Josh Setterfield Announces New Version Of ‘The Way God Made Me’ Alongside Emotional Post

In a lengthy and vulnerable post to social media yesterday (July 24), Josh Setterfield announced that he will release a reimagined version of The Way God Made Me this Friday.

The song details Setterfield’s previous battle with depression, with the chorus saying, “I hate the way God made me.”

The singer previously said he wouldn’t play the song live anymore because he “felt it was time to move on” after beating his depression. But, according to his post, that’s no longer the case.

“We played it for the 'final time' at the first headline in Brisbane earlier in the year, and the amount of people this song had an impact on, near brought me to tears on stage. A little while later... That depression crept back in And I hit one of the darkest spots I've ever been in. Turns out it wasn't done.”

Speaking on his recent fight with depression, Setterfield blamed the constant need for artists to produce social media content.

“I felt music had become too much about content and constantly chasing online clout, which is something that I've never been about but started to lean on as that's what the industry wants. Id become depressed, stopped working on JSTV's, started making mass tiktoks and reels and I hated it. I felt like I had to or I'd fall behind. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Josh Setterfield (@joshsetterfield)

“They say don't complain, 'learn to adapt' as music changes, but music used to be about creating the best songs… Musicians have always been writing relatable tracks but most songs today are DESPERATELY 'relatable', trying to go viral for a 2 second tiktok/reel attention span. There's no love or heart in the music... Just throwaway 'blow this up' viral desperation tracks. Artists are writing songs FOR Tiktok. Not their audience or live show.”

Continuing, Setterfield explained that dealing with social media was making him “miserable,” which ultimately made him put a “pause” on his creative plans for a bit.

That pause seemed to help him, though, providing some “clarity” and allowing him to continue his musical journey.

“A LOT of changes are coming for the JS camp. And for the first time in a while, I'm actually really excited about what's to come. It may not fit the mold... But I'm proud of it. While I'll still be doing 'content', I'll be doing it MY way. Doing what makes me happy. And that's making music with my friends for you guys. That's the whole reason I do this.

“So I'm coming back, better than ever with a middle finger up and doing whatever the f**k I want. You're getting a lot of new songs and a brand new EP after this track.”

But his first port of call is rerecording The Way God Made Me. 

“We're starting off with a re-imagined version of this song to acknowledge that depression is a big thing and can affect all of us in many ways. I hope you CAN'T relate to this song. But I know so many of you do.”

Setterfield’s new version will be “stripped back and emotional as it was meant to be” and will be released tomorrow (July 26).