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Darren Mulligan, the lead singer of We Are Messengers, celebrated his daughter's 13th birthday by releasing a tear-jerking song.
Mulligan and his wife Heidi have four children together, and their eldest daughter, Emmanuelle, just became a teenager.
"It has been a wrestle, for me, letting go of that beautiful child-like relationship that we had when she was a small, wee baby girl," says Mulligan on the band's social media. "But I get the privilege of watching her grow up and navigate a really tricky world."
We Are Messengers released the new single "Losing You" on Aug. 8, 2025.
"I also get the privilege of stewarding that, guarding her, and protecting her. I think that's one of the great wonders of being a dad, is that the Lord entrusts these incredible human beings to us. My favourite thing about my daughter is that, even at my worst, she looks at me like I'm a good man. She sees the best in me even when I can't look at myself."
While Mulligan shares that there is a process of losing something when your child goes from kid to teenager, he also sees what he's gaining.
"We may lose some of the playfulness, some of the easygoingness, but we've gained this beautiful relationship. Whereby I've gained the privilege of being her daddy. I've lost something in that, but the world is gaining an incredible young lady."