Dante Bowe is stepping back into the spotlight after what he calls a 'dark season.'

On September 26, 2022, the worship band Maverick City Music, which had been performing with Bowe, posted to Instagram saying they were taking a pause on their work with the artist, due to 'inconsistent behaviour with our core values and beliefs.'

On January 13, 2023, Bowe released his first single since the incident, titled 'Hide Me,' which he performed on Good Morning America the same day. 

In a CBN News/Studio 5 exclusive interview, Bowe opened up about taking time off at the end of last year after he was dismissed from Maverick City Music. 

"I mean, it's been an incredible journey the last few months. I feel healthier than ever. Better than ever. Brighter than ever. Feel closer to God. Yeah, I'm good," says Bowe in the video interview. 

Removing himself from the music scene altogether, Bowe shares how he ended up not only writing more songs but an entire album in the past few months.

"Me and my producer, John John Webb, who I call my angel because, in that dark season, John John was knocking on my door because I wasn't answering any phone calls. He was knocking on my door and came in and we just talk and he's like, let's go to the studio."

The artist says that his faith in God only got stronger over the past few months.

"God's going to use people and things to catapult you into your next step. So, I don't think it was like something that shouldn't have happened. I think it should have happened because now I have this incredible team. I've rebuilt my infrastructure with the most incredible people and most incredible producer, John John, who's helped me release Hide Me, and this entire album."

Bowe has also started his own record label called True Music and on that label, he'll release the new album, Press Play, in the following months. 

While Bowe initially made an apology statement, saying 'I sincerely apologize for the impact of my behaviour and that it has offended many people on the platform we share together,' he removed it from social media a few days later. The incident that led to the dismissal was Bowe posting a video of himself in a party bus dancing to profane rap music that has since been taken down. 

Now he says, "The trials are not in vain. Nothing is wasted. Nothing's in vain. I just feel like I never shut the door on God. I kept the door wide open because I need Him more in those seasons than ever I needed Him."

Both Maverick City Music and Bowe made comments wishing each other well at the end of their initial statements in 2022. However, it's unclear if the two will collaborate in the future. 

"I love Maverick, and I love Bethel music," says Bowe. "I mean, they've done so much for me and we're still friends to this day. I've always had support, but I just think, you know, different things are necessary for the next journey and it's God's plan and we're trying to do it right."

Bowe has collaborated with many artists over the past few years, including Crowder, Elevation Worship, Pat Barrett, and Blanca, to name a few. 

"You know, God oftentimes prepares us for the journey. And I feel like everything I've gone through and everything I'm going through is important. You know, it's very, very relevant to my destiny and my future. My purpose in those dark seasons is when you really see the light and when you really get revelation, a new vision, a new strategy, and new approaches to life. So I think, you know, it's just a part of growth."

The day after Bowe's single release, the mayor of Rockingham, North Carolina, John Hutchison, made a public announcement that 'January 14 be set aside as Dante Bowe Day.'