Kid Rock said his new “Halfway 2 Jesus” album is about second chances, forgiveness, showing grace and “trying to heal some of the division.”
Ahead of the album’s release Friday, Oct. 17, Rock hosted the Detroit Free Press at his Nashville compound on Monday, Oct. 12, for a listening session and a freewheeling conversation on a range of topics.
The record’s lead single, “James 1:17 (Jesus is King),” came during a late-night epiphany, he said.
Rock, who was raised Catholic, said his recent renewal of faith came amid the 2024 death of his father, the breakup of a 17-year relationship with fiancée Audrey Berry and — most notably — the memorial he attended following Charlie Kirk’s 2025 assassination.
“I was definitely brought to my knees,” he said of
the service. “It was just a heavy day all around, but when (Kirk’s) wife stood up there and forgave the killer, I was like, ‘Wow.’”
The album features a raw, autobiographical track, “God is Good,” that Rock deems “probably the best song I’ve ever written, while the closing cut is an acoustic cover of Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.,” where Rock said he “did my best” to record it like a Bob Seger song.
Eminem’s album appearance prompted a last-minute scramble
Fans learned two weeks ago that Kid Rock’s new album would feature a guest performance by fellow Detroit star Eminem on the song “7 Sins.” But while that song did make the final record, Eminem’s part has been replaced with a new rap contribution from Lil Wayne.
At Eminem’s insistence, Rock’s album now includes a previously recorded but unreleased track, “Heal My Faith,” which includes an Eminem verse put together last year at his Ferndale studio.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Kid Rock says 'Halfway 2 Jesus' album is about faith, second chances
