Katie Nguyen & Gloria Fanchiang
AACC Marketing/Communications Coordinator Katie Nguyen got a chance to talk with Gloria Fanchiang about her original worship song “God Who Sees Us,” lamenting anti-Asian hate. Read below as Gloria expands more on her heart and process behind writing this piece…
Katie: Gloria, hearing your song “God Who Sees Us” was both healing and restful for me. It was beautifully written, and I love how the acoustic version really lets us just sit in enjoyment of the melody and lyrics. What specifically were you thinking through when you decided to create this beautiful song, and what did the overall process look like for you to write on the heavy topic of anti-Asian racism?
Gloria: I began writing the song after learning of the attacks against elderly Asians in the Bay Area in early 2021. It disturbed me that this evil was happening and initially, mainstream media and society didn't know and didn't care. The story of Hagar in Genesis 16 gave me comfort and inspired the lyrics, as Hagar was deeply oppressed and forgotten by the world she lived in, yet God saw her plight.
Then six Asian women were killed in the Atlanta spa shootings in March. The following day I found myself weeping in a way I’ve never wept before. Since I am an Asian woman living in the US, to hear of a mass shooting of Asian women was so violating, so oppressive, so wrong. It grieved and scared me to think that I could have been one of the victims. That week I helped organize a vigil for my church at the time, and I was so grateful for the healing I found in sharing tears and hearing the hearts of other Asian Americans, especially women. Those conversations helped me finish writing the song, naming the pain of our communities but also declaring God's affirmations of us.
Katie: Thank you so much, Gloria, for spending time sitting in that pain and grief, and not only creating something so beautiful that can hopefully help to bring healing to the AAPI community, but can also help us to name aspects of our grief for the coming time. Looking forward, what is your hope for how your song will speak to our AAPI brothers and sisters now, almost a year past the tragedy of the Atlanta shooting?
Gloria: I hope that "God Who Sees Us" can be an anthem for Asian American Christians as we continue to face racism but also as we grow in our understanding of who we are and develop our unique voices. May the song also inspire other Asian American expressions of worship.
You can stream or download "God Who Sees Us" here.
Listen to the Mandarin Chinese version of the song here.
You can reach out to Gloria directly at glofanmusic@gmail.com if you would like to use the song in a worship service or in another context.
Gloria Fanchiang is a second-generation Taiwanese American songwriter, independent recording artist and worship leader based in Los Angeles. She is passionate about decolonizing worship and helping Asian American churches develop contextualized worship music and liturgy. Gloria holds a Certificate of Christian Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary and was named a Lovelace Scholar in 2019 by the Hymn Society of the United States and Canada. Connect with Gloria on social media @glofanmusic and learn more about her at gloriafanchiang.com.