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: 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: Lara Landon

Get to know singer/songwriter Lara Landon — an exciting new artist with a heart for missions and a desire to encourage others through the gift of music.

In 2006, Lara and her sister started a non-profit organization, New Reality International, which is designed to provide physical, emotional and spiritual healing to those suffering from extreme poverty, disease and injustice worldwide. For more info, please visit: www.newrealityinternational.org.

Lara’s latest album, Overcome, and a music video called “I See God In You” was inspired from her mission trips to Haiti, along with a service-based tour that ministered at homeless shelters, bars, women’s rehabilitation centers and churches. From there, Lara launched a national campaign asking fans to share stories/photos of people who reflect the image of God. The images were posted on her blog: http://www.iseegodinyou.blogspot.com and some were used in the music video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nfACC6nEbo.

Lara Landon is definitely one to watch in 2013.

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

When I was little, I was really shy. I always loved music, and I would sit at the piano and make up songs when I was just a kid.  I remember when my sister auditioned for the play, “Annie.”  My sister was the bold one and I was just tagging along. When I was there, I remember people asking me to sing and this big voice suddenly came out. Everyone was stunned and I got the part.  I started taking singing and piano lessons, singing special music at church and getting involved in musicals. It really was an unexpected moment that drastically changed my life.

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

I really want people to feel encouraged and to have an encounter with God when they come to a concert. You can play all the good music you want, but if God isn’t involved, it won’t touch people’s hearts and change their lives. I want people to be changed when they come in contact with my songs or concerts.

TSO: Share some of the stories behind the songs on the new album.

* The song “Leah” is really about my life. The song describes this girl who is paralyzed by fear and can’t move forward. She has all these dreams, but can’t accomplish them because she’s afraid. God tells her: “If you jump out in faith, don’t worry. I will catch you. I know all the desires in your heart and your dreams because I put them there. If you’ll trust me, you will see how far you can go.” That’s my story because I was very afraid of pursuing music as a full-time career. I had to come to the point where I said, “I’m not going to play it safe any longer. I’m going to do what I feel like God is calling me to do.” I had to encourage myself to take that leap of faith.

* The song “Defenseless” is about trying to fill the void of emptiness in our lives — whether through food, entertainment or hanging out with people. In the song it says, “God, I’m coming before you, and I want only you to fill the void. I’m coming before you defenseless.”

TSO: What is your inspiration for songwriting?

Whatever God is teaching me at the moment — my life and my walk as a Christian.

TSO: Tell about the non-profit organization, “New Reality.”

My sister and I were just thinking about what we could do with our lives. We wanted to do more. We came up with the name “New Reality” because the reality of the world is often very dark, but we want people to see the new reality — the Kingdom of God. We started off in small ways, not knowing where God going to lead. It’s been amazing to see where God was taken this. God brought medical professionals into our lives, and we began taking mission trips to Haiti. God took our little desire of wanting to do something, and He has multiplied it. We’ve been able to send doctors to places like Haiti, Nigeria and Guatemala to perform life-saving surgeries – everything from removing sores in people’s mouths to cutting out breast cancer. It’s so remarkable what God has done and how He has blessed those little steps of faith.

TSO: Talk about how you were inspired to created the campaign, “I See God In You.”

When I was in Haiti, I was really impacted by seeing God in the darkest circumstances and most unlikely places. When I came home, I continued thinking about that idea — how you can see God in the least of these and how they should be treated. I feel like when we do treat people as we would treat Jesus, then they are drawn to that. It is then that we can share with them the authentic love of God.

For more info and her upcoming schedule, please visit www.laralandononline.com

　

Artist Spotlight: Holly Starr

Through her newest album, Holly Starr is sharing an important message about staying focused on God.  “If you believe that God is bigger than everything we can see, and that He’s more powerful than anything you’ve experienced, then you know that God’s grace can intervene in any situation in your life. The impossible is not impossible.”

