By India McCarty
TobyMac is “grateful” for the new wave of Christian artists coming up behind him.
“I think there’s a freshness coming that we’ve needed for a while, and I’m so grateful to get to watch it bloom right in front of me,” he said during a recent press conference at this year’s K-Love Fan Awards.
TobyMac listed up-and-comers like Brandon Lake, Forrest Frank, Jamie MacDonald, Terrian and Jon Reddick as some of these “fresh” new faces.
“I feel almost like a little responsibility for our industry because I love it, and I’ve done it my whole life,” he continued. “I’ve served Christian music my whole life. And Christian music, it’s kind of served me my whole life. So I care for it, I sort of want to shepherd it a little — not that it’s my responsibility, but hey, I care — [I’ve] done it my whole life. So to see this sort of fresh air breathe through it excites me, and it tells me, ‘Okay, we’re okay.’”
Earlier this month, TobyMac celebrated his K-Love Award nominations with an Instagram post.
“I don’t always love awards for art, cause art is not competition but really a gift from God,” the singer wrote. “And there are so many artists and pieces of art that are so inspiring yet never recognized. But if this is any indication that maybe God chose to use a song to turn someone’s eyes to Him…that is an honor.”
One of his nominations is for Song of the Year for “Nothin’ Sweeter,” a track off his most recent album Heaven On My Mind. TobyMac told PEOPLE that the album captured “the next phase” of his grieving process as he continues to mourn the loss of his son Truett, who passed away in 2019.
“It’s walking through this and getting to a point where you can breathe again and live again,” he told the outlet. “And still grieving deeply, but gaining a footing to where you can throw your fist up in the air and say, ‘I’m going to live. I’m going to live to honor God…and to believe, but also to honor my son.’”
TobyMac added, “It’s not like I’m standing around just thinking about eternity or heaven. I feel like I’m here and I want to live every day with purpose. I’m here for a reason. I don’t want to miss what’s in front of me.”
TobyMac might be ready to pass the torch on to the next wave of Christian artists, but listeners all over the world are still eager to hear new music from the singer.
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