TobyMac Reflects on Life, Loss, and Faith in New Album 'Heaven On My Mind'
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By Michael Foust, Crosswalk.com
TobyMac, a Grammy-winning Christian artist, emphasizes that the most meaningful moments of his decades-long music career happen not on stage but in authentic community and prayer backstage. As he tours with his newest album, Heaven On My Mind, TobyMac hopes to inspire listeners to deepen their faith through songs born from his personal journey of grief, struggle, and hope in Christ.
Groundbreaking artist TobyMac has been touring the world for more than three decades, but for him, the most important moments don't happen under the bright lights -- they happen behind the scenes. A legend in the music scene, TobyMac has won more than 25 Dove Awards, seven Grammys and an American Music Award while gaining a devoted following by first touring as a part of DC Talk and then as a solo artist with his high-energy Hits Deep Tour.
He released his newest album, Heaven On My Mind, recently.
Crosswalk Headlines recently spoke with TobyMac during a break on his tour as he prepared to take the stage that night. While touring as part of a Christian show, he said, the most important thing isn't just what happens on stage -- but what happens behind it.
"If we are community backstage, if we're praying together, if we're hoping for each other, if there's unity backstage and there's real God things going on backstage -- then the stage is just an overflow of the community that's happening, the God community backstage," TobyMac told Crosswalk Headlines.
The Hits Deep Tour is known for its dynamic blend of different artists. This year's tour features Crowder, Cain, Ryan Stevenson, and Terrian. His DiverseCity also has multiple musicians.
A Spirit-filled environment backstage, he said, "leads to this on-stage beauty."
"If we go on stage and act like we have that, but it's a mess backstage, then it's just hypocrisy," TobyMac said. "I want to focus on the real relationships that I have, and then when I go out to present my music -- I don't know those people, but I care for them because I care for everyone. I wish well for everyone. I care when I walk on stage for the people in that audience, deeply, I really do that.
"It's my prayer that God would move on their hearts, that the wayward believer would turn back to God, or God would introduce himself to someone for the first time, and the Christian that's walking strong would be encouraged and edified. But really, our relationships are backstage, and I think that leads to a great on-stage performance."
Heaven On My Mind is TobyMac's 10th studio album and the second one since the death of his 21-year-old son, Truett, in October 2020. The themes of the album, he said, involve the "good, the bad, the ugly of my life and trying to walk with Jesus for the last three years."
"I just try to write songs from my life, the things I'm experiencing, the valleys and the mountaintops and all the in between," he said. "I try to try to write songs that are based on the things I'm experiencing: my relationships gone good gone bad, the hardship and grief, trying to gain a footing again in my faith, all those things."
He hopes the album inspires listeners to strengthen and deepen their faith.
"I hope they become more intrigued with God," he said. "I hope they're drawn into his love. I hope that they realize that we should be putting our treasure in things above."
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.
