The 24-Year-Old Who Ditched Her Smartphone and Never Looked Back

July 09, 2026
00:00 13:13
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Anne Wilson is 24 years old, has a K-LOVE Award for Hey Girl, a debut country album called Rebel, a new book by the same name, and no social media on her phone. In 2023 she bought a flip phone, used it for a year, and has not looked back. She is one of the boldest Christian voices in country music right now, and she will tell you that boldness did not come from strategy — it came from watching her five-foot-tall, opinionated mother walk into rooms and say exactly what she believed.

Faith in country music, the emptiness Gen Z is finally admitting, and what it means to be a rebel for Jesus: Anne shares why she named her book, album, and lead single all the same thing — because Jesus himself was a rebel who went against the crowd, fixed what was broken, and spoke the truth whether people liked it or not. She also opens up about why she believes phones and social media are quietly destroying her generation, why country music artists are increasingly using collaborations with Christian artists as a safe way to share a faith they have never publicly expressed before, and the surreal moment she sang the national anthem at the Artemis 2 launch — exactly 10 years to the day she first visited NASA as a 14-year-old who wanted to be an astronaut.

Highlights

  • Why she named her book, album, and single Rebel and why she believes Jesus himself was the original rebel
  • What it actually looks like to follow Jesus boldly in today's culture beyond just going to church on Sunday
  • How her five-foot-tall, opinionated mother modeled boldness in a way that shaped everything about who Anne is today
  • Why she got rid of social media on her phone in 2023, bought a flip phone for a year, and still has no regrets
  • The Light Phone and why she recommends making your phone do only what a phone actually needs to do
  • Why she believes Gen Z is hitting rock bottom earlier than previous generations and why that is opening the door for Jesus
  • How country artists have used collaborations with her as a safe space to share a faith they have never expressed on their own records
  • Singing the national anthem at Artemis 2 exactly 10 years to the day she first visited NASA as a child who dreamed of space

Resources / Links / CTA

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Meet Your Host
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and culture for more than two decades. His stories have appeared in the Knoxville News Sentinel, Christianity Today, Toronto Star and Baptist Press.

Michael enjoys popcorn, college football, history, hiking, growing tomatoes, and watching his children play sports. He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, husband to his amazing wife, Julie, and the father of four super kids.
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