Michael Tait Announces Departure From Newsboys After 15 Years
Newsboys lead singer Michael Tait, 58, has announced that he’s leaving the Christian band Newsboys after 15 years, noting that the decision “does not come lightly and has been a shock myself.”
Tait, formerly of the trio DC Talk, joined the Newsboys in 2009 following the departure of lead singer Peter Furler.
The Newsboys, who formed in 1985 and have been releasing their unique style of pop-worship music since, are one of the few old-guard Christian bands that have not become gay-affirming, with other groups that have fallen by the wayside including Plumb, Amy Grant, Jennifer Knapp, Jars of Clay, DC Talk’s Kevin Max, Hillsong’s Marty Samson, Relient K, Switchfoot, The Rend Collective, Five Iron Frenzy, and Sara Groves to name a few.
Couple this with Christian Band Rend Collective’ Says NOT using Trans Pronouns is Hate Speech, Former Hawk Nelson Frontman Announces He’s Pro-LGBTQ, and Caedmon’s Call Re-Releasing First Album, With Singer-Turned-Atheist Crossdresser in Tow, and the fact that Newsboys has managed to avoid this for so long is a testament to their biblical fidelity.
In a 2023 interview with the Christian Post, keyboardist Jeff Frankenstein cited the band’s commitment to biblical truth as the source of their longevity:
“I think our longevity is a testament to our hearts and where we are as people, because it’s very uncommon in any genre that a band would stay together for over 30 years. I think that one of the cool things about Christian music, as opposed to pop music, is that we all know deep down that music affects people and has a purpose and God gave us that gift. In a pop music situation where everything’s about you and your career, you can see why those things flame out so quickly, because they’re just based around either people’s egos or just selfishness. In this situation, we all have a common purpose where we know that music can really change people, because we’ve seen it happen.”
While Tait hasn’t said what he is going to do next, we are hoping he would not consider the possibility of reuniting with his former bandmates for a new DC Talk album, something TobyMac (real name Toby McKeehan) has said that he’s open about, despite the other member of the band, Kevin Max, being a pro-LGBTQ, pro-choice pagan.
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