Madison Cain Johnson, Logan Cain and Taylor Cain Matz are a sibling musical trio. They come together to form CAIN. Their debut single, “Rise Up (Lazarus)” released in 2020 and their most recent album, “Jesus Music,” released in late 2023.

PEER: You grew up together as a family. When did you first start playing music together?

MADISON: Well, we grew up as pastor’s kids. Our dad was the lead pastor and worship leader each Sunday.  Starting when we were eight (Logan), nine (Madison), and 10 (Taylor) we were part of our dad’s worship team. Logan played drums, I played bass and sang harmony, and Taylor played guitar, keys, and lead vocal. It wasn’t until college, though, that we finally tried singing three-part harmony together!

P: You all made your musical debut in early 2020 with “Rise Up (Lazarus).” How did it feel growing in this success together as a family?

Logan: 2020 was definitely an interesting year for us along with the rest of the world, ha! We spent 2019 writing over 100 songs trying to write “the” song that would be our first single. And finally, towards the end of all the songwriting, when it seemed like we were still at square one, God blessed us with “Rise Up (Lazarus).” We were excited and hopeful and started 2020 on tour with Zach Williams—which was an unbelievable opportunity. But after one weekend of shows, the entire world shut down due to COVID-19. No shows, no radio tours to promote the song … it seemed like any time we’d have a glimmer of hope, we’d take another step back. But this was yet another lesson in trusting God and trusting that He would do far more with our music than we would ever do by striving by ourselves. The song took on life, it began to be played across the country on radio, and it brought folks encouragement in an extremely trying time. 2020 was such a challenging year in many respects, but hearing the testimonies from people about how this song impacted them established an understanding among us as a family:  God can do far more with our music and career than we could ever dream.

P: Who are your musical influences?

Taylor: Ooh we have several. We grew up only listening to contemporary Christian music. Our heroes were (and still are) Steven Curtis Chapman, Amy Grant, and Michael W. Smith. Then as we got older, we fell in love with more rock-style music of NEEDTOBREATHE and Switchfoot. When we began our music career, we started in the Americana/country genre so after growing up of not listening to much of country music at all, it led us on a deep dive into classic country and rock artists, and that’s when we really connected to the instrumentation and harmony driven 1970’s music of Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles, and others.

P: What inspired your latest album, “Jesus Music”?

M: All throughout our lives, the music that centered us, the music that encouraged us, and the music that inspired us was always Jesus music. This album is a bit of a tribute to the Christian music artists, worship leaders and really anyone out there who sings Jesus music. We also have gained some new perspectives since we all became parents in 2022, and we feel like that has helped put our view of God and His love for us through a new lens. We want folks to come away from listening to “Jesus Music” encouraged and confident that God loves them more than they could ever fathom, and from that place of being deeply loved, they can walk in joy and confidence over any attack from the enemy.

P: What hope do you have for listeners as they listen to the new album?

Logan: I think our hope is that people will know they have a God who deeply loves them—they have a God whose face lights up when His children come to Him in prayer and worship. And from that position of being a deeply loved child of God, you can rise above the distractions of this world and schemes of the devil and walk boldly in the finished work of Jesus! 

P: How do you balance your relationship with God and being in the music industry?

Taylor: This can be a real challenge. Anytime there has been strife, worry and dread among us three, you can guarantee it’s because we’ve taken our eye off of what truly matters and Who is at the center of it all. I’m so thankful there are three of us to help lift each other up and hold each other accountable. We’ve started some practices on tour that have also really helped this because, often, we play shows on Sundays out of town. So, if you’re not intentional, you can fall out of church and community so quickly. To combat that, we have “tour church” on Saturday afternoons with our touring family. We go through a book together, open up about our struggles and pray for one another. It’s a really precious time together. And then, on Sundays, we go as a family to whatever church we are playing a concert in that night. It’s been so fun to join in on corporate worship with various churches across the country. And it’s a great reminder that the capital “C” church is everywhere!

P: What excites you about being in the music industry in 2024?

Logan: I think Christian art as a whole has grown to new heights this year and will grow even more in 2024.  There are so many incredibly gifted writers, movie directors and music artists who are leading the charge and making the message of the gospel more understandable and inviting than ever before. We are honored to be part of the Christian music industry, and we are so excited to continue sharing the songs that God lays on our hearts and getting to hear the testimonies of how Christian music is impacting people all over the world.

P: What are you currently listening to?

Madison: Wow, Elevation Worship has this song “Praise.” I feel like I’ve listened to it multiple times in a row for several days in a row! We had the chance to go to Elevation Church when we were performing in Charlotte, and it was such an honor to worship with that congregation.

P: What’s a go-to self-care habit when you’re feeling overwhelmed?

Taylor: I bake chocolate chip cookies in a toaster oven on the tour bus every single night. Is it good for me? No. But is it good for my soul? Absolutely yes!

P: What’s a Bible verse that’s been on your heart recently?

Logan: Our tour family has been reading a book called “The Other Half of Church” by Jim Wilder and Michael Hendricks. A chapter of the book focused on 2 Corinthians 4:6: “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (ESV). That verse has stuck with me ever since. God has shined his light in our hearts so that we may know and experience the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus. The way Jesus loved and cared for His disciples, the way His face lit up when He spent time teaching them mirrors the way God’s face lights up when we go to Him.