Jon Reddick’s No. 1 Hit ‘No Fear’ Became a Personal Anthem during His Wife’s Cancer Fight
The artist behind the No. 1 hit song No Fear says the lyrics emerged from his personal battle with fear and anxiety -- and have ministered to him as much as to his listeners. Jon Reddick landed the first No. 1 song of his career in May when No Fear soared to the top of Billboard's Christian Airplay chart, reminding listeners -- as the chorus boldly declares -- that "the mighty power of Jesus is fighting" for them. The song has remained on the chart for 21 weeks, including two at No. 1.
The song is the title track on his new album, No Fear, which marks his sophomore release.
"I realized that fear was debilitating me -- it had been doing it most of my life, and I stopped trusting people, and I just kind of shut a lot of things off," Reddick said during a news conference at the 2025 K-Love Fans Awards. "And then I went on this journey."
In March, his wife Rebecca was diagnosed with early-onset colon cancer. Thankfully, she had successful surgery, and a subsequent pathology report found that every lymph node was cancer-free. During those stressful days and weeks, Reddick said he was singing his own music -- on stage and away from the microphone.
"I'm singing this [song] about No Fear, and I'm scared," Reddick said. "I was looking at my wife -- I'm trying to be strong for her, and I'm in the back, I'm just weeping over and over again. And we've got seven kids together. My wife is a hero. She's the most amazing thing that happened in my life outside of God.
"God came, God healed -- got rid of [the cancer]. That's not everybody's story. [But] He just started showing us things and how to see people in a different way."
Now, fans are sharing their own stories with Reddick. One young fan undergoing medical treatment contacted him and said she's naming her teddy bear "Jon" because she, too, has no fear. Another fan contacted him saying the song brought him inspiration after he was diagnosed with cancer.
"Man, I'm grateful that I get to write songs and sing songs that put me in rooms or homes or radios or whatever -- for people to hear something that's giving them something encouraging," Reddick said.
More than a decade ago, though, Reddick was ready to walk away from music -- until Grammy winner Sheryl Crow reached out, saying she felt God prompting her to encourage him.
"I decided I was going to quit because it wasn't making money for my family. So I said, 'You know what, God, I'm done.'
"She was like, 'Hey, God told me I'm supposed to help you,'" he recounted.
She urged him to stick with music. At the time, Reddick was considering other careers.
"I tried to do computer science and other stuff, and God was like, 'I need you to do this.' This is the one thing that I realized is my purpose. I feel like He's called me to help bring people together through worship, and I won't stop doing it until I die."
WATCH: Sheryl Crow Stopped This Christian Singer from Quitting Music
Photo Credit: © Josiah Weiss/K-Love Fan Awards
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.
Originally published June 11, 2025.
