Semler Climbs the Christian Charts with Queer Stories

Grace Semler Baldridge, also known as Semler, is a queer singer-songwriter who is breaking barriers and opening doors within the world of Christian music.

When the COVID-19 pandemic began to spread throughout the U.S., Baldridge had just finished taping an episode of the Refinery29 show State of Grace. In the episode, she spoke with musicians who had worked in the Christian music industry, including those who were ostracized and shunned for either being queer or supporting LGBTQ-inclusion in the church.

While in quarantine, Baldridge began to reflect on her own religious upbringing. This ultimately led to the creation of her latest music project, Preacher’s Kid, which explores faith and church life through a queer lens. The album quickly climbed the iTunes Top 100 Christian & Gospel Albums, and even held the number one spot for several days.

Baldridge took some time to chat more with OFM about Preacher’s Kid, growing up queer in a faith community, and the message she has for those who have been cast out in the name of God.

Hi, Grace! Thank you for taking some time to chat with me about your newest music project, Preacher’s Kid. Can you tell us more about the EP and its concept?
I started writing it during quarantine when I was unpacking some religious trauma that I had not really had the time to process before. Being in lockdown, we have an abundance of time, so I started writing about things I never dealt with, and then it wound up into what became Preacher’s Kid.

You were also inspired to create Preacher’s Kid after working on an episode about Christian music for the documentary series, State of Grace?
Yes. When lockdown started, I had just finished taping that episode about the Christian music industry and sort of checked back in with the music that I grew up listening to. I was totally in that headspace at home with my instruments, and I also recently downloaded TikTok, so I was going through all the hashtags, like exvangelical and progressive Christian. All these ideas were swirling around, and I had hours on end with my thoughts and guitar. That’s how I started writing it, but I think if I had not done that episode, I probably would not have had it in the front of my mind when it came time to be quarantined.Can you tell us more about State of Grace?
State of Grace is a docuseries that I did with Refinery29 about the intersection of faith and different social issues in American life. We covered gun violence, gay conversion therapy, the death penalty, and abortion, and then we also covered Christian music. So, it is just a series exploring the topics that you are not supposed to talk about with a stranger, like politics and religion. That is what we would talk about.

How has Preacher’s Kid been received by audiences?
Well, it really depends [laughs]. Some people have really liked it. If you are gay or an ally to the LGBTQ community, or if you are someone who has been cast out in any regard in the name of God, you probably like it. If you have not experienced that or you do not have people in your life who have, you might not like it as much. It is a Christian record, but I am talking about issues in Christianity as a person who has had my faith thrown back to me in a way that was hateful. So, it depends. Some people have been extremely congratulatory, and then other people have openly sent me to Hell. So, there’s that. We run the gamut.

Preacher’s Kid is doing well on the iTunes Top 100 Christian & Gospel Albums, and it even hit the number one spot a couple weeks ago. How exciting was that for you?
We were number one for at least four or five days, and I was just honestly hoping to crack the top 40. I had no idea that this project would become what it has. It has been humbling, but it has been hard for me to wrap my brain around everything. It makes me so excited about the future, and I am happy to know that there are people interested in this type of story. I was explicitly told by Christian music executives that there was not a place for this type of music and this type of story would not resonate with people. To see that it has makes me hopeful that this is just the beginning.

What is the message you hope listeners take away from Preacher’s Kid?
A few things. If you have experienced something where you have been ostracized or marginalized in the name of God, listen to Preacher’s Kid and hear that you are not alone. Do not feel isolated because there is strength in numbers. We are starting to find each other. Then, I also think that this is a record that challenges you and potentially flies in the face of everything you have been taught to believe. I would hope that this record could maybe offer an invitation to just consider the experience of other people. Just because this story did not happen to you, that does not make it less true. So, that is what I would hope. A little bit of patience. I understand that some of these lyrics might make you mad, but it does not mean that they are not heartfelt.

