“We’re from a small town in South Carolina called Possum Kingdom,” NEEDTOBREATHE frontman Bear Rinehart explains when asked about the place he and his younger brother/co-writer Bo were raised. “Trust me, there was absolutely no music scene there.”

The sons of an Assembly of God pastor, Bear and Bo Rinehart had inherited their father’s gift with words, and put it to good use in their songwriting. Their mother taught piano, making music a constant part of their young lives. Formed in 1999, NEEDTOBREATHE also consists of Joe Stillwell and Seth Bolt.

On their latest album, The Outsiders, NEEDTOBREATHE has truly come into their own, seamlessly blending ambient, arena-ready soundscapes with a decidedly Southern sensibility. “The ‘Southern thing’ is very scary to some people,“ Bear laughs. “But for us, it’s not so much a sound than a feeling. It’s just about having some soul in the words you write, the music that you play. It’s something that just comes naturally to us.”

I got the great opportunity to interview Bo Rinehart about the group's current single, "Something Beautiful."

What's the story behind writing "Something Beautiful"?

We had finished our album, The Heat, and, although it might sound cliché, I was experiencing a lot of darkness all around. I was searching for something truly inspirational to sing about and build the new album around. For awhile, we went through a dry spot. And we’re a band that thrives on moments when you see a gorgeous sunset or something beautiful because we try to base everything we write about on something we’ve experienced. It may seem like a positive song, but it came in a desperate moment of longing. The yearning and desperation I was experiencing was the basis of the line, "Hey now, this is my desire, Consume me like a fire, 'cause I just want something beautiful."

Can you share any Bible verses that tie in with the song?
1 Timothy 2:7-9 (The Message): He wants not only us but everyone saved, you know, everyone to get to know the truth we've learned: that there's one God and only one, and one Priest--Mediator between God and us—-Jesus, who offered himself in exchange for everyone held captive by sin, to set them all free. Eventually the news is going to get out. This and this only has been my appointed work: getting this news to those who have never heard of God, and explaining how it works by simple faith and plain truth. 8-10Since prayer is at the bottom of all this, what I want mostly is for men to pray—not shaking angry fists at enemies but raising holy hands to God. And I want women to get in there with the men in humility before God, not primping before a mirror or chasing the latest fashions but doing something beautiful for God and becoming beautiful doing it.

What's the take-away message for listeners?

People make mistakes and find themselves in a dark place. If you surround yourself with darkness and people attracted to darkness, they will eventually let you down. This song is really about crying out to God for light in your life when you are feeling spiritually dry and when you need to be on your knees before God praying for Him to reveal His beauty and grace in your life. Life can’t be fixed in a three-and-a-half-minute song, but we need to get to that place where we are in humble submission to God. We can't play it safe. We have to take a chance and ask for God to be real in our lives.

Here are the lyrics:

In your ocean, I'm ankle deep
I feel the waves crashin' on my feet
It's like I know where I need to be
But I can't figure out, yeah I can't figure out

Just how much air I will need to breathe
When your tide rushes over me
There's only one way to figure out
Will ya let me drown, will ya let me drown

Hey now, this is my desire
Consume me like a fire, 'cause I just want something beautiful
To touch me, I know that I'm in reach
'Cause I am down on my knees, I'm waiting for something beautiful
Oh, something beautiful

And the water is risin' quick
And for years I was scared of it
We can't be sure when it will subside
So I won't leave your side, no I can't leave your side

Hey now, this is my desire
Consume me like a fire, 'cause I just want something beautiful
To touch me, I know that I'm in reach
'Cause I am down on my knees, I'm waiting for something beautiful
Oh, something beautiful

In a daydream, I couldn't live like this
I wouldn't stop until I found something beautiful
When I wake up, I know I will have
No, I still won't have what I need

Hey now, this is my desire
Consume me like a fire, 'cause I just want something beautiful
To touch me, I know that I'm in reach
'Cause I am down on my knees, I'm waiting for something beautiful
Oh, something beautiful

NEEDTOBREATHE has very quickly become one of my all-time favorite bands because of how they are able to move me with such amazing and spiritual lyrics that truly reflect how I feel as a Christian. No matter what your situation, they have songs that can really bring healing and reflect the cry of your heart such as their great songs “Washed By The Water,” “Nothing Left To Lose,” “Lay ‘Em Down” and now this song. As this song reflects, sometimes we need to be on our knees in prayer and submission before God and cry out “Hey Now!” Get to that place where you are in humble submission to God and don’t play it safe but take a chance and ask for God to be real in your life. You’ll never see true beauty if you don’t fully submit to God.