Michael Hughes Watson

Michael Hughes Watson is a Christian pop music artist from Portland, Oregon.^[1] He is the lead vocalist of the Christian indie rock band Above the Golden State, active from 2007-2014,^[1] and one half of the indie folk duo Lag Season. In addition to being a music artist, he is also a pastor.^[2]

Michael Hughes Watson
Watson in 2019
Background information
Genres	Pop, Indie pop, Lofi pop, Contemporary Christian
Years active	2018-present
Labels	Independent
Member of	Lag Season
Formerly of	Above the Golden State

Career

Watson released his debut extended play, Here, on January 26, 2018.^[3] It was preceded by another extended play, Wait, released May 17, 2019,^[1] which was followed by the albums Life & Good | Death & Evil on November 20, 2020.^[4] On November 27, 2020, he released an extended play titled the Dayspring EP. It included three traditional Christmas hymns and one original song, "Smoke in the Wind".^[5] It was followed by Feeling on April 9, 2021.^[6]

Since 2024, Watson has been one half of the indie folk duo Lag Season, in collaboration and co-production with Micah Bartel. They released several singles that year, including "Danny Boy", "Graves into Gardens", and "Surrendered". On August 30, 2024, they released an extended play, Preseason. On March 28, 2025, Lag Seasons released their second extended play, Contending.

Discography

As Michael Hughes Watson

Studio albums

Title	Details
Life & Good | Death & Evil	Released: November 20, 2020 Label: Independent Formats: Digital download, streaming Track listing 1. "The Lord's Prayer" 2. "Every Day (with Tim Dalrymple and Vanessa Dalrymple)" 3. "Strangers and Pilgrims (with Tim Dalrymple and Vanessa Dalrymple)" 4. "Loving Her (with Tim Dalrymple and Vanessa Dalrymple)" 5. "Thanksgiving (4-Track Recording)" 6. "Oo-De-Lally" 7. "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow" 8. "Say When" 9. "Bucket (with Tim Dalrymple and Vanessa Dalrymple)" 10. "If This Be All (with Emily Overstreet)" 11. "Loving Her (Acoustic)
Feeling	Released: April 9, 2021 Label: Independent Formats: Digital download, streaming Track listing 1. "Generation" 2. "Feeling" 3. "Falls into Place" 4. "Closer Than a Brother" 5. "Woods" 6. "Only Your Love" 7. "Remind Me" 8. "If Nothing Else" 9. "Purify My Heart 2" 10. "Lift You Up"
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Extended plays

Title	Details
Here	Released: January 26, 2018 Label: Independent Formats: Digital download, streaming Track listing 1. "Here" 2. "Your Love" 3. "Only Jesus" 4. "Here (Acoustic)" 5. "Your Love (Acoustic)" 6. "Only Jesus (Acoustic)" 7. "Here (Instrumental)" 8. "Your Love (Instrumental)" 9. "Only Jesus (Instrumental)" 10. "Here (Sam Conrad Remix)"
Wait	Released: May 17, 2019 Label: Independent Formats: Digital download, streaming Track listing 1. "Hanging onto Every Word That You Say" 2. "Words of Life" 3. "Wait" 4. "Hanging onto Every Word That You Say (Acoustic)" 5. "Words of Life (Acoustic)" 6. "Wait (Acoustic)" 7. "Hanging onto Every Word That You Say (Instrumental)" 8. "Words of Life (Instrumental)" 9. "Wait (Instrumental)" 10. "Words of Life (Uke Version)"
Purify My Heart 2	Released: March 20, 2020 Label: Independent Formats: Digital download, streaming Track listing 1. "Lift You Up" 2. "Only Your Love" 3. "Purify My Heart 2"
Dayspring	Released: November 27, 2020 Label: Independent Formats: Digital download, streaming Track listing 1. "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" 2. "Do You Hear What I Hear?" 3. "Go Tell It on the Mountain" 4. "Smoke in the Wind"
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Singles

Title	Year	Details	Album
"Smoke in the Wind"	2019	Released: January 1, 2019 Written by Michael Hughes Watson	Dayspring EP
"O Come, O Come Emmanuel"		Released: November 1, 2019 Written by John Mason Neale
"O for a Thousand Tongues"	2020	Released: February 27, 2020 Written by Charles Wesley	Non-album single
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

As Lag Season

Extended plays

Title	Details
Preseason	Released: August 30, 2024 Label: Independent Formats: Digital download, streaming Track listing 1. "IWALY" 2. "The Pain in Healing (Look to You)" 3. "Silence Our Enemy"
Contending (with Barely Tall)	Released: March 28, 2025 Label: Independent Formats: Digital download, streaming Track listing 1. "Make Another Way" 2. "Afraid" 3. "On to the Judge" 4. "Hear the Cry"
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Singles

Title	Year	Details	Album
"Danny Boy"	2024	Released: March 15, 2024 Written by Michael Hughes Watson	Non-album singles
"Graves Into Gardens"		Released: March 22, 2024 Written by Christopher Joel Brown, Michael Brandon Lake, Steven Furtick, Tiffany Hammer
"Surrendered"		Released: April 12, 2024 Written by Micah Bartel
"Silence Our Enemy"		Released: July 19, 2024 Written by Michael Hughes Watson Produced by Micah Bartel	Preseason
"The Pain in Healing (Look to You)"		Released: September 13, 2024 Written by Michael Hughes Watson
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.