Bebo Norman to retire from everything music by end of 2013

Singer/songwriter Bebo Norman well known for the songs such as "I WIll Lift My Eyes," "Stand," "Britney," "Nothing Without You," and his most resounding hit “Great light of the world,” just to name a few, announced that he will retire from music industry by end of 2013.

Norman’s posting on his official website http://bebonorman.com reads, “After quite literally years of prayer and conversation, my wife Roshare and I have made some big decisions over the last few months. The long and short of it is this: I am going to retire from music at the end of 2013.”

Norman will make his final call after honoring his publishing commitments through 2013 and after the tour promoting the new record Lights of distant cities released in October 2012.

In his posting, Norman also mentioned that the decision to put music aside was easy, “The decision was strangely easy. Really easy, actually. Mostly I think just because on emotional, spiritual, personal, and relational levels, I have struggled for years now with all of the things that surround and are a part of what it means to be a professional musician…the touring, publicity, lack of consistency, anxiety, and time away from home have been a struggle for me in different ways for pretty much the entirety of my nearly 20 years playing music.”

He continues, “Please don’t misunderstand me, playing music has genuinely been a dream come true…I never could have imagined this story for myself and it has far exceeded anything I could have planned on my own.”

Norman mentioned that he doesn’t have any one specific direction to go after closing the door of his music career.

Norman, “I feel like there are a solid handful of things that I really get excited to do with my life in this new season. But as far as specifics are concerned, I don’t know that I really feel called to something else as much as I feel called away from music. In all honesty, I think that uncertainty about what comes next is what kept me hanging on to music for the last few years. It’s hard to walk away from something that has been so life-changing and so all-consuming for all these years, something that I’ve seen God move in so profoundly. And on a practical level, it’s hard to walk away from an occupation that’s been so fulfilling and so stable, the only job I’ve ever had, and one that still provides so well for my family. But I’ve always known and promised myself that I would not forsake a call in a certain direction based on the fear of what comes next. That’s not faith at all I don’t suppose. So here I am, on the edge of something altogether new…the same way I was 20 years ago when I turned away from the potential of medical school and towards a new season of music. My goodness, it’s daunting but, my Lord, it is indeed beautiful.”

To close his career, Norman released his final radio single titled “Sing of your glory.” The single released just last week.

Norman will be touring throughout this summer and fall along with Andrew Peterson and Sara Groves.

For Bebo Norman’s tour dates visit http://bebonorman.com/tour/.

Tags : Bebo Norman retire leaving music industry christian singer tour