Artist Interview: MONARK
At Seven Tapes, we’re passionate about spotlighting artists whose music carries both honesty and eternal hope. Today we sit down with MONARK, a Christian indie artist based in West Palm Beach, Florida, whose journey blends worship roots, raw songwriting, and a deep sense of transformation. With an upcoming release, “Trophies” (out September 19, 2025), MONARK invites listeners into songs that are vulnerable yet anchored in God’s truth. In this conversation, she shares her story — from discovering her artistic identity to trusting God’s approval, from navigating pressures of the music industry to writing songs that resonate with brokenness and redemption.
Q: Can you tell us a bit of your origin story? How you came up with your artistic name and what inspired you to start making music?
I’ve always loved music. I learned guitar around the age of 13 and began to serve in the church through worship around age 15. At age 16 I felt a calling to pursue ministry, and worship has been a really big part of that all my life. In my late teens and early 20s I would find myself writing songs as a way to process difficult emotions from events like break-ups, or questions of faith. These songs never sounded like worship songs, and at the time I didn’t know what to do with them. In my late 20s I started writing again more often, and these songs that didn’t quite fit a contemporary worship space were flowing out again. It was after writing “Changed” that it really became clear to me there was room for these songs in the world and that it was time to take them more seriously. Since my childhood I’ve had a fascination with butterflies. Whenever I see one, I feel the nearness of the Lord. I love the way they start as an ugly caterpillar, enter a cocoon and transform into a beautiful creature. I can relate to that! It reminds me of the journey of spiritual transformation, going from death to life, and the way the love of God can take our mess and make it beautiful. My name is Monika, so “MONARK” felt like a natural way to incorporate the butterfly.
Q: Which non-Christian influences helped you discover how to express your faith through art?
I grew up in the myspace era, and during my early teenage years (late 2000s) that was the platform that bands were using to get their music out and grow their audience. I have vivid memories of spending HOURS searching for new music to load onto my ipod. I am a true hobby listener– if a song speaks to me I’ll easily listen to it over and over on loop. Looking back now I realize that was my way of studying music - the instrumentations, lead lines, lyrics, the power of words and instrumental breaks. The alternative genre was especially in the forefront of creativity and its songwriting had an honest quality that felt like a unique moment in music history. I attribute bands like Death Cab for Cutie & Coldplay to teaching me how to capture an idea or feeling and translate it into words and sounds. I find myself doing the same in my songs - breaking down often complex or nuanced thoughts or emotions regarding faith and translating them into sound-bites that feel both deep & digestible in a way that hopefully makes the listener keep hitting repeat!
Q: Have you ever felt pressured to sound like the contemporary Christian music? How did you break away from that?
Since I grew up leading worship from age 15 and currently do that for work, it took me a long time to find my own sound as an artist. Worship will always be my first love and my offering to God, a lifelong discipline and service to the body of Christ. However, it caused me to feel boxed in during most of my teens and 20s when it came to artistry, because the songs that naturally came out of me felt more like my own personal processes and wrestling with God coming to life –not like corporate expressions of faith or CCM radio songs. I didn’t really know how to “place” them, or whether there was a place for them. The exciting thing about Christian music right now is that its broader than ever and expressed through every genre of music. You can find faith-based artists in jazz, EDM, punk rock, indie, classical…It is an exciting time to express the unique sound that God has given you!
Q: What has God taught you in a season of solitude, wilderness, or silence?
In the spring of 2024 I quit my job of 5 years and moved to the Netherlands for 6 months. I lived in a tiny house on what used to be a farm, outside of the city, with an empty schedule and no plans for my future, and God met me there in a profound way. I had gotten so caught on the hamster wheel of life that I had buried my deepest dreams. I was in survival mode, keeping myself busy to numb my disappointment. Jesus met me in the silence and solitude of nothingness, where he tenderly showed me what I had been avoiding. "What do you really want?" He asked me, and truthfully I didn't know how to answer. I had forgotten how to dream with God. In His loving kindness He reminded me of the desires he had placed inside from long ago, and showed me that I already had his approval. I thought I was waiting on Him, but actually He was waiting on me to walk in confidence and to know that I already have his "yes and amen" on my life and the gifts he has given me.
Q: How does your testimony show up in your songs? Is there something you once feared sharing, but now feel ready to?
