Christian music icon TobyMac is back with a new album that delves into his personal reflections on life and the afterlife. “Heaven on My Mind” showcases the artist’s vulnerable and introspective side as he grapples with the realities of the human experience.
In the album’s title track, TobyMac sings about the increasing presence of heaven in his thoughts, acknowledging that “life ain’t bad down here” but expressing a growing desire for the eternal. The artist explained that this shift in perspective was partly driven by a personal loss that forced him to reevaluate his priorities.
“It forced me to look at my life a little harder and look at where I’m setting my treasure,” TobyMac shared. “And if I really, really believed or not, honestly, I had to come to a point where I was either ‘all in’ or ‘all out’ for me, and it became ‘all in,’ thank God.”
This sense of spiritual urgency is showcased throughout the album, as TobyMac grapples with themes of regret, purpose, and the longing for something greater. On the track “Rearview,” featuring Juan Winans, the singer-songwriter reflects on the tendency to dwell on past mistakes, acknowledging that “regret is something that I struggle with.”
“Sometimes I look back on conversations or things that have happened in my life, and sometimes I regret those. That sometimes slows me down versus just walking in my calling and looking forward to those things that lie ahead,” TobyMac explained.
Despite the album’s introspective nature, TobyMac remains committed to crafting music that resonates with a wide audience. He believes that the struggles and triumphs he explores on “Heaven on My Mind” are universal experiences that many listeners can relate to.
“I always try to write songs for my life, because I feel like none of us are that different from each other. We are struggling with things. We’re all experiencing some valleys and some hilltops,” he said.
As TobyMac looks back on his journey from a “boy from Virginia” to a successful artist based in Nashville, he offers a simple yet profound piece of advice to young creatives, one that he might also offer to his younger self.
“Don’t kick down doors,” he said. “As a believer, you ask God to light your path, and stay on the ready for the doors that He opens. When He opens them, step through them.”
Even through the losses and valleys of the last few years, the artist still reflects on the faithfulness and goodness of God.
“God’s been teaching me that He is good, that He is trustworthy, that I can put my weight on Him. I can lay my burdens down. He will shoulder them. ‘I got lost in the blue of the sky,’ he says, borrowing a line from his new song, “Been Through It.” “I thought everything was great, everything was good. We got this dialed, until you get your legs cut out from under you, and then, you find out God’s good — like He’s really good — through all of it.”
“Heaven on My Mind” by TobyMac releases March 9 from Capitol Christian Music Group.
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