A multiple Dove Award winner, including for Male Vocalist of the Year and Song of the Year, Brandon Heath releases his third album, Leaving Eden, Jan. 18 on Reunion Records.

Was having written the Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year for 2009 (“Give Me Your Eyes”) added pressure when it came to the next recording?

A little bit. I remember the first day going in to write for the new record, I wrote with Jason Ingram, the guy that I wrote “Give Me Your Eyes” with. There was pressure for both of us, I think, because we have a big song (and) it kind of feels like everyone is just expecting you to write another one. And for me, I hate writing under pressure. So we sat down in a studio and prayed and thought, well, whatever the message is on this next song should be simple. We don’t need to embellish anything, let’s just tell the truth.

What’s your writing process?

Life on the road can be a little draining and not inspiring, honestly, so I don’t do a lot of writing on the road. But when I get home I just try to catch up with my friends and my family and the people that have the biggest influence and impact on me. I really quietly pay attention to them and I take a lot of notes and put a lot of stuff on my iPhone that I want to write about.

There seems to be a strong theme of redemption running through this album.

I’m glad you caught that because a title like Leaving Eden can sound a little depressing, you know? (The title track) came from a counseling session with this guy (who) said if we are going to really work on your life, we need to go back to the beginning ... back to Eden and mourn what actually happened there. ... It was the loss of our innocence and it’s really affected all of us.  

But then all the songs thereafter ... there’s a few pieces of Eden. I just picture this really lush green space in my heart that hasn’t been touched yet—and I really want to protect those things. I believe that a lot of the songs are talking about that a little bit. ... I do want to take you on a journey in redemption a little bit because I do feel redeemed.

Many of your songs seem to wrestle with some kind of dissatisfaction.

I just like writing about what I see and I think that’s my job as an artist, to just observe and to interpret. A lot of times the world leaves us longing for something else. ... It’s that we are looking for the right thing in the wrong places. A lot of times that brings a dissatisfaction, so that’s why it’s a recurring topic for me: I know the right answer, but I don’t know why it is that it’s so hard for me to go after that. And I think a lot of people are asking the same question. It’s a great universal topic.

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