TobyMac, the Christian artist, who released his first album since the tragic 2019 death of his son, Truett McKeehan, knows the depths of human despair. He’s known best for his upbeat, cheerful songs from Move to The Elements, yet after his son’s death, he wasn’t sure if he could write another one.

Days after the tragedy, he wrote 21 Years, a tribute to his son. Weeks later, he and his daughter Marlee wrote Everything About You, another song that looked back fondly on Truett’s life. He wrote two more, Faithfully and Promised Land, that alluded to the peace God had brought him during his mourning. None of them had the up-tempo rhythm that helped make Toby Mac famous.

The singer, a fixture for decades in the Christian music world, has long inspired fans with his music, but he has been on his journey to seek peace and restoration after losing Truett, who died of an accidental overdose at the age of 21.

TobyMac’s new album, “Life after Death,” was released on Aug. 19. He shared a statement with CBN’s Faithwire about how he navigated pain, processed loss, and emerged with a music collection that is both cathartic and sure to inspire his followers. TobyMac said, “As I started working on the songs that make up the ‘Life after Death’ project, I had no idea where this dark valley would take me. I’ve always written songs from my own experiences. My life. The good, the bad, and the ugly of it.”

Losing his son was a harrowing experience, different from anything he had previously faced. Despite writing songs to honor his son and process his pain, he asked, “How will my family get through this?”

As the months progressed, TobyMac explained how his heart was broken and how he continued processing his pain through music. He began to wonder whether he would forever make music from his pain rather than from triumphs. At one point, TobyMac thought he would never write another upbeat song again because it wasn’t in him anymore.

But the singer suddenly encountered a Scripture proclaiming, “God is rolling up His sleeves.” The verse, found in Psalm 98:1-2, helped transform TobyMac’s perspective. It reads, “Sing to God a brand-new song. He’s made a world of wonders! He rolled up His sleeves; He set things right. God made history with salvation; He showed the world what He could do.” After reading that verse, TobyMac said it started taking root in his soul.

Then something incredible happened: he wrote the song “Help Is on the Way” a few nights after finding that verse — an upbeat tune. What TobyMac thought was impossible was suddenly a reality, and he did it much quicker than usual. “I looked up after the smoke cleared, and I had written an up-tempo song; it felt almost miraculous… because I did something I thought I would never do again,” he said. “It wasn’t joyful. It was more brewing and intense. But it wasn’t a ballad. It wasn’t sad. There was hope in it.”

That scriptural discovery, though, didn’t just spark a musical breakthrough; it was also an infusion of hope.“I actually began to believe that help is on the way. That God is rolling of His sleeves on ‘my’ behalf,” he said. “I didn’t just write a song; I actually began to believe it.”

He continued, “God was good on His word. He came to me in the valley, and He showed me that He’s good, that He’s kind.”