City of Enoch, a contemporary Christian vocal trio based in Salt Lake City, Utah, received the inspiration for the name of their group from the story of the prophet Enoch and his people in the scriptures. In Genesis 5:24, we learn, “And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.” And latter-day doctrine teaches, “And Enoch and all his people walked with God, and he dwelt in the midst of Zion; and it came to pass that Zion was not, for God received it up into his own bosom; and from thence went forth the saying, Zion is Fled” (Moses 7:69).
The group comprised of Jeremy Christensen, Brianna Curran, and Kyle Wesley have been writing and performing music together for about a year and released their debut album titled Sweet Redeemer with Shadow Mountain Records in April 2017. Deseret Book proclaims, “City of Enoch is the group that you have been waiting for, with a captivating sound that is described as ‘Lady Antebellum harmonies meet Christian Contemporary praise.’”
In an interview with Deseret News, Jeremy Christensen said, “The City of Enoch was a city that was so united in peace and love and mercy that the Savior himself walked among the people. He also commented that “the group’s mission is to create a City of Enoch-like community with their music. They focus on unity, love, peace, hope and Jesus Christ in their songs. Their goal in performances is to have the audience feel like a community. . .. That’s where City of Enoch came from — that desire to have us all feel one and united in love and peace.”
Christensen and Wesley sang together as a duo before City of Enoch was formed. Wanting to form a trio, and after considerable prayer, they discovered the voice of Curran on YouTube. Each of the musicians calls Utah their home – Christensen is from Hyrum, Cache County; Curran from Lehi; and Wesley is from Logan – and neither of them is a stranger to the music industry. Per the Time Out for Women (TOFW) website, between the three of them, they have “worked with top music executives worldwide, licensed music to major television networks and independent films, worked with brands such as Delta Airlines and KMC Wheels, made appearances on EFY albums, and written songs for artists such as GENTRI and Calee Reed.”
Besides making music, the trio also has regular jobs and families. All members of the group became first-time parents welcoming a daughter into their perspective family during the band’s first year. In fact, Curran was pregnant with her daughter during most of the band’s recording time. Her daughter was born two days after the group finished recording the vocals.
Christensen also admits that writing the music can also be a challenge at times. He told Deseret News that musicians often feel so much. “It’s just kind of in our nature. That’s where we get our songs from, that’s where we get the music from.” He also said that “it can be easy to get caught up in the emotion, and even feel depression or anxiety.” But he expresses that those feelings help him to relate his music to those who may be experiencing similar feelings. “I really don’t care how successful this becomes as long as every time we go play someplace, as long as one person is touched or is changed, or the depression or anxiety goes away for just a moment, that’s all I care about.” Wesley added, “Definitely the most rewarding part for me is those small moments when someone reaches out to you and shares how your music — how your creative creation — has blessed their lives or touched their lives or helped them to receive an answer that they’re looking for.”
Their album, Sweet Redeemer, features songs inspired by their mission “to invite others to come to Christ and to take advantage of His Atonement and His gospel.” Their desire is to share their message with peoples of all faiths. Their music is played on Christian radio stations.