 

 

 

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

 

I have been in church since I was a baby. When music became a part of my life, I was able to be very involved with the youth band. It was through leading worship that I discovered a desire to try writing songs. Those songs found their way to MySpace, which were then discovered by my first producer, Brandon Bee. My story until today is one of God opening door after door in places I would least expect it, making a way where there seemed to be none again and again. If there is one thing I know, it is that I haven’t been in charge from the very beginning, and I like it that way! 
 
What do you hope people take away from this album and from your concerts?

 

I would love for people to know that the hope of my life is to direct people to who God is. He is the most satisfying, the most interesting, the most awesome, the most life-changing thing we can ever think upon or spend time with. It’s just all about HIM. All I want is for people to taste and see that HE is good. That HE is all any one person could need. That this is reality and not just something we say as Christians. It is the very thing that inspires me to do what I do — to get up in the morning and sing more songs, write more songs… I just want people to know Him, how GOOD He is!!
 
What’s typically your inspiration for songwriting?
 
I am inspired by many things, but most of all I would say I am inspired by my relationship with God. The revelations I have while on this journey with Him usually end up in a song.

 

What’s your favorite part of what you do?

 

I LOVE that I get to talk about Jesus literally every day! I have been passionate about this since I was a little girl. Music has been a great opportunity to continue doing that.
 
Share some stories about how your music has impacted people.

 

A man in an ambulance after a terrible wreck was shown my song “Psalm 23″ while being rushed to the hospital. I was told that he burst into tears begging for whatever was coming from the music. His care taker in the ambulance was able to share Christ with him, which was followed by this man receiving the gift of Salvation.

 

A lady had been molested by her father, and couldn’t forgive him. She heard my song “I Love You Anyway” and was supernaturally able to do what she thought wasn’t possible. She even went and met with him!

 

Another man’s wife cheated on him with his best friend. He thought he had forgiven her, but after hearing “I Love You Anyway,” he was convicted that his forgiveness wasn’t complete until he was able to love her back. This song gave him that Christ-like love for her, bringing forgiveness in completion to his broken heart.
 
What do you feel like God has been teaching you lately?

 

So many things! Most importantly however, He has been teaching me to trust Him. I have always struggled with trust, so this is a continued theme of my life. However, the last two years have been full of changes (and I don’t like change!), giving me many opportunities to choose “faith/trust”  or “fear.” 

                                                                                                                                                

 

For more info about Holly Starr and her new album, check out www.hollystarrmusic.com

 

 

Artist Spotlight: Karyn Williams

With her captivating vocals, it’s easy to see why Karyn Williams was named one of Billboard’s “Best Bets” for 2012. This fall, she will be on the “All Things Possible Tour” with Mark Schultz.

We recently caught up with Karyn and she shared about her journey into the Christian music industry.

 

 

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

I was raised in a Christian home and the older I’ve gotten, the more I’m thankful for that. But my husband always says “being raised in a Christian home doesn’t make you any more of a Christian than hanging out at McDonald’s makes you a Big Mac.”

For me, high school was the time when my relationship with the Lord became real. I accepted Christ when I was 5 years, but I didn’t fully understand what it meant to have a relationship with Him until later on. My faith has sustained me throughout my entire life and relationship with Christ has grown even deeper over the last couple of years. I’m thrilled to be able to share about Christ through music.

I moved to Nashville about 5 years ago. In the summer of 2007, I packed up my car and felt like the Lord was saying, “Go, I’ve got something really special for you there.” I was terrified and excited all at the same time. I promised the Lord that I would be willing to walk through any door that He opened, even if it meant stepping out of my comfort zone. I knew that it would be a step of faith, but I needed to trust Him. He has been faithful to lead and open doors throughout this journey.

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

We can live without a lot of things, but hope is not one of them. Hope is what keeps me going — the hope of a new day, that my sins have been forgiven, that His mercies are new every morning. It’s all about hope. That’s the underlying message of this record. Over the last few years, it’s been a journey of finding rest and freedom in the Lord. Whether people are listening to this album or at a concert, I really want them to take away a message of hope and freedom in the Lord.