The songs I write are intersections of my human emotions and limited perspective being eclipsed by God's goodness. They are summaries of my broken prayers and personal processes, and the truths God has given me in response. My song "Rewind", for example, is about coming from a broken family and its effects on understanding how to be a child of God. It came from a realization that I still, as an adult, don't always see the Father or myself clearly. The whole song is a prayer for God to continue to redeem these parts of me that I'm not even fully aware of.
Q: How do you balance being an artist and a follower of Jesus in today’s culture?
I genuinely believe that we will be accountable to the art we make and the way that it "leads" our listeners, either closer or further from the heart of God. Human beings long for a transcendent experience - we are awed by a sunset, feel our smallness when we see grand landscapes or the twinkling night sky, feel out-of-body during our favorite band's concert when they play that ONE song, shed a tear when we finish a book that tugs on our heart strings...I believe we are designed this way on purpose, because we are ultimately meant for the glory of God, and one day we will see Him face to face and be fully satisfied. Before we get to heaven, though, we are chasing glimpses of glory. I believe that is what good and faithful art is supposed to do- give us glimpses of the glory of God. When it comes to being an artist, it is so easy to glorify the self. In fact, it is encouraged! It's an industry based on "building a platform", and being "relevant". As a human, sometimes I want to harp on things that are broken, and get up in my feelings about it. As a follower of Jesus, I believe it is my responsibility to communicate that things are not as they seem, because all things will be redeemed. I have to communicate a BOTH/AND reality. Life can be hard, AND God is so good. I may not know what to do AND God has a perfect plan. I want to protect the integrity of my message to the world, and on a practical level I run my songwriting past people that I trust. I am willing to ask them "Is this being communicated clearly? Is it the perspective too cynical, etc?" I've decided that if its not redemptive, I don't need to put it out into the world. I'm not saying that things aren't nuanced. As a Christian creative my purpose is to communicate that nuance in the light of what is ultimately true, and let Christ supersede.
Q: In a world where worship music often leans toward resolution and joy, how do you make space in your songs for rawness and struggles in your walk in faith?
I truly believe God made music as a tool and vessel for us to be able to connect with Him emotionally. Music can access a space in our hearts that supersedes logic and allows us to feel. With that being said, the world is full of music that will lead us to feel unfruitful and non-redemptive emotions - whether it leads you to meditate on the hate you feel towards someone who has hurt you, sink deeper into feelings of hopelessness, or on the flipside feed your ego and flesh in a manner that leads to death and not life abundant that is offered to us by communing with the Holy Spirit. In all my songs I want to be honest about the human experience, but never devoid of truth & love. If I only ever wrote about how hard the struggle can be, I wouldn’t be showing the full truth – that God is good and that He can redeem all things. That joy comes after mourning. If I only emphasize heartbreak, I would fail to offer my listeners a pathway toward healing, which is through forgiveness. It isn’t about painting life as all sunshine and rainbows, but always providing an on-ramp to God’s reality where we can trust that goodness, love, and mercy is always available to us.
Find MONARK’s Music on our Spotify Playlists
Q: What does success look like for you now, as a Christian indie artist?
I wrestle with this question often, and I wish that it was talked about more honestly and openly by artists. I’ve defined success for myself as simply this: making songs that I’m proud of that are an expression of the gifts God has given me and that in turn bring Him glory. It is really easy as an indie Christian artist to compare your journey to others and to think you have to do it a certain type of way to “make it” in the industry. The temptation to judge your gift through numbers and public affirmation can be debilitating. We really have to know why we are doing what we’re doing and make sure our desires are not out of order. Author Peter Scaszzero has a definition of success that helps keep me grounded when I’m tempted to size my artistry up to someone else’s. He say: “Success, according to Scripture, is becoming the person God calls us to become and doing what God calls us to do—in His way and His timing.” I believe when you keep God’s perspective on your art in the forefront, its a reliable defense to keep the joy and beauty of art from becoming something heavy and jaded.
Q: Is there anything coming up we should know about? (New music, collabs, tours, etc.)
I have a new song called "Trophies" releasing on 9.19.25. This is definitely a raw and vulnerable one for me. I wrote it at a time when it seemed like I kept having to forgive the same hurt again and again. I was discouraged that I wasn't feeling complete freedom in this area yet. At the same time I was reading portions of Scripture where Jesus promised that he would reward things done in secret. It brought me alot of comfort to realize that some of our most difficult internal wrestles and repeated decisions to forgive, to love, to follow Jesus when it feels like dying to our flesh -- no one is going to applaud you for that, but God knows every detail and he sees it all.
