Country artist Ty Herndon has joined Avalon founding member Michael Passons and former Avalon singer Melissa Greene for a powerful new recording of "Testify to Love," nearly three decades after the song first became one of contemporary Christian music's defining anthems.
Listen to the song here.
But for Passons, the rerelease is more than a nostalgic return to a CCM classic. It is deeply personal.
The singer, who publicly came out as gay in 2020, has spoken openly in recent years about the pain surrounding his 2003 departure from Avalon. In a widely discussed interview last year, Passons claimed he was pushed out of the group because he "didn't fit into the conservative narrative" and said he was effectively rejected by the Christian music industry after questions surrounding his sexuality emerged.
After dedicating much of his life to Christian music and ministry, Passons said he felt abandoned "at the first hint" that he violated expectations placed upon him within the CCM world. His story has since resonated with many listeners who grew up in the church while wrestling with questions surrounding faith, identity, and belonging.
Now, with "Testify to Love" finding new life, Passons says the song carries a meaning he never fully experienced during Avalon's original rise to fame.
"For years, I sang these lyrics while hiding who I truly was," Passons shared about the rerelease. "To record this now... standing fully in my truth - is a full-circle moment I once thought impossible."
The updated rendition, which features an all-star chorus of emerging LGBTQ artists and advocates, has quickly become a viral talking point online. Supporters have embraced the song as both a spiritual anthem and a message of healing for Christians who felt marginalized within church spaces.
Herndon, who became the first mainstream male country artist to publicly come out as gay, described the success of the release as unexpected. After the track surged to No. 1 on the iTunes chart, the singer told fans, "We didn't know we were starting a movement."
Melissa Greene's involvement also adds a notable layer of history and reconciliation to the project. As a former Avalon member herself, Greene reconnects the rerelease to the group's original legacy while helping introduce the classic hit to a new generation of listeners.
Originally appearing on Avalon's 1997 album A Maze of Grace, "Testify to Love" remains one of the most recognizable songs in CCM history. Yet its renewed popularity suggests the song is now speaking to audiences in ways few could have anticipated nearly 30 years ago - not only as a worship anthem, but also as a declaration that faith, identity, and love do not have to exist in opposition.
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