RUDY DELASANTOS
The man who won over America’s living rooms on The Voice is trading concert stages for a church pulpit, and he’s at peace with every bit of it.
Todd Tilghman has never been the kind of artist who does things halfway. When he stepped onto The Voice stage and won Season 20, he didn’t just walk away with a trophy. He walked away with a renewed sense of purpose. That same intentionality is driving his latest decision, one that will leave a noticeable gap in Christian music’s most compelling group.
Tilghman is departing TrueSong.
Since forming in 2022, TrueSong has carved out a genuinely singular lane in Christian music, serving as resident artists at both the Ark Encounter and the Creation Museum, two of the most visited faith-based destinations in the country. The group built something rare: a tight, road-tested sound rooted in vocal harmony and songwriting craft, and a loyal audience that showed up for it. Tilghman was central to all of it.
But somewhere between the tour dates, the writing sessions, and the long stretches away from home, something shifted for him.
“Honestly, at the end of the day, I know that God’s got a call on my life to do certain things, and I want to be able to do that,” Tilghman says. “But I feel like the number one call on my life is my wife and kids, and all the traveling and being away was kind of putting a strain on that. So I kind of wanted to prioritize them, number one, but also didn’t want to say that what I am doing is just kind of secondary.”
It’s the kind of honest tension most artists quietly carry but rarely say out loud. For Tilghman, keeping it quiet was never really an option.
He is leaving TrueSong to return to pastoral ministry, stepping into the role of pastor at Grace Point Church in Bristol, Tennessee, alongside his wife Brooke. It’s a homecoming of sorts, a return to the calling that shaped him long before television cameras and record deals entered the picture.
“I feel like God opened that door too,” he says. “Kind of brings my anxiety to life, to tell you the truth, doing this kind of stuff. But I got to open the door for Brooke and me to go back into pastoral ministry, where I can serve by her side and also with my kids and also be there at home with them.”
The decision isn’t just about stepping back from TrueSong. Tilghman is clear that this is a full exit from touring life.
“Really, for the most part, probably 99%, I’m coming off the road completely, whether it’s TrueSong or solo, off the road completely.”
That’s a significant statement from someone who has spent the better part of recent years building a music career with real momentum. But listen to him talk about his time with TrueSong and it’s obvious this isn’t a departure rooted in frustration or burnout. It’s something quieter and more deliberate than that.
“I’ve genuinely loved this, doing this with these guys, singing, doing the writing, the traveling, all the things that we’ve done together, I’ve loved,” he says. “And I’ll miss all y’all.”
There’s a warmth in that farewell that feels earned. TrueSong isn’t just a project Tilghman passed through. It’s a chapter he gave himself to fully, and he knows it.
Fellow TrueSong singer Jay Arview confirmed that the group will carry on. The current configuration of TrueSong will continue its residency at the Ark Encounter and the Creation Museum, with no immediate plans to add another member.
For Todd Tilghman, the next chapter starts in Bristol, Tennessee, with his wife beside him and his kids nearby. By his own measure, that’s exactly where he’s supposed to be.
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