TobyMac Says a ‘Freshness’ Is Emerging in Christian Music ‘We’ve Needed for a While’

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Legendary Christian artist TobyMac says he's optimistic about the future of the CCM industry, pointing to a "fresh" wave of artists who are breathing new life into a genre he believes was ready for renewal. The legendary artist reflected on the industry's future during a recent press conference prior to the K-Love Fans Awards in Nashville, where he was nominated for Artist of the Year, Male Artist of the Year, and Song of the Year (Nothin' Sweeter). 

TobyMac listed several artists, including Brandon Lake, Forrest Frank, Jamie MacDonald, Terrian, and Jon Reddick, as examples of artists reshaping Christian music. 

"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," TobyMac said. "I've kind of thought for a while that we need something really fresh to come out. And I feel like with Forrest and Brandon, Phil, Jamie MacDonald, I mean, there's just a bunch of artists -- Jon Reddick, Terrian -- these are artists that are coming out, and I think it feels really fresh.

"I feel almost like a little responsibility for our industry because I love it, and I've done it my whole life. 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.'"

TobyMac began his career as a member of the three-member group DC Talk before he launched a successful solo career and an equally impactful and high-energy annual tour, the Hits Deep Tour. 

He said he considers himself a "songwriter disguised as a pop artist." 

"There's some people that can walk on stage and just sing a song, and it's effortless and it's incredible," he said. "... I've got to work really hard. … Really, I'm a songwriter. That's what I do. I've written my songs from DC Talk to today, because I love writing songs. I love communicating the goodness of God, the layers of God in songs." 

That purpose, he said, has remained steady across the decades.

"My prayer from the beginning of my career has always been writing songs that turn people's eyes to the King," he said. "So that's my biggest hope. That's what I pray before I write any song: 'God, give me something that turns people's eyes to You. Give me a song that would reunite someone with You that walked away.'"

On tour, he said, he stays spiritually grounded by staying in God's Word. 

"I love the Bible. I read it every day. I think it's important. I have a philosophy -- God speaks to us through His Word, and we speak to Him through prayer. So if I'm not talking to God and He's not talking to me … do I really have a relationship with God at all?

"That's how I stay grounded, just by communicating with God."

Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.