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Once a favorite of college students and singer/songwriter types, Bebo Norman has since moved to the big leagues of adult contemporary pop. His platform and his sound are now bigger than ever—something the artist says is a reflection of how much he's grown in the past couple of years. Today is a new day for Norman: he signed a new record deal with BEC, has a new album out, and is experiencing fatherhood for the first time. In this conversation, Norman tells us all about this new lot in life, while relating how he came to grips with anxiety—spurred on by, of all things, his love of singing songs.

I looked at the cover of your new album and suddenly thought you were going metal-core on us. In a way, it's a funny subtext for your new deal with Tooth & Nail.

Bebo Norman (Laughs) I don't know if I would see it that way! One of the things I love about BEC and Tooth & Nail is there's a certain freedom there to be expressive and creative. It's an environment that sometimes in the music business gets lost and thrown to the side. Once I finished my last record contract, I was talking to a bunch of record labels, and BEC just stood out to me. In a lot of ways, it reminded me of where I started—a more intimate, more creative kind of environment. It allowed me the freedom to go that route a little more.

How different is the new recording environment from the corporate machine you were previously a part of?

Norman I had a phenomenal experience with my first record contract at Provident. I signed with Essential Records back when it was practically just me, Jars of Clay, and Caedmon's Call. It was just a whole different world there at that time. Since then, it's grown into a much larger label now. [Editor's note: Bebo, Jars, and Caedmon's Call have all since parted with Essential Records.] So the new thing with BEC reminded me of those early days. What it really comes down to for me is having more creative energy and freedom—and not just freedom, but they also really encourage and push you in a certain direction to really stretch yourself. That's something that I've been thankful to be a part of.

Over the years, you've gone from playing the college and coffeehouse circuit to doing huge arena tours, and your sound has gotten larger. Has this shift been conscious on your part?

Norman That's a good question. My sound has definitely evolved over the years into something bigger than it was when I first started. But I don't think it had to do as much with trying to create a sound for a particular audience. Like "Great Light of the World," that song was big and pop in a lot of ways. We didn't really know that that song was going to reach a larger audience like it did—it kind of became my launching-off point. But I think what really has caused my music to change and grow is that I've changed and grown.

You're a seasoned singer/songwriter. Why go the self-titled route with your seventh album? Is there something about yourself as an artist you're coming to grips with?

Norman This new record in more ways than one has been about new beginnings and rebirth. I'm still a relatively new husband and a brand-new father, I'm on a new record label, and just emotionally and spiritually over the last two years, I've been rediscovering the simplicity of life. I guess I've come to this place of [letting go of] self-reliance, realizing that our faith is not some accumulation of knowledge or wisdom or life experiences or spiritual accolades, but rather, faith is a simple and desperate clinging to Christ. The past few years have really defined that for me on a personal level, and these new songs speak to that theme in one way or another. Because of that, I've been rediscovering the rebirth and the newness of things through self-discovery.

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