Artist Spotlight: JJ Heller

TSO: Tell about your background in church and how you got started in music.

Heller: I grew up going to church, and I’m so thankful to have that foundation of truth. I went to a Christian high school where my parents taught, and even though I was selected to be in a vocal ensemble all four years, I didn’t get very many solos. It wasn’t until my freshman year of college that I learned to play the guitar and began writing songs. I met my future husband, Dave, around that time, and we put a band together. We still had no aspirations to make a career of it, but we kept playing music, and God kept opening doors for us to continue. Here we are ten years later!

TSO: What do you hope people take away from the new album and from your concerts?

Heller: My prayer is that the Lord would use my music to help people feel less loneliness and more freedom. Music has a way of exposing our hearts, so that wounds that we would rather keep buried can find healing.

TSO: Tell about your album, and some of the stories behind the songs.

Heller: LOVED is a collection of songs about redemption, hope and the safety net of God’s love.

One of my favorite songs on the new album is “Who You Are.” The last few years have marked my community with tremendous loss, from divorces, to foreclosed homes, infertility and even the death of family members. When I experience loss, I want God to tell me why … but He doesn’t often answer these questions of mine immediately. Sometimes He answers over time, and sometimes He saves His answer until I see Him face to face. In the song, I explore the idea that whether or not He answers my questions in this lifetime, what I know for sure is who He is.

TSO: What’s typically your inspiration for songwriting?

Heller: Dave and I both keep a running log of quotes, ideas and phrases in the notes program on our phones. Because I have two little girls, it means I don’t have the luxury of writing when I feel inspired. I have to write when it fits into my schedule, and therefore, I need to keep my ideas organized. I’ve found inspiration everywhere — from sermons, children’s books and even in-flight magazines. I mostly write about issues that I’m dealing with in my own life, but if I write about someone else — for one reason or another, I’m usually able to put myself into their shoes and write from their perspective. My goal is to describe everyday concepts in a new and interesting way. It’s always a challenge to avoid being cliché.

TSO: Share some stories about how your music has impacted people.

Heller: A woman in Virginia explained to me just recently that when she heard the song, “Who You Are,” she was finally able to let go of the pain that she had been holding since her daughter passed away in 2007.

It’s been an amazing blessing to hear many stories over the years of people who changed their mind about attempting suicide, because of our song “What Love Really Means.”

I also spoke to a soldier a few weeks ago at a concert who told me that he was stationed in Iraq for over a year and would listen to our music every night before bed. He said how wonderful it was to be at the concert listening to me sing without gunfire in the background. I can’t express what an honor it is to hear these stories and be a part of what God is doing in their lives.

TSO: What’s your favorite part of what you do?

Heller: It’s hard to choose a favorite, but if I had to, I’d say it’s hearing stories from listeners whose lives have been changed because of God moving through our songs. I have the privilege of hearing hundreds of first-hand accounts about how God is working in hearts and lives. It’s inspiring!

TSO: What do you feel like God has been teaching you lately?

Heller: I’m a follower by nature — so I’m always looking for someone to tell what to do or tell me I’m okay. The Lord has been teaching me that I am stronger than I think and I need to depend on Him alone.

TSO: What are your upcoming plans?

Heller: I’m thrilled to finally be singing these new songs in concert and sharing the stories behind the songs. I’m currently touring with Sanctus Real and Unspoken, and taking the summer to write new material and spend time with our family at home. After much demand, we’re working on writing material for an album full of love songs and lullabies. We never know what the future will hold, but no matter what, it’s always an adventure!

** For more info about JJ Heller and her music, please visit www.jjheller.com

Artist Spotlight: Hearts of Saints

We recently caught up with Craig Felker, lead singer of the band Hearts of Saints — who shared about the group’s mission and purpose.

TSO: Tell about your background in church and how you got started in music.

Felker: I was raised in church until I was about 10 years old, and then sports kind of became “king” in our family. I got reconnected with the church in high school. During my freshman year of college, it stopped being about “just going to church” — when I realized that Jesus was the real deal. I had been telling someone that it wasn’t possible to know what God looks like.

Then, a friend told me about Ezekiel’s vision when he saw God. I couldn’t sleep that night. I remembering getting out of bed, literally dusting the Bible off and looking for Ezekiel in the table of contents. I had heard about Ezekiel from going to church, but didn’t have a lot of knowledge about the Bible. I started reading the first chapter and continued on to the second chapter. That’s when the words really struck me, where it says, “Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you.” I haven’t been the same since.

Very shortly after that, the Lord called me to do music and to spread the good news this way. In college, I met our drummer and about 7 years ago, we started Hearts of Saints.

TSO: What do you hope people take away from this album and from your concerts?

Felker: This record is about Christ’s work and our victory in Him. The world says “do,” but Christ says “done.” He has accomplished everything for us.

The theme of this record is identity, and to really understand identity, you have to understand the gospel and the impact it has on your life. For myself, this concept has expanded over the last few years. 1 John 4:19 says, “We love because He first loved us.” When you begin to grasp just how much God loves us, you start operating out of that adoration.

