Christian singer-songwriter Jamie MacDonald spent years watching THE CHOSEN with her mother, telling her that one day she might contribute a song inspired by the hit Bible series.
“I just so appreciate it, and I’m just grateful for a promise fulfilled, a dream fulfilled,” MacDonald told THE CHOSEN creator Dallas Jenkins.
That dream arrived Aug. 28 with “Roots,” a three-minute single credited to MacDonald and THE CHOSEN. Apple Music lists the track as a 5&2 Music/Capitol CMG release.
THE CHOSEN’s official lyric video describes “Roots“ as the second single from an upcoming collection of songs inspired by the series. Its imagery follows a believer planted deeply enough in God to withstand life’s harshest weather.
MacDonald’s connection to the series began during the COVID-19 pandemic, when she lived out of state and her mother invited her to watch over FaceTime. They propped up their phones in their separate rooms, let the episode roll and glanced at each other when a moment landed.
“It was such a beautiful way to stay connected during the pandemic,” MacDonald recalled.
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The singer said she had already spent more than a decade learning about Hebrew culture and trying to honor Shabbat. She focused on how THE CHOSEN’s Season 1 episode Shabbat shows Jesus attending Mary Magdalene’s humble dinner, and the episode quickly became her favorite.
MacDonald saw something encouraging in Mary’s imperfect gathering: Jesus chose to come. The episode gave her fresh confidence as she continued learning and helped pull her mother further into their conversations about Shabbat.
Years later, MacDonald signed with Capitol Christian Music Group. While sitting around a table with her new team and discussing her biggest dreams, she said contributing a song to THE CHOSEN would rank at the very top.
“This was way before I was recording music or even singing publicly at all. Like, it was a total pipe dream back then,” she said.
The idea behind “Roots“ began with the tree planted beside streams in Psalm 1 and the tree that does not fear heat or drought in Jeremiah 17. MacDonald connected those passages to seasons when her own choices shook her life and other hardships simply happened to her.
“That intimacy with him is what keeps me firmly planted when more stuff happens, when more storms come in,” MacDonald said.
She also saw the song reflected in THE CHOSEN’s disciples. Pressure may close in around them, but the story keeps returning to quieter moments with Jesus, where following Him requires trust rather than perfect circumstances.
“The whole point is trust,” MacDonald said.
The new song adds another bright marker to a career that took a long road to arrive. As Movieguide® recently reported, MacDonald signed her first major record deal at 40 after years of waiting tables, caring for her father and singing with women in prison.
Now, one of the dreams she once shared privately with her mother has joined the collection inspired by the series that helped keep them close. “Roots” carries the same lesson as the journey behind it: God can grow something sturdy long before anyone else can see it.
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