Brandon Lake and wife Brittany recently left their three boys at home with family in South Carolina so they could spend some alone time together in New York. And while there, they did what any parents do without their children.
“We immediately ordered room service,” the Grammy-winning Christian artist tells PEOPLE with a laugh. “Most of the time I’m traveling by myself, but we’re trying to live it up since we are getting to work together.”
The creative couple recently released their latest creation in the form of the endearing children’s book Little Lion Lungs, a story of a young lion cub named Levi whose adventures have him learning all about the importance of gratitude.
“Brandon has been talking about [writing this book] for over a year,” explains Brittany, 36, during an interview with PEOPLE. “I would catch him drawing Levi the Lion and just being so creative. And one day I was like, ‘I think you need to do it.’ He had told me the storyline that he came up with in his head, and I was like, ‘Brandon, let’s do it.’ And then he got his team behind it and it just propelled from there.”
“It started as a clothing line based on the success of [No. 1 hit] ‘Gratitude’ and people responding to that lyric “you’ve got a lion inside of your lungs,” Brandon, 33, says of the creative beginnings of the book. “We’ve also always wanted to be a family that doesn’t just resource other families with music, but resources of all kinds that would help the family grow to be a worshiping family.”
Indeed, while Little Lion Lungs reads just like an enchanting children’s book, the message behind the adorable storyline is far stronger.
“This [book] actually has the potential to teach children that they were created to be worshipers,” says Brandon, who not only served as a co-host alongside Sadie Robertson at the 11th Annual K-LOVE Fan Awards last month, but also came home with two awards, including male artist of the year and worship song of the year for “Praise You Anywhere.” “The world distracts you and gets you to worship other things, but you are always created to worship God.”
Little Lion Lungs also ended up becoming quite a treasure for the Lakes, as it allowed the couple to spend much time together working on it. “Brittany is obviously queen of our home and sacrifices so much,” Brandon says. “She puts up with baby poop and dogs and animals everywhere and taking care of the cows, but she’s also always helping me with songs I’m working on and giving me great feedback. It’s definitely a family ministry for sure.”
And yes, you heard that right — the Lake family now has cows.
“I went from ‘Metro Brandon’ to ‘Farmer Brandon’ this past year,” admits the Texas-bred artist, who has collaborated in the past with groups such as Maverick City Music and Elevation Worship. “I bought Brittany a cow for her birthday. We have a farm in our backyard and Billy the cow has basically become our farm baby. My goal in life now is just to be a full-on cowboy.”
brandon lake music
And Brittany couldn’t be prouder.
“I think Brandon was made for this,” Brittany tells PEOPLE. “I’m so proud of him. He stewards our family first. But that’s no surprise. I know that this is what he’s called to do, and I just love supporting him. He’s just so natural and just loves people so well.”
It’s this pride that also always extends to their three children.
“Our 9-year old did a buddy reading day at school and he brought our book,” recalls Brittany. “He read it to a kindergartner, and he said that they read it twice because they loved it so much.”
Now that Little Lion Lungs is out, the hitmaker says he’s looking forward to spending some quality time with the family before beginning the Summer Worship Nights tour in August and then his Tear Off the Roof Tour in October.
“As a family, we’re going to go for a few weeks to the beach and I’m going to turn the phone off,” concludes Lake. “And then, I’m really excited about new songs. It’s what my heart burns for more than anything. This next season is really going to be about family and creativity … and farming.”
