Internationally renowned, Dove Award-winning South African rock band Tree63 releases Voyage today (June 5), which is the title track to its eighth full-length album, Voyage, set to debut June 26 through Just Music, a label of Next Music Group. The single is available now at streaming and digital outlets everywhere along with pre-order/save options for the full recording from https://orcd.co/t63_voyage.
After more than a decade-long hiatus, Tree63 is intent on making a triumphant return. With founding vocalist, songwriter and guitarist John Ellis at the helm with a renewed sense of purpose, the band is set to reignite its legacy with Voyage.
“The lyric for Voyage came out of one of those long conversations about faith with an old friend that yielded lightbulb moments: the continuing wrestling with the essence of the spiritual life and what the implications for your life are when you choose that path, or when you find yourself on it unexpectedly,” says Ellis about the genesis of the album’s title track.
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He found himself asking questions like, “What does the spiritual life really look like? What defines it? Is it a conversion moment, a one-time decision that you try and stay faithful to? Or is it perhaps the result of some kind of an encounter with God that changes your behaviour?”
Revealing his own experience, Ellis shares, “The longer and further I pursue faith, the more the nature of the journey reveals itself. In other words, to be a person of faith is to be on a perpetual voyage. The voyage, the path, the walking, all are ends in themselves that add up to a life built on faith.”
Joining Ellis for this next Tree63 journey, with the full blessing of former members Darryl Swart and Daniel Ornellas, are drummer Angus Warden and bassist Deon Knipe. The newly formed trio launched Tree63 back into the live arena last year with new songs organically flowing from Ellis as the stellar new lineup captured them in the recording studio. Giving music lovers a taste of what’s to come on VOYAGE with How Much Longer?, which released in April, and today’s title track, the new music promises to bring a dynamic edge while staying true to Tree63’s signature sound.
“Tree63’s essence remains unchanged,” Ellis explains. “This new chapter is about bringing our songs about faith, eternity and God into today’s world where these things often get lost in the chaos of life and world events. The spiritual world is still the only true source of peace. Music has the power to remind us of that.”
First formed in Durban in 1996, Tree63 is one of the most successful and beloved musical exports in South African music history. Led by singer, songwriter and guitarist John Ellis, the band came to international attention with the release of their second album, 63 (Survivor Records) in 1999. The three-piece band followed 63 in 2000 with its self-titled release on US-based InPop Records, which sparked the radio hits Treasure and Look What You’ve Done. Picking up a Dove Award that year for Rock Album of the Year, the band went on to record five more critically acclaimed albums and release numerous radio singles, including the No. 1 hit and Billboard’s most played Christian Song Of The Year in 2004, Blessed Be Your Name, and the ASCAP Song of the Year, King, both from 2004’s The Answer To The Question.
Disbanded when John moved back to South Africa from Nashville in 2009, the band reconvened briefly for 2015’s Land, which was CCM Magazine’s Album of the Year while NewReleaseToday said the album is “a voyage well worth taking.” A hiatus followed during which John released three more solo albums.
Touring extensively over the years, Tree63 made numerous appearances with the Billy Graham Evangelical Association, headlined Canada’s multi-denominational Christian youth conference events and more. Performing throughout the US, UK, Canada, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Holland, Zimbabwe, Australia and New Zealand, Ellis brought Tree63 back to the live arena with a stellar new lineup in 2025 featuring Deon Knipe (bass guitar and backing vocals) and Angus Warden (drums and backing vocals). The reformed trio, complete with Ellis on lead vocals and guitars, organically began to write and record new music late last year. The resulting, long-awaited album, VOYAGE, bows June 19.
All the latest music news and information on Tree63 can be found at Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter.
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