| By: KevinMcNeese_NRT – |
Plumb recently announced that she is officially rebranding her career. In her own words, she is “a former CCM artist” who now simply wants to be “an artist.” While she insists she still identifies as a Christian and loves Jesus, she now frames her years in Christian music as seasons of control, fear, and complicity in “harm.” She described much of her past work as something she needs to “undo,” and made it clear she never wanted to be labeled CCM or to “market Jesus Christ.”
It’s hard not to read her words with deep sadness.
For nearly thirty years, the name Plumb has been synonymous with music that pointed people to hope in Christ. “God-Shaped Hole,” “Need You Now,” “Cut,” “In My Arms”—these weren’t just clever songs that filled radio airwaves. They became lifelines for people in the darkest valleys, not because they were “marketed” well, but because they were saturated with eternal truth. To now denounce that legacy as damage is not only dismissive of the platform and fanbase that supported her, but dismissive of the God who used her music in powerful ways.
What makes this even more troubling is where this reimagining has led. In recent years, Plumb has openly embraced LGBTQI+ ideology and celebrated artists like Derek Webb and Flamy Grant—voices that don’t merely walk a different path, but actively work to mock the Church and the name of Christ openly. For someone who still claims to love Jesus, these partnerships raise serious questions. What does it mean to love Him while celebrating those who ridicule Him?
And then, the lingering question: if the Christian label is such a burden, why keep the name Plumb at all? That name exists, that platform endures, only because of the very community she now seeks to distance herself from. You can’t erase decades of songs, tours, and testimonies tied to Christian music simply by reframing the story. The foundation is what it is.
At NewReleaseToday, we cannot ignore this shift. We have covered and supported Plumb’s music for decades, but our mission remains clear: to champion songs that boldly proclaim Christ. If her new path becomes one of distancing herself from the Gospel (and recent history suggests that’s the path we’re on), then our support must also shift. To follow Jesus is not to endlessly “reimagine” our faith until it is unrecognizable, but to anchor ourselves in truth that does not change.
And yet, grace compels us to leave the door open. Our prayer is that Plumb does not see her past as something to apologize for, but as evidence of God’s hand on her life—fruit that He has already used to bring people hope, healing, and salvation. She is a gifted artist. But no rebrand can rewrite the truth: the songs that made Plumb a household name were powerful not because of a marketing machine, but because they pointed to the eternal hope found only in Jesus Christ.
In Scripture that truth cannot be changed, no matter what package or price tag is slapped on it. That’s the great comfort in moments like this: artists may shift, platforms may crumble, but the Word of God stands forever.
Our prayer is not only for Plumb, but for every listener who may be confused by her announcement—that they would cling not to personalities or platforms, but to Christ Himself. Because in the end, He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And no rebrand can undo that.
Kevin McNeese started NRT in 2002 and has worked in the industry since 1999 in one form or another. He has been a fan of Christian music since 1991.