Christian music icon TobyMac is feeling hopeful about the direction of Contemporary Christian Music (CCM), crediting a rising generation of artists with revitalizing a genre he feels was due for a fresh spark.
During a press conference at the K-LOVE Fan Awards in Nashville on Sunday, the multi-award-winning artist shared his thoughts on the evolving sound of Christian music. TobyMac, who received nominations for Artist of the Year, Male Artist of the Year, and Song of the Year for his single “Nothin’ Sweeter,” spoke with enthusiasm about the creative momentum building within the industry. Fans can tune in to the awards show airing Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET on TBN.
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.
Read the complete story at ChristianHeadlines.com
READ MORE ARTICLES:
- BMI Honors Christian Music’s Finest at 2025 Awards
- Glorilla and Kirk Franklin Release Music Video for BET Award winning song “Rain Down on Me”
- Maria Jacobs Unveils New Single ‘I Believe’
- Alexxander and Musiko Release a New Trap-Pop Song
- Tauren Wells kicks off spring with #1 book release of ‘Joy Bomb’
