b. Montgomery, Alabama, USA. Raised in a devoutly Christian family, Freeman began singing in his local church and, like many of his contemporaries, progressed to leading a worship group. By this time he was also a proficient piano player. After graduating in 1995 from Southeastern College in Lakeland, Florida, he worked as a music minister in his home state before relocating to Nashville in an attempt to break into the music scene. After two years of struggling to be heard, Freeman secured his first break when he was signed to leading CCM artist Michael W. Smith’s Rocketown label. He released his self-titled debut in 2002, which unsurprisingly leaned heavily towards Smith’s own contemporary pop sound alongside some jazzier leanings. The album was overlooked on the crowded CCM scene and Freeman subsequently parted company with Rocketown. He remained in Nashville, working as a worship leader at a local church while continuing to write songs. American Idol contestant Mandisa performed one of Freeman’s new songs, ‘God Speaking’, in the show’s firth season. His independently-released second album took its title from the track and was distributed through Koch Records at the start of 2008.