Noah Paul Harrison leads worship at Bethel Church in New York City. He released his debut solo album, “Do Not Go Gentle” in August 2026. 

PEER: What is the inspiration for your debut solo album? Is there a story behind that title? 

NOAH PAUL HARRISON: The title of the project, “Do Not Go Gentle,” is playing off the poem — a Dylan Thomas poem. I don’t really read poetry, but in one of my favorite movies, “Interstellar,” they read this poem as they’re traveling into space, and it’s all about not fearing death. And it really stuck out to me. 

I mostly have written worship music in the last few years, but I wanted to write songs that could be encouraging for people that are going through scary things in their life and struggling with fear and anxiety. 

The premise of the project is the title, “Do Not Go Gentle,” and it really hinges around Psalm 23 — that the Lord is with us and that He’s going to walk with us through the valley. It [the project] ended up becoming more personal with more songs I was writing. I think I was trying to write it for someone else, and then by the end of it I was focusing on my own life. I hope whatever I’m able to convey from my life is able to encourage someone else. That’s the premise of the album.

P: I like that. I love it when songwriters write from themselves, but it also helps other people as well. Leading off that, who are your musical influences? 

NPH: I have to say because I’m a part of the Bethel Music Collective. Brian and Jen — I always really admired. I always admired Josh Baldwin. I think he’s one of the best songwriters. I grew up listening to Switchfoot. My parents — they would let us listen to music, but they had a few CDs they would play. I listened to a lot of Switchfoot.

P: How does your faith and relationship with God influence your songwriting and creative process? 

NPH: I think it depends on what I’m doing. I think sometimes when I’m writing a more corporate song that’s maybe more for the church to be sung on Sunday, I want to write something that feels strong theologically, that feels like it can like empower the church, that feels like it could be a gift to the church. 

But there are times where if I’m trying to write something that feels more — like this album to me — songs that could be corporate but it’s a bit more, in my mind, like poetically. I want what I write to feel authentic and I don’t want to try to be like somebody else’s relationship with God. I want it to feel like this is actually what my life is like with the Lord. 

I think it influences the songs because a lot of them are about trust, because that’s something I’ve really been learning — like really trusting the Lord through hard things. Things don’t work out the way that I wish they did. It comes out in some of the corporate worship songs, but I would say even more in these devotional type songs. I’m really trying to put my heart on the pages. 

P: Do any personal experiences translate onto this album? And if so, how do you convey that as a songwriter? 

NPH: There are a couple songs that are very personal. There’s one song where I started writing it, I was actually writing it for someone else, like someone that I really cared about, and they were in this really bad situation, and I was grieving for them. I started writing the song, and honestly, I was writing it for them. As I was writing it, it started to switch a little bit, and it started to be like, okay, this is for them, but this is also representing me too, in a way. 

I would say like there’s one of those, and then there’s one, “The Lifter of My Head.” That one really represents my wife and I’s journey. We moved to New York City a few years ago to help plant a church. There are so many moments like even a line in the bridge that may not make sense from an outside perspective: “The voice in my head saying it’s all for nothing, but my heart is set. I have an assurance. You’re renewing my strength. You’re the lifter of my head.” That couldn’t be any more personal to our journey here. There are so many times when it feels like we’re crazy. But the Lord has been continually like taking care of us and leading us. He’s continually leading us and lighting our path. I would say that song in particular is very personal to our journey.

P: Your album brings celebration and struggle together, which I thought was very interesting. Those two things don’t go together easily. Why is it important that you create music that brings both celebration and struggle?

NPH: I was giving a sermon the other day at our church. I’m the worship pastor of our campus in New York City. I was talking about worship and when we look through the Psalms and look at how David wrote songs and how he worshiped, it’s so evident that he would go from mourning one second and in the same psalm, he would switch to exalting the Lord and worshiping. 

I think it’s important because it’s a part of our human life. The title is do not go gentle into the night. The night is inevitable. There are inevitably going to be disappointments that happen. There are going to be hard moments. There’s going to be pain. But it is the human experience to experience that, but also at the same time be aware of how good God is and how faithful He is. I think that’s the thing that pulls us out of being stuck in sadness all the time and being able to be aware of what God has done for us in the past and what He will do. I think it’s important because disappointment is inevitable. You’re not going to get around it. But also what is inevitable is the goodness of God in our life. We don’t have to stay in defeat. We don’t have to stay in sadness. We can walk in a joyful life because of what God has done for us.

P: Do you have a favorite song from the album? What’s one song you hope listeners will gravitate towards?

NPH: I think I would say, “My Honor To Need You.” My wife and I wrote that song together, so it feels extra personal. It feels like the song of our household. 

I think I would say that song too for people to gravitate to because I think there’s a message in that song. Someone was messaging me the other day and they were telling me how that song has impacted them. They were telling me, “Man, I have a hard time because I struggle feeling like I’m being needy. But this song was really reminding me that God delights in my need for Him. Like, that’s actually a beautiful thing.” I think there are a lot of people that, myself included, sometimes have a hard time asking for things and being needy and relying on people and that translates to our relationship with God sometimes. 

I would say that song because I feel like it carries a cool message that I would want people to hear. 

P: What is one thing you hope listeners of this album take away after listening for the first time?

NPH: I think I said this to somebody else, but I hope that people just enjoy it. Our band worked on it, Dave Funk produced it, and so many other talented hands worked on it. I enjoy it. The style of the songs — I enjoy listening to. I hope people enjoy it. 

On a deeper level, I hope that people can relate to some of the stuff that I’ve gone through in these songs. If somebody’s going through something right now where they feel like maybe they’re in a night season or a winter season, they can feel encouraged and be reminded that the Lord is with them, that He’s so present and so close, and that they’re going to get through it. I hope people just feel encouraged listening to it. 

P: What advice do you have for those young Christians who may be in their night season? 

NPH: Prioritize spending time with the Lord. For me, when I was a little bit younger — I’m still young right now but when I was a bit younger — I went through a really hard season, and I read Psalm 23 every morning, and it was a constant reminder for me even if I was feeling frustrated or disappointed. Every morning I read this truth about God being the good shepherd. I would encourage people to find something, whether it’s a psalm or a verse, and use it as an anchor. Something that can remind them of God’s faithfulness in their life. 

I would also say that at the same time, don’t do it in isolation. We were so meant to be in community and be connected to each other. Fight as hard as you can to have connection with people that love you and people that know you. People you can be vulnerable with. I would say those two things together — community and consistency with God. Those two things are so pivotal.

P: What do you do for self-care when you’re feeling overwhelmed?

NPH: I try to get in the Word. That’s one thing. Practically, I live in New York City, and it’s a little crazy. But I live close to Central Park. I have twin babies right now, so I don’t get to do it as much. But if I need to, I will try to excuse myself to the park and find an area where it’s quiet and go for a walk, go sit by some trees, and try to get off my phone. Try to get away from the Internet and really breathe and bring a coffee and give myself a moment. I try to do that as much as I can — just go be in nature. For me, nature means a little tiny park inside a giant city. 

P: Is there anything that you’re currently listening to? 

NPH: I love Abbie Gamboa’s music.

P: What’s a Bible verse that was on your heart while making this album?

NPH: I wish I could give you a newfound one, but it would for sure be Psalm 23.

Actually, in one of the songs, there’s an interlude before it, and I read it when we were praying before the recording. Dave somehow got the audio clip of it. Unfortunately, I was reading it quickly because sometimes whenever I’m reading scripture, I get a little nervous. But I was reading Psalm 23, so it’s in the album, which I love. It’s so personal to me. So, Psalm 23.