This record is speaking to sons and daughters of the King, and hopefully reminds them how valuable and loved they really are. Our salvation is not based on works. There is nothing we can do to earn it or work to obtain it. Because of what He has done, we are redeemed by the blood of the lamb.

TSO: What’s typically your inspiration for songwriting?

Felker: We can’t write better lyrics than the Scriptures. One of the songs, “Out of the Dark,” is based on 1 Thess. 5:5 — where it says “come out of the darkness because you are children of the light.” So much of this record is based on fresh expressions of these themes and Scriptures. The song “Everlasting” is from Psalm 139:23-24, where David writes, “Search me and know my heart, try me and see if there are any wicked ways and wash them away. Lead me in the way that is everlasting.”  The words in Scripture are alive and powerful. We’re not trying to re-write them, just trying to write a fresh expression around them.

TSO: What’s your favorite part of what you do?

Felker: Singing songs with people. It’s so great when everyone is singing and worshipping together. This record is designed to encourage the church to sing. We have put together two discs for this project — a rock disc and a worship disc. The songs are really intentional and designed to unite believers because when brothers and sisters are gathered together, the Lord dwells among their praises.

TSO: What do you feel like God has been teaching you lately?

Felker: God has been teaching me about His characteristics, what it means to be His child and how my identity is found in Him. God is absolutely holy, absolutely just — and yet calls me His child. Because of who He is, it tells me who I am. When the Father looks at me, because of Jesus, He sees His own son’s blood. That is a radical mindset. Apart from Jesus, I am nothing. I’m a flawed human being, but in Christ, I’m redeemed. It says in Romans 8 that nothing can separate us from the Father’s love. That is so powerful.

Another lesson that God is teaching me is to be a better listener, because it’s not about me — it’s about us. I came across a great quote that said, “My ears never get me into trouble.”

　** For more info, please visit www.heartsofsaints.com and be sure to check out their new project, “For All of Us.”

 

 

Get to Know: Todd Ballard

The songs on Todd Ballard’s debut album, Anthems, reflect his heart’s desire to connect people to a Risen Savior and offer praise to Him. We recently spoke with Ballard, who left his position as a founding pastor at one of the fast-growing congregations in the country — Red Rocks Church in Golden, Colo. — to reach audiences across the country with the gospel.

TSO: Start by sharing about your background in church and musical training.

Ballard: I’m a preacher’s kid and was raised in church from the time I can remember. I always felt like I was called to do something in the ministry, but it took a while to discover what area the Lord would have me serve in. When I was in college, I asked my parents if they would give me a guitar for Christmas. I taught myself how to play the guitar and found a voice that I didn’t know I had. Within a year, I was leading worship and traveling with a Christian rock band.

TSO: What do you hope people take away from your album?

Ballard: I really hope people take away that God is worthy to be praised, because that’s what we were made for — to give Him glory. I hope that as people listen to these songs, they will get excited about how great God is and will praise Him.

TSO: What’s your favorite part of what you do?

Ballard: Just going after God. I love to see people praising God. It’s cool to see how different people approach worship and to see that they are connecting to God. I’m very grateful for the opportunities that the Lord has provided and the platform He has given. As Believers, we are all vessels and have been given unique gifts with the purpose of leading people to the Lord. God has a calling on each person, and whatever He has called you to do, do it with excellence.

For more info, please visit www.toddballard.com

Mark Hall talks about his role in the movie “Ring the Bell”

Casting Crowns’ lead singer Mark Hall recently shared about the group’s appearance in the movie “Ring the Bell,” available now on DVD.  This heartwarming and inspiring film also features Christian recording artists Steven Curtis Chapman and Matthew West, along with baseball legends Rick Sutcliffe, John Kruk and Ben Zobrist. 

 

TSO: What do you hope families take away from this movie?

 

Hall: The gospel is very clearly presented in the movie.  This movie shows the power of the gospel and salvation.  Some movies kind of share the gospel inadvertently, which is great when they do, but that’s not the approach this movie took.  This movie clearly presents the gospel in different ways, so by the end, people will know how to respond to God drawing them closer to Him.

 

TSO: What led you to be a part of this project?

 

Hall: Our producer, Mark Miller, has been talking about writing and doing movies for many years.  About two years ago, he came to me with a beautiful story about this guy chasing life and then surrendering his life to the Lord.  It was a perfect storyline.  When Mark said that he wanted me to be in this movie, I said, “I don’t have anything to base this on, but I’m almost positive that I can’t act.” 

 

I tried everything I could think of to get out of it, thinking he would drop the idea.  But then he comes back and says, “Here’s what we’re going to do.  You don’t have to follow a script.  Just say whatever the Lord puts on your heart.”  So he put me in a scene singing with Casting Crowns and told me to share the gospel with the crowd.  We prayed before we filmed, and we did it in one take.  Two people in the crowd got saved during the filming of the movie.  It was powerful stuff and completely God at work!  God showed that He had a plan — not just through the movie, but through the making of the movie as well.  That’s just incredible to think about!

