NEEDTOBREATHE’s Josh Lovelace Talks New Tour, ‘Interesting Season’ the Band is Living Through

Photo Credit: Twitter/NEEDTOBREATHE
Photo Credit: Twitter/NEEDTOBREATHE
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NEEDTOBREATHE is known for dancing between the faith-based music industry and the mainstream one. This past summer, their latest release, “HardLove,” graced Billboard’s Top Rock Album’s chart — the group’s third album to do so.

Speaking to Faithwire, NEEDTOBREATHE keyboardist Josh Lovelace described “HardLove” as being filled with fun and even some synthetic pop sounds.

Lovelace and his bandmates, Bear Rinehart, Bo Rinehart and Seth Bolt, have toured pretty much non-stop since the keyboardist joined in 2011, during the successful days of “The Reckoning,” an album entrenched with heart-churning soulful sounds.

READ: MercyMe Reflects on New Album and How ‘I Can Only Imagine’ Almost Caused Them to Quit Music

But Lovelace has recently entered a new season of his life, and there have been some major shifts.

“[I] now have two children: a 3-year-old boy and a 6-month-old baby girl,” he told Faithwire.

Lovelace noted that he’s not alone — three out of the four bandmates are in what he described as “interesting season of their life” because they also have small children. The musician recognizes this as a huge blessing, but with that blessing comes a great heal of change.

What does this mean for the group? Lovelace assures there’s nothing to worry about — their lives have just gotten more complicated, and they value time off more than ever.

In the months before the “HardLove” ALL THE FEELS spring tour launched, the band took a break to write music, work on new projects and, of course, spend time with their families. Lovelace, a self-described family man, was grateful for the opportunity to spend time with his.

But, he told Faithwire, as his kids get older, it’s become harder to leave.

“My son realized I was going on tour [the other day] and he broke down,” he shared. “[And it] was really difficult. It’s hard to leave the people that you love to go do something you love.”

“We still love what we do,” he continued. “I’m not bitter towards the job, but it’s hard with a family.”

Lovelace shared that after every concert, he walks around the stadium to bask in the after-show glow. It’s a tradition he enjoys because every night on stage, he tries to connect with the audience in the hopes of changing someone’s life. And while this may sound like a lofty goal to some, it’s very important for Lovelace.

“Even if it’s just encouraging someone who is having a hard time or giving parents a night without their kids — whatever it is, [I] just reflect on that while I walk around the stadium.”

Faithwire asked Lovelace what the group is hoping for out of this tour, and what they might be afraid of.

The keyboardist noted that they did face a “lot of changes” and “u-turns” while making this album. They even faced a lot of doubts before they sent it off to the record label. But, he stressed, the band is grateful to have fans that let them share “random” or “wrong” things.

“They are just always there [for us],” Lovelace said.

He went on to assert how important it is to take risks, enjoy life and family time. In fact, he believes that’s one of the reasons why their group has been successful for so long. This outlook has allowed NEEDTOBREATHE to pave their own path and fight off industry labels.

At the end of the day, Lovelace said, “we just want to make songs that mean something to us and to other people. If you are a Christian and you love it, then that’s amazing. If you are Jewish and you love it, then that’s amazing.”

“I welcome ‘figuring it out,’ and I love that that’s a unique thing and part of our story,” he added.

“HardLove” was released in last July and is available for purchase wherever music is sold. To find out when NEEDTOBREATHE will be in your hometown, click here.

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