TobyMac drew from both the personal and the political for his new album, The Elements, which releases today (Oct. 12), three years after his Grammy-winning, Gold-certified 2015 project This Is Not A Test.

“Every day there are things you set out to do but at the end of the day, there can be this crazy-world beat down, so I labeled those things ‘the elements,’” he says in describing the album’s title track. For the new album, he continued work with Bryan Fowler and David Garcia.

Vulnerable album track “Scars” was partly inspired by McKeehan’s son Truett, who is pursuing his own musical dreams in Los Angeles.

“I wrote that about a few different relationships but it started centering on my son, and just wanting him to know he is not alone, but at the same time, I want him to experience his own life. Watching people get cuts and bruises in this big crazy world, it’s hard. It’s kind of from that perspective.”

Perhaps the album’s most arresting track comes with “Starts With Me,” featuring CCM rap artist Aaron Cole. TobyMac penned the track, which takes a stark look at racism in America, nearly two years ago. After finishing the production work on the song with Cole Walowac with Capital Kings, Tobymac still felt the song was lacking.

“I thought what if there was another dimension to the song rather than just me?” TobyMac says. “What if it was both sides of this whole race situation that we have in America speaking out? Aaron is an amazing singer and songwriter. I love the fact that it speaks from both sides. I think until we are ready to be that honest with each other and really look at our history and recognize and discuss, then I don’t think true healing will happen.

“I think it comes down to forgiveness, confession and then filling those cracks with deep compassion, I think we can begin. I don’t think it’s a societal, one thing–it starts with each individual and I’m trying to be that in my life. If we can all individually be more aware, I think we can start to see societal change.”

 

The track also touches on various viewpoints that are passed down through generations, again drawing from his own childhood.

“I think for me when I was growing up…there was never any blatant racism, but there were things said that my dad told me that his dad said, and things that my dad told me that were just subtly racist, and just not where I want to be, you know? And not what I want to pass down to my own children. They were coming from a whole different era, and just to be able to look at those things and sort of recognize the subtle prejudice in them, and say it and name it, and begin to heal from it and change what you are passing down, I think that is really important stuff.”

Since putting out his first album as part of breakthrough CCM group DC Talk in 1989, and through his own solo albums, including 2004’s impactful Welcome To Diverse City, TobyMac has never shied away from confronting racism in its various forms. His Diverse City Band, which he has toured with for more than 15 years, represents a myriad of cultures.

“On the road, we are transparent, we laugh a lot, cry a lot and fight a lot,” he laughs. “We are family. We are close but we are also willing to be honest with each other and I think those relationships, when things happen in society, we discuss them. There have been societal things that are hard, with race relations and to be in a mixed household and in a mixed band, there are all kinds of conversations happening, discussing what the right answers are and how to look at things on a deeper level.

“I’ve gone through years of walking with African American friends and seeing many incidents firsthand, so I think if people have never walked closely with someone of another culture or race, it might be difficult to spot or you might be naive to it. But if you open your eyes and heart and become sensitive and aware, you start to see it, and it might open your heart to confession and forgiveness and compassion.”

Throughout the album, which he wrote both at home and on the road, TobyMac drew deeply from his life over the past three years.

“When I write fictional, people don’t tend to relate as well. When I’m just honest and write about my own life and my own struggles, or the times I was there for someone or when I wasn’t, when I write those things, it tends to resonate with people on a deeper level, because I think people aren’t that different from one another.”

The CMA visited Los Angeles Wednesday (Oct. 10) with multi-platinum superstar duo Florida Georgia Line, joined by Corey Crowder, Ernest K., HARDY, RaeLynn and Canaan Smith to meet with students from the Harmony Project followed by a sold-out CMA Songwriters Series performance at The Novo.

