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"I've always felt somewhat out of place when it comes to defining who I am as an artist" Bobby says. "On one side people have known me for my Christian stuff, and then there's this whole other base of people who've had a connection with the love songs I've written over the years. When a song like Missing You gets all the downloads it's gotten and millions of plays on Youtube, it makes you take a step back and think. The e-mails and stories are moving. You think more about what you write, and strive to connect with fans about the real issues we all face."
It was these "love songs" that gave Bobby the opportunity to sign a Major Label deal worth millions...he turned it down.
"On the one hand you think all this hard work has finally paid off, but the labels wanted to change who I was at the core and asked me to sing about or portray things that I don't agree with. It was one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make, and it changed the course of my life."
Walking away from that opportunitity and several others like it led to Bobby having to find a way to evolve his brand outside of the system.
"Any time you set out to do something you feel called to do and maybe challenge the status-quo you are going to have BIG opposition...that's just part of the process." Those next few years were really hard but proved to be a time of incredible personal growth, as Bobby took a step back from music and began to develop more in other areas of his life...most importantly as a leader.
Bobby, along with a close friend got involved in a marketing company and started to have some success. He began reading every book he could get his hands on about leadership and business, and started expanding his vision higher and higher. As his skill set grew, opportunities began opening up into the corporate world, and he began speaking and coaching sales at a greater and greater level. Success began to build, but at the same time he missed the "artist days" where music was a greater-focus.
"If there is one thing that I've learned, it's that our timing isn't always God's timing, and sometimes the path that we've laid out for ourselves ends up going a completely different direction" says Bobby. "It's this place where our faith is tested, but it's this same place where the greatest reward is waiting...if we keep pushing."
Bobby's newest album Page 2 set for release later this year is symbolic in many ways for him even with it's title. "I've released 4 projects since Page 1 was released back in 2005, but this is the first project I've wanted to call Page 2...because I feel as though with all that I've matured through, this album is the beginning of the re-invention of who I am musically. I'm past the days of trying to fit in, and I'm more comfortable than ever in my own skin. I'm very blessed these days to be able to make music simply for the love of making it. If my album sells one copy or one million; I'm at a place where I can honestly say it doesn't matter to me...because either way it goes viral and will touch hearts."
Bobby became a spokesperson under The Children's Miracle Network, and through his work with the organization visits children and their families on a regular basis to encourage and uplift them. He wrote a personal song for CMN called "Smile" which has become a hit with the kids in the hospitals. The opening line of his song Difference asks the listener a challenging question, which shows the core of Bobby's message and music perfectly: "What good is influence, if we don't better this world?"
"Our society has become so obsessed with celebrity. Today, people want to be famous for no reason at all other than to just be famous. I've seen it all, I've been to the top of the Hollywood circles in many aspects, and none of that means anything. At the end of the day, it isn't about how many accolades we get or how many awards we've won, but rather what we did with the gifts we have. That is all that is going to last."
