Gospel singer Jimmy Levy confessed he didn't realize how real the "spiritual war" in the entertainment industry was until he was in the thick of it.
After he had his big break on "American Idol" in 2020, the singer said he went down a dark path before turning his life to Christ.
"When I was in the industry, I became very lonely, depressed, and I realized how dark it is," Levy told Fox News Digital. He said he witnessed other musicians engaging in "witchcraft," which influenced him to start dabbling in the occult.
At first the singer said he didn't believe in Satan and was just participating to fit in with his peers.
"I would I put a stupid tattoo on my hand of the devil," Levy said, showing the image on his hand. "I started hanging out around people that would proclaim themselves as worshipers of the devil. And I just — I didn't understand what I was getting myself into," he admitted.
But Levy said he soon started seeing negative ramifications from these choices. He now believes God was showing him "how real the spiritual war was and how real the devil in the industry was."
"That's when I started getting tormented at night by demons. There were times because I was smoking — I was doing a lot of things that were affecting my voice. And I couldn't even sing at some point. I started really getting attacked constantly, constantly. And I realized that Satan was real," he said.
At his lowest point he reached out to his friend Nick, who he said leads a popular online Christian ministry.
"He would always call me in the beginning and then through my career, all the times he saw me post some dark images or Satanist-looking things and he'd be like, ‘Jimmy, I want to tell you about Jesus.’ And I'd be like, 'I don't want to hear this. I'm Jewish. Goodbye,'" Levy said with a chuckle.
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Eventually his friend's persistence paid off. Levy revealed he turned his life to Christ, started reading the Bible and got baptized on July 4, 2021.
The singer said he started questioning his political beliefs afterward, as well. He explained how he wrote an anti-gun control song for the Parkland shooting victims in the past and expressed sympathy for Black Lives Matter. After his faith conversion, he started to feel like he had been misled on these issues.
"I was just an artist, so – now I see from my perspective how all of these artists in the industry – they know not what they do, you know, and God forgives them for that. But like there's some point where God gives you the eyes to see and you have a chance to turn from the past of the agendas that you're promoting… if you're given the eyes to see it, you have to deny that money. You have to deny that world. You have to deny the fame, everything, and just do what's right for God, for freedom, for America," he said.
Levy spent the past few years writing anthems like "This is War" and "Welcome to the Revolution" used in anti-mandate rallies during the COVID-19 pandemic before performing on an anti-Target song and an anti-Pride song this summer that rose to the top of the iTunes and Billboard charts.
While he thinks these songs were used to glorify God and influence the culture, he's ready to put his focus back on making worship music. His single "Amen" dropped last week and he is excited to be working on a full worship album now.
"So that was all cool and it inspired people at that time. But now it's time for God," he said. We fought it and you know, at the end God prevailed through it and an awakening happened… But now it's time for the spiritual realm."