On Wednesday afternoon Crowder, Ernest K., HARDY, RaeLynn and Smith welcomed students from Harmony Project at The Novo for a conversation about the craft of songwriting, and FGL’s Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley surprised the group and shared their own tips on songwriting before inviting the students to watch soundcheck. Following soundcheck, the CMA Foundation and U.S. Bank surprised students with 102 new musical instruments as well as tickets to attend the CMA Songwriters Series show that evening.

Following the visit, the artists took The Novo stage to perform and share the stories behind their hits. FGL kicked off the night with their 2013 CMA Awards Single of the Year “Cruise,” as songwriters joined the duo on stage throughout the night, praising each other for their work and cracking jokes in between songs. The show wrapped with the full lineup performing FGL’s record-breaking No. 1 hit “Meant to Be,” that had the entire crowd up on their feet as Kelley addressed the students from Harmony Project in the audience and said, “Rock on. Don’t take no for an answer. Chase your dreams. If we can do this, you can too!”

Harmony Project provides tuition-free music education and social support to 3,500 youth across Los Angeles, Southern California and beyond. More than 90 percent of students in the program, which begins in elementary school, go on to graduate high school and enter college. The CMA Foundation provided a $50,000 grant to Harmony Project this year and has invested $350,000 through a five-year partnership. Additionally, U.S. Bank granted $25,000 to Harmony Project as part of its Community Possible giving platform and its Places to Play partnership with the CMA Foundation.

When CMA New Artist of the Year nominee Brett Young stepped to center stage at the venerable Ryman Auditorium on Oct. 10 for his first sold-out headlining show at the Nashville institution, he was checking off a dream performance that has long been on his bucket list.

“I have a top 10 list of venues I’ve always wanted to play and the Ryman is definitely in that,” Young told MusicRow the day before his headlining show. “I played Madison Square Garden with Luke [Bryan], Hollywood Bowl and Bridgestone Arena with Lady Antebellum, and The Gorge [Amphitheater] for Watershed. The only two left have been the Ryman, and Red Rocks in Colorado.”

The Ryman’s highly-praised acoustics perfectly complemented Young’s warm voice, which dripped with blue-eyed soul as he offered renditions of his four No. 1 songs from his debut album, as well as new gems from his forthcoming second BMLG Records album Ticket To L.A., due Dec. 7.

Previously, Young had only appeared at the Ryman Auditorium twice—and both of those appearances were one-song performances.

“They were both great experiences, but with the Ryman being such a bucket list item for me, they don’t count—not until I’m a headliner and it’s my name on the ticket. It’s an honor to walk on that stage at any moment, but this feels like the real rite of passage.”

Just hours before his Ryman Auditorium show, Young celebrated the fourth consecutive No. 1 song from his self-titled BMLG Records debut album, with “Mercy.” The song spent two weeks at the top of the country charts and has been certified Platinum, as has his debut album. “Mercy” follows his Platinum-certified “Sleep Without You,” 3x Platinum “In Case You Didn’t Know,” and Platinum-certified “Like I Loved You.”

Industry members gathered to celebrate “Mercy” at Nashville Underground, a restaurant and music venue owned by pop star Gavin DeGraw, who also makes an appearance on Young’s Ticket To L.A.

ASCAP’s Michael Martin and BMI’s Leslie Roberts hosted the event, which feted songwriters Young (ASCAP) and Sean McConnell (BMI), as well as producer Dann Huff.

The song marked beloved Nashville artist and writer Sean McConnell’s first No. 1 country song. McConnell also co-wrote the final track on Young’s Ticket To L.A. album, titled “I Don’t Wanna Write This Song.”

Pinnacle Bank and First Tennessee Bank were also honored for their part in presenting the No. 1 party. Others celebrating the chart-topping hit were Warner/Chappell’s BJ Hill, Alicia Pruitt, Big Machine Music’s Mike Molinar, members of Young’s management team at 377 Management, and Big Machine Label Group’s Jimmy Harnen. Young and McConnell were also honored with MusicRow Magazine’s Challenge Coins, to honor their No. 1 song.