JUNO-nominated and multiple GMA Covenant Award-winning pianist, composer, and arranger Mike Janzen has released his eighth solo album, The End of Myself, available now on all digital streaming platforms via Wings Music.
Blending elements of folk-pop, jazz, and roots music, the 12-track project presents a deeply reflective and organic body of work that continues Janzen’s reputation for thoughtful, genre-blending composition. Written, produced, and arranged by Janzen with Phil Schawel (Jon Guerra, Patrick Mayberry) mixing three of the tracks, the album explores themes of surrender, renewal, and rediscovery.
At its core, The End of Myself reflects on the idea that personal endings can often become unexpected beginnings.
“Back in 2016, I suffered a debilitating concussion and found myself at the very bottom, unable to work or do much of anything,” Janzen shares. “God was surprisingly present at the bottom in those years, and I slowly discovered a new path forged not from my abilities but from being loved by the Eternal.”
Across the project, Janzen leans into vulnerability and spiritual reflection, examining the tension between artistic ambition and humility, success and obscurity, and personal failure and grace.
“When writing songs, I often pick themes that challenge my assumptions and change me as I absorb the words,” he explains. “In these songs, you’ll hear the tension of being an artist in the spotlight with knowing greatness is found in the unnoticed margins. The self-donating nature of God is contrasted with my self-promoting realities. These songs challenge me to value community over individualism and to redefine seemingly insignificant tasks as holy work.”
Standout track “The Bottom of Myself,” featuring guitarist Joey Landreth, captures the album’s emotional centre, reflecting on hardship and the quiet presence of faith in life’s lowest moments. Elsewhere, songs like “Unless a Kernel of Wheat,” “Three Times,” and “Firestorm” explore themes of surrender, restoration, and transformation, while “Make My Life Great” shifts focus toward humility and collective flourishing.
Janzen describes the project as both deeply personal and spiritually formative.
“This transformation from death to life is at times painful,” he says. “But I hope that the seed of the kingdom is growing deep in my life and producing fruit that blesses the world around me.”
The album concludes with “Bells of the Carillon,” an atmospheric closer that reflects on journeys of ending and renewal.
Janzen will celebrate the release with an album launch event at the Redwood Theatre in Toronto on June 4 at 7:30 pm ET.
A versatile and highly respected figure in contemporary music, Janzen has built a diverse career spanning jazz, classical, and worship-influenced compositions. His previous works include The Psalms Project (2021), praised by Steve Bell as “a marvel in songwriting,” and Songs from the Canyon (2023), which featured collaborations with GRAMMY-winning and Indigenous artists.