For artist and songwriter Seph Schlueter, his debut single “Counting My Blessings” hitting No. 1 on Spotify Brazil’s Viral Playlist was beyond unexpected. It’s a story covered in God’s fingerprints, one Seph is all too happy to share.

As a young high school graduate, Seph joined a missionary group/youth retreat in Ohio as a worship leader. “I gave my life to the Lord in high school,” Seph shares, “and made the decision to give Him my whole life. I joined Damascus to be a part of bringing revival to the Catholic church, for students and families to have a real encounter with Jesus.” As he grew in leadership at Damascus, Seph was also developing his songwriting skills. The more he wrote, the more his songs gained traction within the Damascus and Catholic community. Friends encouraged him to send his songs to record labels in Nashville. “I didn’t know anyone in the music industry or where to send my music. An artist I followed on Instagram made a post thanking a bunch of people at her label, so I wrote down all their names and sent my song to them as well as a bunch of artists I looked up to. That usually doesn’t work too well,” Seph jokes.

He wasn’t expecting anyone to respond and was overwhelmed when he got a message back from Phil Wickham. He and Seph became friends and Phil eventually invited Seph to play some shows with him. Another response he received was from A&R executive Jon Sell. Jon brought Seph to Nashville and set up several co-writes, eventually becoming his manager. The team at Provident Entertainment loved what he was doing and signed him to a record deal. His debut EP, Counting My Blessings, is a bright, Ed Sheeran-esque collection of songs filled with Seph’s organic pop sensibilities and relatable lyrics that speak to his all-consuming love for Jesus. Little did Seph know he would be counting many more blessings as the song exploded both in the U.S. and Brazil. 

“This song is about gratitude and that’s so universal. Everyone can relate to gratitude. In a world where there’s so much negativity and complaining and fear, to see a song blowing up about gratitude is so important.” 

For Seph, launching Counting My Blessings on the heels of a viral hit only adds to his prayer for these songs. “I hope this EP gives people a framework for Jesus. These songs are my loaves and my fish for the Lord. If He wants to multiply it, that’s great. Multiplication isn’t my job, faithfulness is. If no one on earth heard my songs but only heaven sang them, that would be enough.”