Faith, camaraderie, passion and creativity are a pretty potent combination, and it’s those forces that have propelled the members of Detour 180 from their home in New Zealand to a burgeoning career in the U.S. After becoming one of the most successful acts in the “land down under,” the Slanted Records quintet is rapidly earning a reputation stateside as one of the industry’s hardest working and most innovative young bands.

“It’s been awesome how God opened the doors for us to move to America,” says lead vocalist Adrian Robertson. “We moved to Nashville in the summer of 2005 and previous to that we did a number of tours out this way.”

Detour 180’s Slanted debut, Fighting for You, is bursting with the taut musicianship, visionary songwriting, and signature vocals that have earned them a global fan base. The songs cover a vast emotional and musical landscape. ‘Back to the Cross’ is a powerful, poignant look at the very essence of Christianity—what Christ did for us on the cross. ‘See My Saviour’ is a buoyant anthem with an uplifting message. ‘Recognise’ is a tender ballad about God recognising us in heaven.

“There’s a strong message of hope that comes through in a lot of our material,” says Adrian.

The band has had the opportunity to spread that message throughout the States due to their hectic tour schedule. One of the first things they did after moving to the U.S. was find a good booking agent and hit the road, performing more dates than many seasoned acts with a longer discography. On the concert trail, the members of Detour 180 have earned the respect of pastors and youth ministers because they have such servants’ hearts. “We go in and say, ‘How can we help you guys out?’” says guitarist Cain Coulton.

They love the reaction of American crowds but admit some other things about their new homeland have caused some confusion. “There are a lot of differences between you lovely American folks and ourselves,” says guitarist Morgan Lawrence with a mischievous grin.

“We’ve had a few problems driving over here. You guys drive on the wrong side of the road, and we’ve almost had accidents because people won’t move for us. And the light switch issue,” he continues. “When you walk in a room and turn the lights on, we flick them down but you guys flick them up. That’s caused some problems - many evenings in the dark because we couldn’t figure that out.”

The whole band erupts in laughter and it’s easy to figure out who the primary source of comic relief is in this band. There’s an easy camaraderie amongst the members and an obvious respect for what each brings to the group. They are eager to laugh, anxious to reach out and perpetually ready to share their passion for the Gospel.

“We’ve never settled for something that’s half-hearted,” says Adrian. “All of our music has come from a place of relationship with God. That’s why we call ourselves a Christian band. We love to play music and have a good time, but most important is that opportunity to change one person’s life if nothing else.”