After two years of starts and stops as a band, NEEDTOBREATHE is kicking off a North American tour in Winnipeg this April.

Their latest album Into the Mystery was written in the span of three weeks during the pandemic lockdown in 2021. 

"It was an interesting time," says Josh Lovelace, the keys player and backup vocals. "I think the whole world was trying to navigate what to do. We had just put out a record a couple of months before that, Out of Body, and we usually take a couple of years to make a record."

In the fall of 2021, the band was supposed to go on tour, but it was cancelled due to the pandemic. This provided a unique opportunity that the band took advantage of to write some more music. 

"We went to a house in Tennessee and lived together, made music together. We got up early every day and had coffee and breakfast and then we worked all day and hung out at night. It was one of those experiences that we never planned to be as special as it was."

NEEDTOBREATHE initially had a film crew join them during this time to get some background footage for another time. However, it was so special that they decided to create a music documentary about the experience. 

Living Authentically

"I think we've always tried to write songs that, one, we like and not just necessarily sell a bunch of records," says Lovelace. "But we've definitely been in a place where we feel like honesty wins. We've always tried to write songs that connect with the human experience."

A few newer songs touch on the idea of identity, including 'I Am Yours' and 'Who Am I,' but Lovelace shares an older album of theirs that was all about identity. 

"Our band, we've all struggled with our identity and who we are. Going back to the Outsiders, we felt like we were small-town kids in the big city, making music. We didn't know if people liked it, but we looked at ourselves and thought, we don't care because we are who we are, we're the outsiders."

The Connections podcast: real life, real faith

NEEDTOBREATHE enjoys singing songs about God, their faith, and how that affects their lives, just as easily as they enjoy singing about hardship in life or a woman they can't get off their mind. This crossover genre has allowed for some powerful collaborations with many singers. Some of these include Jon Foreman of Switchfoot, country-artist Carrie Underwood, Gavin Degraw, Andra Day, and Drew and Ellie Holcomb.

"We've known Jon (Foreman) forever. I don't know if long-lost band brothers are what Switchfoot is to us, but we come from the same mould. We've been inspired by them forever and yet we had never done any collaborations with them until this." 

"We're ready," says Lovelace. "We love coming up that way and it's been a few years since we did a whole Canadian tour, which was super fun. To start it off there is really cool."

NEEDTOBREATHE performs at the Burton Cummings Theatre on April 18, 2022.

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