Brandon Heath image courtesy of Centricity Music.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n“I thought this was going to be a record about mourning,” Heath shared. “But I\u2019ve learned that two things can exist at the same time. You can talk about heavy things with a joyful spirit, and I have totally embraced the paradox in this season.”<\/p>\n
This tension between sorrow and joy is woven through the album. Heath\u2019s music often reflects his deep faith, and this latest project is no exception. The title track, “Gospel Truth,” summarizes how Heath reconciles life\u2019s harshest realities with his unwavering belief in God. “It\u2019s one of my favorite songs I\u2019ve written in a long time,” Heath confessed. “It just fits me so well, and it tells the story of who I am and what\u2019s important to me.”<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Ache\u201d also includes the single “He Does (Oh By the Way),” a celebratory reminder of God\u2019s steadfastness, co-written with Kyle Williams and produced by a team that includes Williams, Micah Kuiper, Cason Cooley, and Andrew Bergthold. The song has already begun resonating with fans, reminding them of the comforting consistency of faith even amid life’s challenges.<\/p>\n
“Scars,” one of the album’s most poignant tracks, was inspired by the tragic shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, where Heath’s daughter was enrolled. It\u2019s a tribute to Matthew Solomon, the school\u2019s chaplain and a personal friend of Heath. On March 27, 2023, the day of the shooting, the singer and his family were grappling with a decision \u2014 whether to continue their daughter\u2019s enrollment at the school despite the tragedy that had unfolded.<\/p>\n
“We had already been admitted into The Covenant School for my incoming kindergartner, and just that morning, March 27 \u2014 we call it \u2018that Monday\u2019 \u2014 we got a little welcome bag on our front doorstep for our daughter who was to go to Covenant,\u201d he said. “We had to make a decision. Do we lean into this community who\u2019s been traumatized? The kids, you know, witnessed something that no human should ever have to witness. But we decided that we were called to that school.”<\/p>\n
A few days later, Heath reached out to Solomon, checking in on his well-being. “On my way into writing, I couldn’t write about anything other than him and the mourning that we were all feeling as Nashvillians, and really the world was feeling it at that time,” Heath recounted. “So I wrote a song that I saw as medicine, not only for Matthew but for our friends who go to The Covenant School.”<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Ache,\u201d however, is not just an album of sorrow. It\u2019s a project that also highlights resilience, community, and the enduring power of faith. “If you could have seen a few weeks ago, we did a play, \u2018Peter Pan\u2019,” Heath said, describing a moment of healing for the Covenant School community. “Our fifth and sixth graders, they were all on stage singing in that very building where something awful happened. And one of them sang a song that basically says, ‘I don\u2019t want to grow up.’ If you thought that innocence was lost that day, there\u2019s still a lot of innocence and beauty in these kids and this community.”<\/p>\n
Heath\u2019s daughter recently completed kindergarten at The Covenant School, marking a milestone in their journey of healing. “We are back in the building,” Heath stated. “Typically, they bulldoze buildings when something like this happens. We decided to reclaim our school because the enemy is not going to run us out, nor is the fear that he loves to delve out.”<\/p>\n
In addition to his music, Heath still finds time to encourage and mentor new artists, remembering how recent it was that he was the one seeking advice.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s my favorite line, \u2018I grew up on my music\u2019,\u201d he said. \u201cI always see it as this huge honor. I love helping (new artists) on their early road to figure out what their message is going to be. And I always like to say, \u2018Look, your story is enough. Just tell your story and (share your) music\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
“The Ache” is currently available through digital outlets<\/a> from Centricity Music.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Award-winning Singer-songwriter Brandon Heath, known for chart-topping songs \u201cI\u2019m Not Who I Was\u201d and \u201cGive Me Your Eyes,\u201d has once channeled personal grief and reflection into his music with his ninth album, \u201cThe Ache.\u201d The album, which released last week, features 11 original tracks co-written by Heath, is described as a “snapshot of the season”…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":683,"featured_media":3609,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[119],"tags":[1122,1125,1128],"class_list":["post-3606","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music-news","tag-grief","tag-sorrow","tag-spirit"],"yoast_head":"\n
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