the title song from Apollo LTD’s latest album, was written to address the concept of AI while emphasizing that humans have inherent value as image bearers of God.
“There’s something different about the human touch and the human voice and what He has created,” said Adam Stark, singer-songwriter, instrumentalist and producer for Apollo LTD. “We have a lot in our world that is synthetic and that is artificial.
“We’re in this almost crisis of trying to discern what’s real, true, touched by a human fingerprint, and what’s been artificially synthesized. Sometimes it’s getting hard to tell the difference right now.”
Apollo LTD’s message wasn’t something that the band sat down and decided to focus on, but looking back, Stark has realized they want to show that everyone has value, that God sees them and that they have purpose.
“With that, we want to celebrate joyfully. Apollo has been celebrating and infusing joy into our art. You have a value and let’s find your way in this life because we have it abundantly if you want,” Stark said.
‘In the back door’
Initially, Apollo didn’t plan to be in the faith music industry.
“Though we were believers the whole time and every song we’ve ever written has been life through that lens, the way God wrote our story — He put the right people and the right partners in place. We like to say He kind of kicked us in the back door of Christian music. He was like, ‘Hey, I want you over here,’” Stark said.
God had been preparing Stark for this ministry his whole life.
Growing up in Nashville in a musical home surrounded by his professional musician father and two musically inclined older brothers, Stark started playing piano very young.
He decided as a teen that he wanted a career in music, and his dad encouraged Stark to follow his heart.
He also warned him that it would be difficult.
Stark chose Belmont University, a Christian university in Nashville, due to its strong musical program. He eventually obtained a business administration degree, combining high-level music classes with the commerce skills he would need as a professional musician.
His father was correct; the early years weren’t easy. Stark sometimes worked three part-time jobs while performing wherever and whenever he could, but he continued to be up for the challenge.
He had met his bandmate, Jordan Phillips, when they were both assigned to the same dormitory room as freshmen. But it wasn’t until the latter years of college that they decided to work together.
At first, they simply wrote music for others. They worked well as a team and started a band but, as often happens with college bands, it didn’t last long.
‘Incredible journey’
After that ending, they didn’t have a set agenda for their next step. Then more and more people started asking them if they were a band. This made them ask themselves, “Are we?” They decided to form Apollo LTD and see if God wanted to do anything with it.
“We’ve been really blessed that He did. It’s been an incredible journey up to this point. But it was one that — I don’t want to say that it happened by accident — but we weren’t really even intending to start a band at the time. But I think God had plans for us that we didn’t see quite yet.”
Apollo LTD was named after the space program and its goal of reaching out and stretching for what had never been done before.
“Let’s just dream big and go for it,” Stark said. “The idea behind the name was to journey big, aim for greatness and (remember that) even what seems impossible, God can make happen.”
Though based out of the Christian market, Apollo LTD has a message for nonbelievers.
“Joy is attractive to nonbelievers — especially to those who feel hopeless — the idea that there’s hope, there’s a future for you. You have a reason and a purpose. You’ve been very specifically made.
“I think that’s an attractive message to anybody,” Stark continued. “They just need to realize the ‘why’ behind it. The gospel is just woven into everything. It’s there; people just don’t see it all the time. But I think that overarching truth is always going to resonate in the hearts of humans. Then it’s just a matter of pointing it to the Source.”
The songs that Apollo LTD releases are healing for the men who wrote them as well as for those in similar struggles.
“God moves in spite of our art. He can still move through us and He can move through our art in ways that we can’t even imagine.
“Just to see the way God is weaving a story together. … His ways are bigger than mine. What we do is a very small role in the grand story of what God is writing. It’s just been a joy to use our art and use our band in His story. It’s exciting, and we’re glad to see what He’s going to do with it next.”
“Hello Human” was released April 19. To find out more about Apollo LTD go to weareapolloltd.com.
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