Breakdown or Breakthrough?
Andrew Ripp Shares the Story Behind His New Song
In his new song “Breakdown,” Andrew Ripp doesn’t just sing about hitting rock bottom—he takes you there. He opens the door to a deeply personal moment where everything fell apart…and then something beautiful began.
What if your breaking point wasn’t the end of your story, but the very beginning of healing?
“Every, single breakdown is an opportunity.”
That’s how Andrew opens up about the heart behind this song. Not with a catchy hook or a polished line—but with truth. “Every single breakdown is an opportunity. You have an opportunity to choose to allow God to pull you out of where you’re at. But it comes by way of surrender.”
We often see breakdowns as failure, as weakness, as moments we’d rather skip. But Andrew challenges that perspective, because it was in his own unraveling that he finally met the One who could put the pieces back together.
Andrew shares openly, “I had been using alcohol to run from my pain for a long time.”
But that numbing didn’t last. Eventually, the relationship he was in fell apart, and the truth hit hard. The problem wasn’t her. It was him. “A girl I was dating decided to leave me because I had become something that I wasn’t supposed to be. I remember having to look in the mirror for the first time, because the girl was not the problem, and I couldn’t blame her.”
Sometimes the hardest thing we can do is face ourselves. That was Andrew’s turning point. Not a stage. Not a spotlight. A mirror.
The Power of Surrender
What do you do when you’ve got nothing left?
Andrew reached out to some friends who had something he desperately wanted: peace, joy, love—all the fruits of the Spirit. Their advice was simple, but life-changing: “They challenged me to get down on my knees and to not get up until God met me there.”
So he did. In his backyard. Early in the morning. Alone.
“I remember doing that the next morning. Went out in the backyard, down on my knees. Probably hours crying. But the thing I remembered was—when I went down on my knees, I was alone, or at least I felt like I was. And then by the time I got up, I knew I wasn’t.”
“That breakdown was actually a breakthrough.”
That moment of surrender wasn’t the end—it was the beginning. Hope showed up. Jesus met him there.
From Breakdown to Breakthrough
That quiet backyard moment turned into something Andrew never expected.“That breakdown was actually a breakthrough.” And the story didn’t stop there. The girl came back. She saw something had changed.
“She was like, ‘What happened to you?’ I was like, ‘I met Jesus.’ She goes, ‘Well, I can’t deny that something crazy has happened in your life. Tell me about Jesus.’”
And he did. He led her to the Lord. “We wound up getting married, and we have three incredible kids.”
Out of a moment that felt like devastation came restoration, new life, and an unshakable faith. That’s what this song is about.
Andrew wrote “Breakdown” out of that season of surrender, redemption, and unexpected joy. “That breakdown was a breakthrough. That’s where this song came from. I really hope you love it as much as I do. It’s a powerful weapon.”
If you’ve been feeling crushed, distant from redemption, or curled up in your own “kitchen floor” moment—this song is for you. Andrew said, “It’s already been really powerful in my life.”
Maybe today you feel like you’re at the end. Worn out. Wondering if there’s a way forward. Let this be your reminder: surrender is the beginning of healing. You are not alone.
There is hope.
There is healing.
There is Jesus—closer than the air you’re breathing.
And what looks like a breakdown, might just be your breakthrough.
🎧 Watch the official music video for “Breakdown” here:
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