Newsboys lead singer says Michael Tait's vocals erased from new song following sudden exit: 'Scrambling'

In a shocking flip of occasions for one in every of Christian music’s most enduring bands, Newsboys had been compelled to re-record lead vocals for his or her newest single and upcoming album after longtime frontman Michael Tait unexpectedly stepped down simply weeks earlier than the launch of their Worldwide Revival Nights tour, new lead singer Adam Agee has revealed.

Tait, who led the band for 15 years following Peter Furler’s departure in 2009, introduced his determination to step away in a January social media publish, citing prayerful reflection and a way of readability on this new season of life. 

The departure left Newsboys scrambling to adapt, in the end turning to Agee, the band’s guitarist who joined the group in 2023, to step into the lead singer position.

“I’ve been touring with these guys. I’ve identified them for 20 years after which touring with them for about 10, after which formally within the band, occurring my third yr,” Agee mentioned in a Monday interview on Fox58. “After which, yeah, Tait type of stunned us with some information a few month in the past, and we had the start of our tour in about 4 days. So we type of rallied collectively and tried to determine what we had been going to do shifting ahead.”

One of many fast challenges was re-recording vocals for his or her newest single, “How Many Occasions,” which was initially recorded with Tait main. The only, now that includes Agee’s vocals, was re-released simply in time for the tour.

“That was one of many issues that we’ve been scrambling to attempt to determine and get completed,” Agee defined. “That’s really a music that was one of many first songs I wrote for this Newsboys mission a few years in the past, and at last, it’s getting launched. However I had sung a bunch of background vocals and all the pieces on there, however I hadn’t completed the lead vocals. So we popped again into the studio and bought that completed actual fast.”

The uncertainty extends past simply the one, Agee shared, revealing Newsboys had deliberate to launch Worldwide Revival (Half Two) later this yr, however with the shake-up in management, the band is reevaluating its subsequent steps.

“It’s all type of as we go, we’re making an attempt to determine what to do,” Agee mentioned. “We had been going to launch an element two of this Worldwide Revival album. And so, we’re making an attempt to determine, will we nonetheless try this or will we do one thing completely different? In order that’s type of all simply in flux proper now.”

Regardless of the uncertainty, the band pressed ahead with their first present on Jan. 18, that includes Agee as lead singer simply days after Tait’s departure. The response, based on Agee, was overwhelming.

“It was only a candy factor. The group actually rallied round us,” he recalled. “And it was simply a tremendous night time. There have been 2,000 folks on this area, and it felt like 10,000 folks singing together with all of the songs. And it was fairly particular. I imply, not gonna lie, for me to have the ability to entrance the band that I had their posters on our wall after I was a child, it’s fairly cool.”

Agee, previously of Stellar Kart and Audio Adrenaline, turns into the fourth lead singer in Newsboys historical past. On the January present, Agee advised the group, “We’ve been by way of quite a bit this week.”

“When the information hit us every week in the past,” he mentioned, “it brings up a whole lot of questions like: ‘What will we do? Will we transfer ahead?’ These ideas come into your head, man. Ought to we cling it up? Or will we maintain going?”

“I wish to let you know guys one thing that with this band, with Newsboys, generally the messenger may change, however the message stays the identical.”

Regardless of the shift in lineup, Agee confused in his newest interview that the band stays steadfast in its mission as the main focus stays on the Worldwide Revival Nights tour.

“I mentioned one thing at our first present that has type of grow to be our rally cry,” Agee mentioned. “With this band, the messenger may change, however the message stays the identical. So we’re at all times going to simply attempt to present the world the love of Jesus, and we’re going to do it in essentially the most entertaining manner we will.”

The Newsboys, initially shaped in Australia in 1985, have lengthy been a staple in Christian up to date music. Over time, the group has earned quite a few accolades, together with a number of Grammy nominations and Dove Awards.

With Tait on the helm, the band skilled a resurgence, releasing chart-topping albums similar to Born Once more and God’s Not Useless.

In his January assertion, Tait, who was a part of the rap-rock group DC Speak previous to his stint with Newsboys, mentioned his determination to depart was not a straightforward one.

“Whereas this may increasingly come as a shock given I’ve been touring ever since school, I’ve made for me what’s a monumental and heartfelt determination that it’s time to step down from Newsboys,” he shared. “This determination doesn’t come calmly and has been a shock to even myself, however amidst prayer and fasting, I’ve readability that that is the precise determination.”

On the time, the band launched a press release saying that they aren’t “going wherever.”

“We all know there shall be questions on what the long run holds, and in due time, we’ll have solutions,” the band wrote. “For now, we wish you to know that Newsboys isn’t going wherever; we’re going in every single place.”