Mike Donehey shows audiences how to 'Flourish'

Collection of ‘soul-healing songs’ sings of embracing unexpected, how to truly flourish in every circumstance 

“Flourish,” the new album from Mike Donehey, is out now with Fair Trade Services. Click here to listen. Fans got a chance to hear “Flourish” in advance when Donehey celebrated the release of his album earlier this week with a livestream album release show.

He's a songwriter, performing artist, author, podcaster and, most importantly, husband and father. But for Donehey, learning to embrace the unexpected has been the very thing that continually brings forth “encouraging and soul-healing music.” It's the unexpected that has a way of disrupting our lives in ways we might not have ever chosen.

When the world was impacted by the pandemic, Donehey, like so many others, found himself struggling. Tenth Avenue North, the band he founded and led for so many years, was amicably disbanding and planning a farewell tour when everything stopped. With the tour canceled and the band officially over, Donehey felt lost – not only about what his next steps were going to be but was feeling like – in his own words – a dried-out sponge.

As months passed, he realized he needed to mourn these drastic life changes as well as the unknown. The more he began to open up and let himself feel sadness and the sting of the pain, "the more joy came flooding in on the other side," he explains. Songs began pouring out and an album was quickly penned.

Writing during the pandemic became the anthem he needed to sing for himself, and, as the title song explains, he directs to Psalm 126 that, “in Christ, he has what he needs to truly flourish.”

"If you want more joy, allow sadness," Donehey says. "Grieve to get where you need to go, because the more you shrink your sadness, you're numbing the pain of hope. ‘Flourish’ isn’t an album of naivete; it’s acknowledging that I was in a desert to appreciate the streams running through it." 

As an album that shares songs full of encouragement, radical vulnerability, mourning, honesty, acceptance, acknowledgment – Donehey tackles it all in this collection of 11 songs birthed out of his struggle to learn what it takes to truly flourish in any and every circumstance. 

Donehey is a recording artist, songwriter, speaker, podcast and video show host, author of the bestselling book “Finding God's Life for My Will,” and founding member of Tenth Avenue North. He has seen his fair share of the unexpected. Following a potentially fatal car crash as a teen, he learned to play the guitar while still in bed recovering from his injuries. Learning the guitar gave birth to songwriting, which led to the formation of Tenth Avenue North.

One of the most loved and successful artists in Christian music, the band’s music includes "Love Is Here," "By Your Side," "You Are More," "Losing,” “Worn," "I Have This Hope," and the multi-week no. 1 smash "Control (Somehow You Want Me)." Despite the group's widespread popularity, Tenth Avenue North's members sensed at the beginning of 2020 that they each had their own unique roads to follow. Donehey seized this opportunity to expand as a storyteller, communicator, and thought instigator wherever his voice could be heard.

In addition to the release of “Flourish,” his first solo album, Donehey is also preparing for his second book and can be heard weekly on his podcast “Chasing the Beauty.” He will host the video show “Next Chapter” on K-LOVE On-Demand, discussing the latest in book releases.

Find out more by visiting MikeDonehey.com.