Prior to the making of “Welcome to the New,” MercyMe frontman Bart Millard was burned out. Since 1994, he had poured tremendous energy into the band and his dire perfectionism was making him want to call it quits. However, he spoke to an old friend — a youth pastor from the first church camp MercyMe played 20 years prior — who convinced him to put his perfectionism aside, accept that God was already impressed and press on.
What resulted was a brand new album, MercyMe’s eighth studio effort to date. “Welcome to the New” is due out tomorrow (April 8) via Fair Trade, though Billboard has an exclusive advance listen, available below:
MercyMe’s last album, 2012’s “The Hurt & Th Healer” was written when Millard’s family was “hanging on by a thread,” after his cousin, a firefighter, had died. Millard recalls writing its title track while in tears at a concert arena.
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“I was thinking, ‘Why do we go through this mess, this junk in our lives?'” Millard says. “‘Is there any chance that what I’m going through is not in vain?'”
Millard assures the new album is the answer to those questions, an affirmation that his struggles were not in vain.
Watch the band talk about the making of “Welcome to the New” below, in this exclusive video:
On a lighter note, MercyMe explored new musical territory on “Welcome to the New” — even some dance grooves — particularly on lead single “Shake.”
“I grew up Southern Baptist which means I would be banished if I were to learn how to dance,” Millard jokes. “We thought it was a great way to kick off the record. It’s a little bit of a departure from what we do.”