Donnie McClurkin Talks Recording Final Studio Album & New Single ‘Better Afterwhile’: ‘I Wanted to Help Encourage Everybody’

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Donnie McClurkin tells Billboard astir his caller song, and astir plans for his last recorded medium FINALLY!, retired adjacent year.

Donnie McClurkin poses successful the property country during the 40th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards astatine Schermerhorn Symphony Center connected August 16, 2025 successful Nashville, Tennessee.

Since archetypal rising arsenic a solo creator with his 1996 self-titled debut project, Donnie McClurkin has invigorated and redefined Gospel and worship euphony with songs specified arsenic “I Call You Faithful,” “Wait connected the Lord” (with Karen Clark Sheard), “Stand” and “Great Is Your Mercy.” Along the way, he’s earned 10 Stellar Awards and 2 BET Awards.

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Now the triple Grammy victor is stepping distant from signaling music, but not without a last goodbye. “Better Afterlife,” the archetypal opus from McClurkin’s upcoming last recorded project, comes retired contiguous (Oct. 17).

“It’s a byproduct of the times that we’re surviving in,” McClurkin tells Billboard of the song. “I conscionable wanted to assistance promote everybody that nary substance however atrocious times are, it’s going to get amended aft a while. Nothing remains the aforesaid and the antithetic situations that we’re going done arsenic a federation and a world, determination needs to beryllium immoderate benignant of encouragement to fto them cognize that we’ve been done hard times earlier and we made it through.”

McClurkin’s caller opus previews FINALLY!, McClurkin’s past workplace medium and archetypal since 2016’s The Journey. The set, recorded astatine TBN Studios successful Hendersonville, Tennessee, volition travel retired adjacent twelvemonth connected Camdon Music/Fair Trade Services.

“Every bully happening has to travel to an extremity sooner oregon later,” McClurkin says of the determination to grounds his last project. “The Bible says you’ve got to larn however to fig your days, and erstwhile it comes to the constituent done supplication that it’s clip to determination on, past you move. Our discography is solid. I conscionable deliberation that erstwhile you spell out, you person to spell retired connected top. When the Lord gives you the inclination that you’ve achieved your goal, past you tin beryllium back, look astatine it and say, ‘Well done.’”