Tree63 Returns with 'VOYAGE' after Two Decades of Silence

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The lead singer of the Christian rock band, Tree63, is gearing up to release a new album following a nearly two-decade sabbatical due to burnout.

John Ellis, who founded the band, told The Christian Post the Dove Award-winning South African band will return with VOYAGE, its first full-length album in 11 years.

“"It's as much of a surprise to me as it is to you that we're talking about Tree63 again," Ellis said. "I've gotten to the point where I go, 'God, You're good at this. You tell me what to do, and I'll listen.'"

He recalled fellow Christian singer Matt Redman, with whom they co-wrote the Tree63 song, "Blessed Be Your Name," telling him “you need a break” in 2008 due to excessive touring.

“Every weekend, you're somewhere else," Ellis said. "It was physically and emotionally and spiritually draining."

Although the break was supposed to be temporary, it would become a nearly 20-year sabbatical.

"What was really needed was time to let God remind me why I was doing what I was doing," he said. "I became somebody who wrote songs about Jesus because I met Jesus one-on-one. That personal encounter got lost in the busyness of the music industry."

He elaborated on how he embarked on an inner journey in the "inner journey" of faith, which included the spiritual practice of contemplation and stillness.

"We live in such a noisy, busy, overstimulated environment," he said. "It's hard to cultivate something quiet and silent within ourselves. But that's what I got to do for 10 years. I feel like a monk."

Tree63’s latest album was developed as a result of that inner journey and hopes that the album would resonate with believers who have been discouraged by scandals seen among church leaders as well as Christian music artists in recent year

"I know what it feels like to be disillusioned," Ellis said. "Some of this church stuff we're seeing right now is really depressing. Sometimes you think, 'Maybe this whole Christian thing is nonsense.' We know it's not, but it can feel challenging."

"The thing I hear God asking me all the time is, 'Do you really trust Me?'" he said. "We say it so easily: 'God, I trust You.' But do we really? Maybe if you ask me again in 20 years, it'll be different. But right now, God's message to me is just: Trust Me."

Photo Credit: ©YouTube / Tree63

Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.