Cole Swindell Teams Up With Brandon Lake For Surprise Performance Of ‘Make Heaven Crowded’

During Brandon Lake’s King of Hearts tour stop in Atlanta, GA on Sunday, October 5, Cole Swindell surprised fans as a special guest in his home state. In what Lake described as an intimate “living room session,” the GRAMMY-winning Christian artist welcomed his “new good friend” to the stage, where they performed Swindell’s latest release, “Make Heaven Crowded,” together.

“Would you guys please give the warmest welcome to my new good friend, Cole Swindell, y’all,” Lake told the crowd, prompting a roar of excitement to sweep through the venue.

The pair of artists sat on a set of stools in the center of a spotlight with Swindell’s co-writer, Joel Hutsell on guitar, and took turns singing the powerful ballad that finds Swindell questioning what things would be like if more people accepted Jesus into their hearts. 

Videos of the performance are already flooding the internet as fans make sure to highlight the powerful moment they experienced in Atlanta. In the clips, Lake can be heard talking about the doors that have opened for him in the country space recently, allowing him to meet fellow artists of a new genre and expand his artistry. One of the acts he’s met through this journey is Cole Swindell.

“I’ve been just having fun writing country songs filled with faith and country songs about my wife and all this fun stuff. Well, a really special guy, DM’d me and just super, super encouraged me. I’ve been a big fan of his music and he has a really special song that he just released,” Lake began.

@justkim__notkimberly @Brandon Lake surprises us with special guest @coleswindell and sings Make Heaven Crowded with him at the King of Hearts Tour, Atlanta 10/5/25 tour stop. #brandonlake #coleswindell #fyp #makeheavencrowded #worship ♬ original sound – 💫 🦋 𝓚𝓲𝓶 🦋 💫

The two of them revealed that their friendship began online after Lake took notice of the power behind Swindell’s new song.

“I just wanted to tell you thank you man, you did not have to bring this song up or even do any of this man,” Swindell told his fellow artist, sharing gratitude for his support behind the tune.

He admitted to reaching out to Lake, asking if he would be able to come attend the Atlanta show with his wife, Courtney. Lake then explained, “You can’t be who you are and be like, ‘I’m just coming to a show.’ Like, no, I’m going to put you to work,” he joked.

Swindell responded, “That’s fine. It’s an absolute honor.”

Lake explained that “Make Heaven Crowded” hit him extra hard because of the timing of its release. The “She Had Me At Heads Carolina” penned the tune with Greylan James, Joel Hutsell, and Blake Pendergrass. He teased a snippet of it to social media on September 20, just 10 days after the assassination of conservative activist and Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk. In the post, he revealed that the inspiration behind the story stemmed from a moving tribute from Kirk’s widow, Erika, who spoke publicly for the first time following her husband’s passing.

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A post shared by Cole Swindell (@coleswindell)

This situation hit extra close to home for Lake, who led what he says felt like “half the world” in worship at the Charlie Kirk memorial.

“You must be a songwriter, an absolute legend to turn around a song that fast after what we had all experienced. And I love that this song is literally sharing the story of it hitting all of us,” shared Lake.

Swindell went on to give a deeper dive into his thoughts behind the song’s message. “This is the first thing that’s ever happened like this, obviously. When I even saw you lead worship at his memorial, about a week before I’d heard Erika Kirk give her speech. I scrolled across it and it wasn’t what she said, it’s how she said it, who she was talking about. And I’d seen the phrase, I heard it before, but not like it hit me when she said, ‘you’re just making heaven crowded which is what you always wanted to do.’ I just, it hit me so hard. I said, if I was gone, somebody said that about me and just, it made me take a look in the mirror…”

“I wanted to see a show I’ve never dreamed I’d get to sing the song right here tonight,” he added.

With that, the artists performance the faith-driven narrative as well as one of Brandon Lake’s recent releases, “When a Cowboy Prays.”

Swindell later shared photos of that memorable night and further shared how much that moment on stage and Lake’s support really meant to him.

“Gratitude 🙏  If you haven’t seen his King Of Hearts Tour, trust me…GO. @brandonlake, what you’re doing up on that stage is absolutely incredible. It’s more than a show.. It’s a spiritual, emotional experience that I’m still not over. You could literally FEEL Jesus in the room all night. It would’ve been a blessing just to witness that, but for you to invite me to share my new song with YOUR sold-out crowd in my home state meant the world to me. Won’t ever forget it! Safe travels 🤝 Always in your corner”

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A post shared by Cole Swindell (@coleswindell)

Brandon Lake followed in his lead and noted he was “honored” to have the country act join him on stage.

“Honored to have the one and only @coleswindellhop up with us in Atlanta last night!!! Yall go check out Make Heaven Crowded & When A Cowboy Prays now!! 🤗🤗🤗”

Swindell added, “I’ll be talking about last night for a long time my friend. Still not over your whole set. Inspired 🙏”

“Make Heaven Crowded” gained such an overwhelmingly positive response from fans just in the teaser, that Swindell make a quick decision to release the song instantly. This turned out to pay off because it went on to claim the No. 2 on the all-genre chart and the No. 1 spot on the country chart.

In a new video, Swindell took a moment to reflect on the incredible reaction he’s gotten from fans of all ages. He explained, “this is what it’s all about…keep tagging me in videos, sharing the song, it’s powerful.”