Citizen Soldier is an American Rock band rooted in Salt Lake City, Utah. The band was formed in 2016 by Jake Segura, from the desire to reach out to people battling with depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, stigma, and other mental health issues.
The history of the band’s creation is quite interesting and is one of the factors that has attracted a lot of fans to the band. The band’s frontman/songwriter, Jake Segura at a young age began struggling with mental health issues and was admitted into a psychiatric hospital in 2015 after a suicide attempt.
On the hospital bed, Segura penned down the lyrics of the band’s first song, “Let it Burn” which was a song to guide and give hope to people who were battling with mental health issues. The band made its debut in 2017 with the release of “Let it Burn” in “Caroline”, a 5-song EP.
Citizen Soldier has graced the American music scene for 6 years and has been able to connect with people going through any form of mental illness with their captivating and compelling mental health-themed songs. With the massive listenership, fans have always wondered if the band is a Christian band or not. An analysis of song lyrics and themes and some comments about the religious status of the band in this article will answer the question: is Citizen Soldier a Christian band?
Is Citizen Soldier a Religious Band?
Religious music is a type of music produced through religious influences. This type of music takes different forms and varies based on culture and religion.
Citizen Soldier is very intentional about tackling mental health issues with their music, as such, they have not incorporated unrelated themes into their songs. They have taken it as their mission to make songs that help people fight stigma and other related issues and to provide what they’ve termed a “group therapy dynamic.” This has made some listeners label the band a “mental health rock band.”
Members of the band have not made public comments about their religious backgrounds or the religious status of the band, as they are more focused on helping people get better with their unique style of music.
Notwithstanding, we found a few songs by Citizen Soldier that contain religious terms and messages that could be interpreted to mean various things by listeners.
In “Face to Face” by Citizen Soldier, the songwriter says he’s face to face with the devil, which in a way could mean “death”. He urges people to pray to have the power to overcome the devil. The songwriter uses this song to reach out to people having suicidal thoughts or depression and urges them to put up a fighting spirit because if they can fight and overcome the devil, they will survive.
“I’m face to face with the devil
I am not afraid
My life is worth the struggle
My scars are my warpaint
Face to face with the devil
Pray, it’s not too late
My past will not define me
I’m face to face
I fought the devil and I’ll live to tell”
What Kind of Music Band is Citizen Soldier?
Citizen Soldier is an alternative rock band from Salt Lake City. Alternative rock emerged from an independent music underground of 1970 that became popular later in the 1990s. “Alternative” here implies that the genre is distinct from commercial or mainstream rock or pop music. This genre of music blends elements of other music styles likes; indie rock, gothic rock, Britpop, and grunge.
When alternative music came to light, it was well known for its rejection of the commercialization of mainstream culture. However, it is not so today because modern alternative artists have achieved success through the mainstream. Until 2010, alternative music relied on independent record labels for production.
Alternative rock is mainly characterized by intricate guitar melodies, distorted guitars, and lyrical composition that addresses social issues like drug use and abuse, depression, suicide, and environmentalism. Citizen Soldier has employed intensely emotional, positive, and accessible lyrics to tackle mental health issues and shine a light on people struggling with them.
The band has blended an atmospheric rock sound with pop elements and an impressive lyrical depth to bring hope and light to victims of mental health issues. The band has also been known to make songs from some experiences their fans share with them as a sign of love. Even though they can’t see them individually, they share their emotions and reach out to them through their songs.
Below are lines from one of the band’s top songs with the prevalent theme;
“Take my hand and look me in the eye
There’s still time left
Cut these chords, and kid, run for your life
Maybe you’re broken, maybe you’re shattered
With no reasons left to try
But you still have so much, worth saving
That you have left on the inside
I know you feel like you are worthless, that your day has come
The misery eats you alive until you come undone
You feel like there is nowhere left to call your home tonight
You are not alone, this is our time, and I am by your side
My friend, this is done or die”
The lyrics above are lines from “Let it Burn” by Citizen Soldier. Here, the songwriter using his own experience sends a message to anyone who is having suicidal thoughts or has attempted suicide. He makes a plea that they should abort the thoughts and if they feel there is no reason to live, they should recognize their worth and know there is still someone that cares about them.
Is Citizen Soldier a Christian Band?
A Christian is a person whose lifestyle reflects that of Jesus Christ who is considered the central figure of Christianity. True Christians must abide by the teachings, principles, and ideals of Christianity and they should live a life worth emulating.
Contemporary Christian music has become a relevant music genre that appeals to a wide range of audiences including some secular audiences, because of the recent techniques Christian artists or bands have adopted.
Christian songs are centered on the teachings and practices of Christianity. Such songs must express beliefs about the Christian faith and must make references to the bible. The themes and lyrical compositions of the songs must be deeply related to the Christian faith.
To be considered a Christian band, such a band must have members who believe in the principles and ideals of Christianity and have openly declared their faith in the religion. Also, the band must produce songs that reflect Christianity and publicly label itself a “Christian band”. Songs by a Christian band should share messages of faith and hope with their listeners.
Citizen Soldier has not publicly subscribed to Christianity, no member of the band has shared information about their religious background and their songs do not reflect Christianity. As such, Citizen Soldier is not a Christian band.
Citizen Soldier Christian Songs
Citizen Soldier has been very committed and consistent in producing songs that will appeal to people struggling with a lot of things mentally. The band was formed after a personal experience with a mental health issue and has since then tried to help people having similar experiences through their songs.
For the past 6 years, the band has not tilted from its initial music style. They have not employed elements of Christian music in their songs and none of their songs can be categorized as Christian songs. As such, Citizen Soldier has no Christian songs.
Is Citizen Soldier a Satanic Band?
A Satanic band is identified from its music style, practices, anti-christian themes, and acknowledgment of Satan in its songs. Satanism is also characterized by demon worship, evil practices and dark themes.
Though some songs by the band contain dark and gloomy lyrics, we don’t consider Citizen Soldier a satanic band because the band or its members have not publicly identified with Satanism and their songs do not encourage Satanic practices.
Wrapping Up
After a failed suicide attempt by vocalist Jake Segura, the drive to reach out to people in similar situations increased. Jake was already into music but his taste of music was not appreciated in his hometown causing many bands to reject him.
Jake began to struggle with mental health issues and attempted suicide. Fortunately, the suicide failed and this experience motivated the artist into taking his music dream seriously. He realized there were tons of people struggling with the same issue and intended to use his songs to brighten their lives. This led to the creation of Citizen Soldier.
The intentions of Citizen Soldier are very clear and the band has not diverted from this course. Almost all songs by the band are embedded with themes and messages on anxiety, depression, suicide, heartbreak, obsessive-compulsive disorder, stigma, and other life challenges and struggles.
Since the band does not produce Christian or religious songs, we do not see a reason to label them a Christian band. Regardless of their exiguous themes, we won’t deny the fact that Citizen Soldier has made a significant impact in the music industry and in the lives of a great number of people currently battling mental health issues, which are prevalent in our society today.
Think we were wrong? Write your reasoning in the comments and prove us wrong!