I got a text from my friend Ty Herndon about a new release he and some friends have just hit the world with.
Michael Passons is the former vocalist for the top selling Christian chart topping band “Avalon”. He was forced out of the band by refusing to go through conversion therapy.
He came out of retirement from singing to re record this one with the true message of the lyrics with Ty Herndon and fellow Avalon bandmate Melissa Greene, and it went to the top of the Christian music charts, where NO-ONE was expecting it to go.
The stir it caused on the internet brought out so much love and support as the comments were overwhelmingly positive, with so many people in the Christian music fanbase saying it helped them to find healing and once again beauty in a classic song.
Ty and Michael, along with Melissa Greene (Former Avalon Alumni), re-recorded Avalon’s 1997 hit “Testify to Love” for Ty’s upcoming re-release of *Journey On*. What started as a song of love has exploded — hitting No. 1 on the Christian charts and sparking real conversations about faith, inclusion, and healing.
Jeremy H: Hey Guys thanks for joining me for a bit. I love how it’s going for you now.
Ty Herndon: Thank you, brother.
Michael Passons: Thank you, Jeremy. It’s been unexpected, but we’re loving the conversations it’s starting.
Jeremy H: You didn’t plan for it to blow up like this, did you?
Ty Herndon: It’s more beautiful than we planned. We’ve spent thousands before trying to launch songs, and this one took off with almost nothing. Divine timing. What we’re seeing isn’t just a song succeeding — it’s hearts healing and people finding their voice again.
Michael Passons: So many 90s kids grew up on this song. Some had to stop singing it because their faith communities or families rejected them. Now they’re reclaiming it as out and proud adults, or as allies who were hurt watching loved ones suffer. Seeing that response has been overwhelming in the best way.
Ty Herndon: We’ve seen ballerinas dancing to it, mimes, art, sign language interpretations — it’s awakened something beautiful in people who had pieces of their hearts ripped out.
Jeremy H: Michael, you stepped away from recording for 23 years after being forced out of Avalon. What happened?
Michael Passons: I had a lot of trauma. I hid for a long time. I never thought I’d get back in. Thirty years later, here we are with a No. 1 on the Christian charts and No. 3 on Billboard. We weren’t even chasing the Christian chart — we just put out a song about love.
Ty Herndon: Michael was the lead vocalist on the original. When the opportunity came to put it on my Grammy-nominated album, he had one condition: it had to be as good or better. We worked with Grammy-winning producer Wayne Hahn, and it delivered. This is about getting Michael back out there doing what God put him on earth to do.
Jeremy H: Has the broader Christian community welcomed you back, Michael?
Michael Passons: The ones with the heart of the scriptural Jesus — yes. The majority of responses have been overwhelmingly positive, with people sharing their own healing stories. There’s been some criticism, but that’s expected when you touch a hot-button issue. I hope this starts a conversation that brings the temperature down.
Ty Herndon: This conversation has been around for a while, but we tapped into a vein that needed medicine. The vein was collapsing. My grandmother told me: *You* are the church. You decide who sits at your table. No one can remove you from that.
Jeremy H: Melissa sent this message:
“Singing *Testify to Love* again, this time with Michael and Ty beside me, felt like coming home to a song I never fully got to mean the first time. For years, I sang it inside a framework that quietly left out people I love. Michael and Ty never had to change. I did. I’m the one who came around — who learned to stand with them instead of inside the lines I’d been handed. It is my honor to sing next to these two. And a deeper honor to do life alongside them. What has meant the most is seeing how many people are finding their own healing in this moment. When we live our truths and sing proudly in our own skin and convictions, it invites others to do the same.” — Melissa Green
Ty Herndon: Whew. That’s fierce.
Michael Passons: She’s my fiercest ally and one of my best friends. Having her involved was a no-brainer.
It’s worth noting that the first lyric of “Testify to Love” is “All the colors of the rainbow.”
Jeremy H: Ty, you’ve spoken before about your own journey. What would you say to the young queer kid in the closet right now?
Ty Herndon: I hope we soon live in a society where no one has to “come out” — you’re just accepted as the beautiful child of God you are. Safety first. If your immediate family isn’t safe, build your chosen family. Surround yourself with love and with God — your version of God. I identify as God’s child, a country singer, and a good old boy from Alabama. The rest of the labels? I don’t need them.
Michael Passons: Every person’s coming-out experience is different. Protect yourself if you need to. You’ll know when it’s time. I’ve never met anyone who regretted coming out and living authentically.
Jeremy H: Michael, you went through conversion therapy — twice.
Michael Passons: The first time voluntarily when I first got to Nashville. The second time the group pushed it to save my job. I played along for a while because I loved the gig, but I knew it didn’t work. The counselor later told me he was never trying to change me — just help me be okay with myself. It planted slow-growing seeds that eventually helped me accept who I am.
Ty Herndon: I don’t know that any LGBTQ kid in those settings didn’t spend nights on their face begging God to take it away. We didn’t need coaching. It was our reality. But the God I know never let go of me — even in the darkest spaces.
Jeremy H: The writers of the song have endorsed your version?
Michael Passons: Three of the four reached out and gave their blessing. One said this is how the song was meant to be from the beginning. They’re even singing our arrangement at a big event in Europe. That validation means everything.
Ty Herndon: Music is art. Art belongs to the artist and the listener. No one gets to police what this song means.
Jeremy H: There’s a dance remix coming produced by Dave Aude’, I haven’t heard it yet. I know Dave did a lot of work with Andy Bell from Erasure, so quite a name there.
Ty Herndon: When I heard Dave was doing it, I got more excited than anything. You should see the Erasure pants I have planned for Saturday night.
Michael Passons: I’m not sure I can match your energy, but I’ll try.
Jeremy H: Gentlemen, thank you. This conversation — and this song — is doing real work.
Ty Herndon: Love you, brother.
Michael Passons: Thank you, Jeremy.
Ty Herndon Home Page and Instagram: @tyherndonofficial
Michael Passons Home Page and Instagram: @michaelpassons
Melissa Greene Instagram: @melissagreene