Michael: It’s been a blast so far just learning the songs and the way God speaks to me and gives me new vision and thoughts on these things that Peter birthed and [the guys] birthed years before I came on board.

Duncan: I think Pete felt like he couldn’t give both sides 100 percent. When you’re working as many years as we have, the weight or responsibility that you feel … He was really responsible for the records, really being the taskmaster behind them and also for the live show … There’s only so many days in a year, so many hours in a day … And it was just after 22 years, if you can imagine, so he couldn’t give 110 percent to both, which he had all those years. So now, I kind of feel that this is an even better situation where Mike is on here; he’s an awesome singer. We can give the touring side 110 percent, and Pete now has the time to give the artistic side, or the recording side of what we do, 110 percent, too. So it’s really like there are these two arrows flying through the air hopefully making a way bigger impact.

Michael: We feel like it’s the perfect little situation. I love to sing. I love people; they’re my oxygen. My dad was a pastor, and it’s in my heart … Then Pete did the stage thing because he wrote these wonderful songs and the band was working. So he made it really clear that he’d rather not do that. He’s back home now, [and we’ll still be] working together, writing together, producing together—being creative. It works well, because we’re both doing what we enjoy.

Duncan:  It’ll actually be a way more effective and efficient newsboys if that makes sense.

CCM:  What does this mean for the long-term future of newsboys as far as future recordings? I know that the new record is already done. But on the next studio record, for instance, Michael, how involved will you be in that process?

Michael:  I want to be as involved as I can creatively. But if Jeff writes 10 songs, and none of us write any more at all, I’m happy with that. What I know for sure is Jeff will be playing all the keyboards while I’ll be doing all the vocals—that kind of thing. It’ll mostly be vocals and sort of lead stuff I’ll be doing. I’ll be working with Pete and these guys on creating the new sound. I’m not changing all along what we’ve had there, but, of course, me being Michael Tait and even African-American will add a flair to it; and that’s part of the beauty of it. And we’ll see which road it takes—with dcTalk and the newsboys, so to speak.

CCM:  For the next recording, will Peter do any lead vocal work at all?

Michael:  Who knows?

Duncan:  We don’t know what it’s going to look like at the moment, but I would think that probably …