 

 

TSO: Talk about the need for more faith-based and inspirational films like this one.

 

Hall: Movies like this one become tremendous tools in connecting people to local churches.  I think there are several things going on in mainstream entertainment that are proving our point for us, especially with “Duck Dynasty” being as popular as it is and not having any junk or garbage in the show.  It has a family-friendly and faith-based influence showing the way they live their life.  The fact that this program is so popular is a major statement that shows people like clean programs and they can handle them loving God.  It proves a point that people want more programs like this.

 

Artist Spotlight: Dara Maclean

For singer/songwriter Dara Maclean, there is great joy in the journey as she connects people to the life-changing love of Christ through music.

TSO: Tell about your background in church and how you got started in music.

I grew up doing music and ministry in church — singing, writing, dancing and acting … anything and everything that revolved around a platform. From a very young age, I really felt called to perform. At 7 years old, I remember running into my dad’s office and singing a song that I had written about the walls of Jericho falling down. It probably wasn’t a very good song, but my parents have always been so supportive and encouraging.

I started leading worship when I was a teenager and began understanding not just the genre of worship, but worship as a lifestyle. I started leading worship for my youth group when I was 13 and kept leading until I was about 22 years old. That really set the tone for what I do today as an artist. I’m a worshipper — that’s where the music comes from and the purpose of it.

TSO: How were you inspired to write the song “Suitcases?”

My parents were teaching a class at church, and I had just finished leading worship. I was doodling in my journal, and my dad randomly said, “You can’t run when you’re holding suitcases.” That really struck me. The chorus came together, and it was a picture of me attempting to walk through life with these huge, bursting bags. One bag flies open and a baby blanket falls out. It’s a metaphor of fears, rejection, hurts and insecurities. A picture of an ex-boyfriend falls out, and I’m thinking, ‘just let go.’ The point of baggage is to weigh me down and actually stop me from walking in the fullness of what God has in store. What I want with the song “Suitcases” is to collectively set those bags aside and discover there’s so much more offered through Christ.

TSO: What do you hope people take away from your album and from your concerts?

I want people to experience and encounter the love of God. I believe that the real love of God as described in 1 Corinthians 13 has the power to change a person from the inside out. I want people to walk away knowing and realizing that there is something more as a child of God. There is life more abundantly. In Ephesians 3:20, it talks about exceedingly, abundantly, above and beyond what we can ask or think. Have we even scratched the surface of that? Maybe not, but together let’s discover what is available through Christ.

The purpose of music is to reach people, and it has nothing to do with me. I always want to keep my motives in check — asking God for clean hands, a pure heart, seeing people how He sees them and sharing His love.

For more info and tour schedule, please visit www.daramaclean.com

Artist Spotlight: The Royal Royal

 We recently caught up with The Royal Royal, an exciting worship duo hailing from Ontario, Canada.  Brothers Nathan and Gabriel Finochio joined musical forces to write songs, lead worship and deliver lyrics that breathe new life through ancient truths. Their album, “The Royalty,” provides a captivating and creative worship experience designed to inspire listeners to sing of God’s vast power and majesty.
TSO: Share about your background in church and how you got started in music.

Nathan: Our Dad is a pastor of a small evangelical charismatic church in a town of 1,800 in rural Ontario, Canada. Dad loves worship and was a worship leader and songwriter himself before he took a pastorate 14 years ago. We grew up in independent Charismatic churches: vibrant, modern worship services were a constant, and we were encouraged from a young age to play on the worship team.

We got started at an early age because adults who hated modern music put their musical preferences aside to include and foster a work of God in the youth of the church. You could say we are the collective result of unselfish, mature Christians who encouraged us in our gift. You could also say that we are the result of patient parents that let us crank our amps and bang on drums in the basement at the age of 12 — playing the same Nirvana song over and over and over again.

TSO: When did you feel God leading you to pursue music full-time?

Two years ago, Gabe and I felt an urgency to make this a priority in our life. Our Dad encouraged it, my pastors Carl Lentz and Joel Houston were catalyst in pushing me out of Canada to do this, and our manager Teresa Mills was key in orchestrating the public unveiling of this endeavor (incredible visionary woman!). It’s been an amazing 2 years.

TSO: How did you select the name for the group?

We originally wanted “Royal,” but ended up with The Royal Royal because mindless repetition is how we learned music — scales! It doesn’t make any grammatical sense but it gets the point across: in Jesus we are royalty, adopted by the King!

TSO: What do you hope people take away from your album and from your concerts?

A new sense of God’s awesomeness via our art. We are stewards of His gift, and we believe it our mandate to be ourselves and true to our love of art in expressing God’s wonder. We want people to see Jesus in a new and fresh way — just as God shows us His wonder in creation: every sunset is different than the last! God is a God of new!

TSO: Share some stories about how your music has impacted people.

Our favorite stories are the ones from other worship leaders — that they have fresh expression in God’s house, which we believe to be the highest honor. We love to make the Church beautiful.

TSO: What are your upcoming plans?

Write and record a new record this year and continue to play wherever doors and hearts are open.