Openly gay Christian singer Shawn Thomas will release a two-disc collection of songs in July, and the first single is a cover of Mariah Carey’s hit, "Hero."
The song begins, "There’s a hero/ if you look inside your heart / you don’t have to be afraid / of what you are."
It’s a fitting message for Thomas, the author of "Unashamed: Coming Out of the Second Closet" and the artist behind seven previous solo releases and the 14-artist compilation "UP: Unashamed Praise." As an artist, author and speaker, Thomas relentlessly preaches the message of salvation through Jesus Christ and that God loves us as God created us – whether straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered.
Thomas, the son of a preacher, has studied music for more than 20 years, and now writes and produces his own work in addition to producing music for other artists at his studio in south Florida.
The new CD set, "Covered and Created," will feature a full CD of original work (created) and a full CD of cover songs (covered), and is set for release in July.
"Hero" will debut on this Thursday, May 26 at 8 p.m. Eastern Time on www.rainbowworldradio.com, and will be played again on Sunday, May 29 at 8 p.m. Eastern on www.unashamedfaithcafe.com. The music video – an animated effort that pays homage to Thomas’ status as a huge comic book fan – will be shown for the first time on www.RightOutTV.com the week of June 6.
"I’m very excited about this new single and video, and about the upcoming release of ‘Covered and Created,’" Thomas said. "The songs I chose to cover are songs that have meant something to me in my life and in my faith — and a few of them might surprise a few people. The new original songs are more scripturally based than some of what I’ve written in the past, and my hope is that God’s message of love and grace comes through in those lyrics."
It has been three years since the release of Thomas’ last studio effort, "Worship and Desperation." The "UP" compilation was released in February.
For more information, visit www.ShawnThomasOnline.com.