When singer-songwriter Michael Stosic recorded his album “Brand New Love” in 1986, he tried something new. His self-titled first album, which he recorded four years earlier, was a collection of blue-eyed soul songs that explored the highs and lows of romantic love. While the album would come to be considered an AOR masterpiece decades later, it wasn’t widely acclaimed at the time of its release.
With his second album, Stosic made a shift to contemporary Christian music. “Brand New Love” was focused on inspiring people to experience a deeper love through a life of faith. And it enjoyed immediate success, which changed Stosic’s life.
“Things happened very quickly after ‘Brand New Love’ was released,” Stosic recalls. “Within six months, my life went from radio interviews to concerts to song competitions to the KCMS People’s Choice Awards. Ultimately, it led to an invitation to appear on live TV on the Trinity Broadcasting Network and the honor of being selected as one of the top new Christian artists by Praise Ministries in Los Angeles.”
Stosic says he was blessed by the recognition given to “Brand New Love,” which made him feel like the effort he put into writing and recording was well-placed. But even more meaningful to him was the impact it had on the people who heard it.
“Many people reached out to tell me the album had changed their lives,” Stosic says. “One couple that was on the verge of divorce said the message of love shared in one of my songs inspired them to work out their differences and stay together. Another said he’d heard the message of God’s love and chosen to become a follower of Jesus Christ.”
As the fortieth anniversary of “Brand New Love” approached, Stosic began revisiting the songs that had resonated so strongly with people when they were first released. As he did, he felt that they could have the same impact on people today. So he re-recorded the album and released it as “Still A Brand New Love.”
“Still A Brand New Love” shares the message of a life-changing relationship
Stosic’s vision for “Brand New Love” was simple: he wanted to reach people where they were and offer them something that would make a difference in their lives. To reach them, he made sure the music would pull people in.
“Before I started crafting the songs for ‘Brand New Love,’ I got ahold of the Billboard Top 10 songs and dissected them structurally,” Stosic shares. “I made sure I understood what type of composition, layout, and progressions were connecting with people.”
To make a difference in his listeners’ lives, Stosic relied on his lyrics. He sang about the brand-new love that he was experiencing as a Christian and the peace it could provide.
“Lyrically, the songs focused on my relationship with God and His with me,” Stosic says. “But they aren’t ‘in-your-face’ Christian songs. They are more relationship-driven.”
On “Still A Brand New Love,” listeners will hear the same progressions and lyrics recorded on the original album, but the overall sound is not identical. For example, Stosic changed the tempo of some of the songs.
“Overall, the songs on “Still a Brand New Love” are very upbeat, very energetic, and uplifting,” Stosic says. “There are two ballads on the album I feel are powerful – “Love It Is Love” and “Surrender to Love.” The latter I wrote for my best friend who was going through a divorce.”
“Still A Brand New Love” brings Stosic’s meaningful music to a much larger audience
When “Brand New Love” was released, “sharing music” had a much different meaning than it does today. Getting the original release of “Brand New Love” to radio stations required visiting them in person and dropping off a cassette tape. Stosic recalls taking a cassette of the album to KCMS radio in Seattle and hoping they would add it to their rotation.
In the era when “Brand New Love” was released, sharing music with a global audience was something only the biggest superstars could do. Today, however, any artist can reach listeners around the world through sharing platforms, which means Stosic’s songs have the potential to have an impact on a much bigger audience.
“When ‘Brand New Love’ was originally released, the audience was limited to those who purchased a cassette, came to a concert, or heard a song on a local radio station in the Seattle area,” Stosic says. “But platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube have changed all that. I’m excited for the album to hit the streaming services because now it’s available for everyone to hear. There are no limits to the number of people it could reach.”
The first single from Stosic’s new album, “So Easy to Love,” was distributed to radio stations beginning August 17 and is already receiving airplay. The full version of “Still A Brand New Love” was released on August 21. Listeners can experience its life-changing message on all major streaming platforms.
