After a four year sabbatical, singer-songwriter Chris Sligh makes his return to the Christian music scene with Mighty Roar / Healing Flood. Sligh, similar to his contemporaries Colton Dixon and Danny Gokey, has widely been known for his stint on American Idol. However, Sligh is much more than just his American Idol reputation.

"My goal is to be a husband, a leader, a father, a friend, a lover, a pastor, a follower and a creative, and all of it with love," Sligh states on his website. "My music, my leadership, my writing--if I am not proving to those around me that I love them, then I am not succeeding in what I'm called to." The singer-songwriter shares that new vision on Mighty Roar / Healing Flood, his first album in four years. 

The following 10 essential must-know essential facts explore Chris Sligh's new vision, his new album, his childhood, his rise to stardom, his previous accomplishments, and of course, American Idol.

1. A Tennessee Native
Sligh is from Tennessee, born and raised in a Baptist household. His parents were missionaries, which meant that he and his family moved frequently--Tennessee, North Carolina and Germany. Sligh's musical influence was his father, a music pastor.
 
2. A Potential Lawyer and Writer
Growing up, Sligh never saw himself at first as having a music career. The singer's real passion was writing. He used to love reading John Grisham and Michael Crichton, two authors who worked in high-profile careers before becoming full-time writers. Sligh took pre-law at Pensacola Christian College in Florida to turn this dream into fruition. However, he eventually chose to turn another passion into a career--music. He followed in his father's footsteps to become a singer. 

3. The Growing Artist
Sligh used a number of platforms to develop his musical talents--even before transferring to Bob Jones University. For example, the singer-songwriter formed two accapella groups. 

At his church, Sligh formed an accapella quartet with three military boys. The four guys would perform once a month. After the first group disbanded, Sligh formed another accapella group later in his academic years with five people. Through trial and error, Sligh used these and other experiences to hone his craft.

4. A College Student
Sligh changed his major from pre-law to music. He enrolled in the vocal performance program at the fundamentalist Bob Jones University in South Carolina. In his senior year, Sligh was expelled for violating the school's "music rules." He attended a 4Him concert, which was prohibited by the university. 

After Sligh was expelled, he played in coffeehouses, recorded an acoustic album, and performed with various bands, including Half Past Forever. Then entered American Idol.

5. The American Idol Contestant
At 28, Sligh auditioned for the sixth season of American Idol. He didn't expect to get past the first round, but ended up in the top 10 before being ousted in March 2007 (pop singer Jordin Sparks would later win the competition). 

"American Idol was 10 years ago for me," Sligh, now 38, said in an exclusive interview. Sligh calls his experience on American Idol "a mixed bag," saying "it was good in most ways, not as good in others--but mostly great."
 
In the aftermath, Sligh continued to play with Half Past Forever, but eventually chose to pursue a solo career.

6. The Well-Established Artist
Between 2008 and 2013, Sligh released a number of albums. Running Back to You, his debut effort, dropped a year after his appearances on American Idol in 2008. "Empty Me," one of the songs from the album, peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart. 

Sligh followed up with the Christmas EP in 2009 and Anatomy of Broken in 2010. I highly recommend the song "One," a single from the Anatomy of Broken: "We got to let go of pride / Embrace the idea of difference / Make unity our calling / And move within forgiveness."

In 2012, Sligh took the independent route with For Our God and King. Sligh released This is Life, a three-album, 37-song collection of music in 2013.

7. An Actor in Hollywood
Besides music, Sligh explored other opportunities, such as acting. Sligh had a brief appearance in the 2011 film October Baby, playing B-Mac. He also contributed "Broken (Beautiful)," "One" and "Willow Tree" to the film's soundtrack. Sligh also offered a cover of Katy Perry's hit song "Firework" for the 2011 film "Soul Surfer."
 
8. The Music Pastor and Father
After spending five years aggressively pursuing opportunities for his music career, Sligh switched gears and took some time off in 2013 to focus on fathering and pastoring.

"In the four-plus years since my last album, I have acted as the creative director for two of the largest churches in America, and I'm the father of two young children, so making a new album happened whenever I could fit it in," says Sligh.  Sligh, along with his wife Sarah and their children Keira (6) and McCartney (3), now reside with their dog L.G. and their cat Rose outside Nashville, Tennessee.

During his sabbatical, Sligh produced and participated in a live recording for Shoreline Church, his former place of worship, in Austin, Texas. Shoreline Music's album No Height, No Depth can be found on Spotify and iTunes.

"I currently do not work for a church, but I volunteer at my church in Nashville, leading worship and playing guitar and keys for worship as often as I can," Sligh says.

9. The Singer-songwriter Returns
Now, Sligh is back with his new album Mighty Roar / Healing Flood. "On my new record, I played nearly every instrument," Sligh says.

The singer-songwriter also engineered, mixed and mastered the album, saying "it was truly my vision for what I wanted from this album."

Bryan Adams, Ben Folds, Tom Petty--Sligh's musical influences--were the inspiration for 2013's This Is Life. For Mighty Roar / Healing Flood, Sligh switched gears from a rock-influenced sound to a more electronic direction. 

"All of my albums have had a clear musical vision," Sligh says. "For this record, I was enamored with the production of current DJs and producers like Max Martin, David Guetta and Daft Punk. I tried to write worshipful songs rooted in that musical direction."

10. The Artist's New Vision
Sligh returned to the Christian music scene with a new vision not only for his new album, but for his music career. He wants his fans to know him not as former American Idol singer, but Chris Sligh, the man, the husband, the father, the pastor, the artist.
 
The singer-songwriter concluded, "success and excellence--these are great things, but they are not fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is love."

You can purchase Chris Sligh's latest album here.