Hey, I'm Finnish listeners. This is Casey Holford, technical director at Stitcher Studios.

I worked on the first and third seasons of this show, Deep South and Ernie's Secret.

Today, I'm here to tell you about a new show I've been working on that I'm pretty excited about.

It's called Sounds Gay. It's a documentary series about the intersection of music and sound

and queer lives and culture. One thing I like about this show so much is each episode is completely different,

a whole little world in itself. There's a grudge match between these two rap battle stars, which is fascinating and a little shocking.

There's an obscure VHS tape that trans people use to find their true voices.

And the most recent episode is the story of a brilliant misunderstood composer,

as told by different people who all have their own individual take on his life and work.

But this episode you're going to hear is about this huge music industry boom in the 90s and early 2000s,

known as CCM, Christian contemporary music. And it's told by queer artists who were in the scene

and struggled with their own relationship to it. Here's the other thing I love about this show.

Every episode tells a story I either had no idea about,

or if I thought I knew about it through a completely different light on the subject.

And this CCM episode is no exception. So sit back and enjoy Episode 1 of Sounds Gay from Stitcher Studios.

And if you like it, go find the rest of the show.

In the late 90s, there was a certain sound taking over the airwaves.

It had hints of rock, a little bit of folk, but it was nothing like a Lannis Morissette or Fion Apple.

It also came in other flavors, like hip-hop, punk, and even ska.

This sound had a message, one that made loving God and following the word of Jesus, cool.

This was Contemporary Christian Music, known by insiders as CCM. And these weren't your parents' hymns.

Oh, baby, the best, the hints. We're talking wow, this is what I call you. Do you know wow, the mixed

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