TobyMac on making every moment count
Hip-hop/pop artist TobyMac has been in the game for nearly 30 years, having gotten his start as a member of the immensely successful trio dc Talk in the late-‘80s then launching a solo career in the early 2000s.
During that time, he’s sold millions of records, earned several Grammys and other big awards, topped the charts on multiple occasions and become one of the contemporary Christian Music genre’s biggest stars.
Yet the Virginia-born, Nashville-based star is hardly resting on his laurels these days. Instead, he still seems as motivated and passionate about his career as ever, writing songs for his next album, collaborating on projects with other artists and getting ready to headline the Spirit West Coast festival on June 11 at the Concord Pavilion.
“It’s all a matter of your heart and your attitude,” says TobyMac, answering questions as he drives to the studio to work on some new material. “For me, if I can get out on the edge of the seat, with my eyes open, believing something amazing can happen in (concert) or with this song I’m writing or this collaboration I’m doing with somebody, then it keeps me in the game and it keeps me hoping. It keeps me alive in this thing.
“I think what kills people is that jaded spirit, that sort of gloomy ‘another city, another show, another town.’ And it’s sort of taken all for granted. And I try to fight that every day.”
He addresses similar themes on his latest charttopper, 2015’s “This Is Not a Test.”
“I think we always need a reminder to make every day count,” says TobyMac (born Kevin McKeehan). “And my way of saying that was to call my album ‘This Is Not a Test’ — this is the real thing.’
“Make every moment count.”
That’s what he hopes fans will do at Spirit West Coast, as they listen to all the CCM acts — such as King and Country, Crowder and Mac Powell — in the lineup.
“It’s music that not only makes you move on the outside, but hopefully moves you on the inside,” he says.
Besides consistently topping the Christian music charts, TobyMac is one of the few CCM artists who receives regular exposure outside the genre. Much of that has come from having his songs used in TV commercials and sporting events.
“I always hope for those things,” he says. “I just feel like my music fits some ads — and especially sports and action films — really well. It seems like those entities have taken notice, because I’ve gotten a lot of placements. And I’ve got a great team around me that helps me to secure those things.
“But, at the same time, I would be remiss if I didn’t say I kind of think that the only thing that hurts us in our market from getting those (placements) is the label that is put on us. I’ve always thought my music was for the whole world, not just for this niche called Christian music. I’ve always gone at it like it was for everybody.”
He knows that Christian listeners might have an easier time connecting with his songs, since “in my life, what I’m talking about, most things resolve in my faith in God.” Still, he believes that the principles found in his music can apply in many different ways and to many different people.
“If you’re listening to it with the right ears — which means, if you are listening to it with an open mind — I think it can help you, it can take you somewhere, you can enjoy it,” he says. “But if it’s touted with this heavy label, you might immediately say, ‘Oh, that’s not for me’ and turn a deaf ear to it before you even give it a shot.
“So, I always try to make music and songs that have a shot at moving everyone.”
The band dc Talk certainly moved a lot of people back in its heyday — and fans hope that it will do so again. There has been much talk lately about the trio, which officially went on hiatus in the early 2000s after delivering such platinum platters as “Free at Last” and “Jesus Freak.” The three members — TobyMac, Michael Tait and Kevin Max — have combined forces a few times in recent years, most notably when they recorded the tune “Love Feels Like” for TobyMac’s last album.
“That was a song that was near and dear to my heart, because it was about my dad who just passed,” TobyMac says. “They knew him well. And it was honor to have them on my record.”
Now, the trio has announced plans to embark on a reunion cruise (yes, cruise). That, of course, has fans excited about the possibility of a full-fledged dc Talk tour/album.
Yet TobyMac says the cruise is all that is officially planned at this point.
“That’s it right now,” he says, quickly adding that they haven’t ruled out future dc Talk projects. “I don’t think the doors have closed on anything. We are kind of remaining open to what doors open and what feels right for the three of us to do. We want it to be sort of natural.”
But that’s a conversation — and contemplation — for another day.
Right now, he’s in the midst of crafting his next batch of solo material.
“I’m kind of a song crafter. I don’t go, like, ‘OK, it’s written in one day. Thank you,’” he says. “I sort of craft and I craft and I craft. Each (song) takes months. But it’s how I like to do it, to make sure that each one is as beautiful as it can be.”