(CP) Christian trailblazer TobyMac thought he'd laid down his iconic up-tempo songs for good following his son's death. But in creating songs for his new album Life After Death God revealed that even in the darkest depths of despair, he still had it in him and music would bring healing to him and his family.
In the album, TobyMac, whose real name is Kevin Michael McKeehan, opens the curtains to reveal the journey of grief he's been walking through since his family's loss and how God has walked with him every step of the way.
During an interview with The Christian Post, TobyMac opened up about the depth of his grief after his son, Truett Foster McKeehan, died from an overdose at his home on Oct. 23, 2019.
"Through this season, I just kept writing. I think it was my way of dealing with it, honestly, and even asking, being confused, and even being willing to lay out being confused in a song and being frustrated with God," he told CP. "But coming out on the other side, I realized how He's so good to us, and kind. Even in the darkest valley, He doesn't promise to take away the pain, but He promises that He'll be there in it with us, and He was and He is still."
The father of four said he and his family have done many things to process their grief, including writing songs together. Life After Death features a song penned with his daughter Marlee titled "Everything About You."
"I was just thinking to myself, 'How could I help my kids and myself deal with this kind of grief?'" he recalled thinking before approaching his daughter for the collaboration.
Life After Death is a collection of music that serves as a journal for the Grammy Award-winner where he expresses the "good, bad and ugly" of losing his firstborn son.
The new album is set to release on Aug. 19 and features 15 tracks, including his singles "21 Years" and "Help Is On the Way (Maybe Midnight)," which reached No. 1 on multiple charts. Also featured is a duet with Sheryl Crow, which speaks to hoping for the "Promised Land" amid the pain. His new hit single track "The Goodness" is also included in the collection of songs.
In a Q&A with CP, TobyMac shared details about many of his new songs and described the pain that led him to think he'd never write another uplifting, energetic song.
Read the full interview at The Christian Post.