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Have you always had a passion for singing and songwriting?
I have, but I have always been very shy about it. I know I am not like Mariah Carey on the money or anything. My earliest memories are writing songs in my head and having jingles bouncing around. This was when I was around five. I am very passionate about songwriting, but it is another thing to make yourself vulnerable and single publicly. That was a bit of a hurdle over the past few years. I really had to rip the Band-Aid off. This is how I express myself. This is what brings me the most joy and it is how I feel the most understood. All I want to do is sing my songs for people.

Growing up in a religious Christian environment, what was it like for you once you came out as queer?
I am fortunate that my parents are both very accepting of me. They actually love the record. My dad is a priest, so I was raised in as religious of a household as you can be raised in. Fortunately, he never took part or engaged in toxic theology. However, that did not spare me from outside of church culture. I recognize that there are other accepting progressive church circles as well, but I also recognize that my experience is pretty rare. Growing up in such a religious household and having parents who were immediately accepting and loving, I think their love is really the main reason why I was able to be open to things down the line. They are a great example of loving people.

But it was also hard at times. Being raised in an accepting household and then seeing that outside culture was totally different, it was confusing. I ended up coming out a lot later because I was so confused about the different messages that were swirling around. It was never made clear to me that being gay was not a sin because we never really talked about it. My parents never talked about it, but when I would go to youth events, conferences, and mission tops, they would talk about it and it would be a sin. So, yes, it was just so confusing. That is the word that keeps coming to mind. Being queer in a religious movement for me was kind of a mindfuck.

Did you never lose your faith?
I actually did when I was presenting as the most straight and the furthest from myself. I probably looked like a very good Christian girl when I was the least interested in God. I would be at the youth events, so my hands were up, and I would look really good, but I was not present at all. It was only when I started presenting as myself and living authentically that I found that a divine relationship was available to me. I was interested in that when I started living as the person I always was. The irony is that I was furthest from my faith when most people would have looked at me and been like, look at that good Christian girl.What advice can you offer to those who have come out in religious environments but have been shunned by their families and communities?
For me, it would have been helpful to hear that you are not alone. I really remember feeling like no one has ever experienced loneliness like this before, no one has ever experienced heartbreak like this before, and just feeling that no one understood me. So, know that in your heart of hearts that there are people out there who are going through something similar. They are rooting for you and love you, even if you have not met them yet.

The other thing I would say that was helpful for me is educating myself on queer theology and affirming theology. A lot of times, the Bible and scriptures are just thrown in your face as though this is something beyond any discernment. It says this, so you are going to Hell. That’s it. It was helpful for me to go back and do my homework on the context of those verses and go back to interpretations and translations. You should not feel the need to proof text your life to anybody because you are a living, breathing human. You do not need to defend your existence. However, if you want to, because it was helpful for me, there are resources if you need those rebuttals. Look them up and get comfy with them.

Do you think Preacher’s Kid will open a door for more LGBTQ Christian artists?
I hope so. Let’s do it. We were told that no one would be interested in this. That this would not do well, and no one would care. I think the opposite has been proven to be true. This is without any playlisting or any help from any Christian media. I truly think it is just the beginning. I want to see more people share their stories. I have had a few people already send over demos for me to hear. They were like, I was going to put this under a different genre, but I really think that this is a Christian song. This is about my Christian faith. I have been blown away by what some people are writing from a similar space. Like, they cannot gatekeep all of us. There is so much truth in numbers, so I hope people start going for it.

What more do you hope to accomplish with your platform?
[Laughs] How much time do we have? In the immediate future, I really want to record a full-length album, and I want to go on a tour when that is available. Those are things that are at the forefront of my mind right now. I would like to do them within the next year or two. I would love to just check off my list.

Before we wrap up, are there any other upcoming projects or anything else you would like to mention our plug?
I cannot think of anything right now. Just stream Preacher’s Kid and stream it a lot!

Follow Baldridge on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok, or visit her official website to stay up-to-date. Preacher’s Kid is available on Spotify, Apple Music, and all other digital streaming platforms.

Photos Courtesy of Semler