Share the story behind your song, “Rest in the Hope” –

My first single is a song called “Rest in the Hope” … there’s that hope thing again! It was actually the last song written for the record, and it was written out of a very painful place. My dad was diagnosed with a rare and incurable form of cancer. That phone call I received from him was devastating, and as humans we immediately begin asking, “Why is this happening? Are we being punished for something?” It’s been a journey of understanding that this did not come as a surprise to the Lord. He is not punishing us. But it is an opportunity to shine His light in different places. My dad said, “Nothing happens to us that isn’t Father-filtered. I know that God will use this.” It was amazing to me that in the very next breath, my dad was reminding me of God’s power. He said this is when your faith really becomes real, you either cling to it or run from it.

This song was written about his journey. My dad said, “I felt like I was close to the Lord before this experience, but now I feel like I’m sitting on Jesus’ lap and hugging Him.” I just thought what a beautiful picture of sitting on Jesus’ lap and resting.

Tell about the song, “Only You” –

This is the title track of the record and was written in the middle of the night about a year ago. I was wrestling with life things that were just hitting me left and right. I felt like the Lord was reminding me, “At the end of your life, none of these things will matter. There’s only one thing that matters — whether you knew Me, loved Me, served Me, and told everyone you could about Me.” I just kept hearing over and over again that night, “Only You, Only You…” That’s all that will matter at the end of our lives. For that to be the title track of my first record is really special. It’s my heart put to a melody. It’s what I want my life to stand for.

What’s your favorite part of what you do?

It’s an honor for me to be able to create music that is kind of like a big hug for people. We all have pain that we carry around with us every day. A lot of times we get up and slap a smile on our face even though it feels like we’re falling apart inside. As an artist, one of my favorite things to do is getting out and talking with people. I want to be real with people. I feel very honored that I get to do that and have the opportunity to spread a little hope and a smile into their lives.

* For more info and tour dates, please visit www.karynwilliams.com

Introducing… Marie Miller!

We recently caught up with Marie Miller, a talented new artist that you’ll certainly be hearing more about in the future.

TSO: Tell about how you got started in music.

I started singing when I was seven years old and joined my family band at the ripe old age of twelve! That same year my dad introduced bluegrass music into my life, and I fell in love! My love for bluegrass music led me to pick up the mandolin and acoustic guitar. I started songwriting soon after. Songwriting changed my life, because it gave me an opportunity to turn my ideas and dreams into music.

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

Beauty. God woos His people with His immense beauty. Beauty can elevate our souls to Heaven, to home, to where we belong. I want to be His little instrument to turn heads and hearts to His infinite love though the beauty of music.

TSO: What’s typically your inspiration for songwriting?

My songs are always from big moments, thoughts and emotions in my life. I can’t write a song unless I could sing the song for years to come and still relate to it. Once something hits me, it seems so natural to write about God, people, places, books or poems that I love.
 

TSO: Share some of the stories behind your new songs.

“To Be Loved” is a song I wrote about my five-year-old sister Megan who was born with down syndrome. I am blown away by this little girl every day of my life. She teaches me through her beautiful soul that we are created to love and to be loved. Nothing else will fill the holes in hearts.

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

We were made to live life in abundance. Mediocrity is not an option as much as I want to make it one! God loves me too much to let me stay the same with all my faults and failings. He is constantly calling me higher. He is such a great Dad!

TSO: What are your upcoming plans?

I will be performing, songwriting, and promoting my new album! I just finished recording a new project with producer Paul Mabury, and I am so excited to begin performing this new music! I’ll also be home as much as I can, so I can spend time with my awesome family out in Virginia.

For more info about this exciting new artist, check out www.mariemiller.net. Also, be sure to check out the music video for her song, “Make The Most of Me” — http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=KGWKD7NX

 

Meet Jessa Anderson

 

 

We recently caught up with Jessa Anderson, one of the newest additions to BEC Recordings and certainly someone you’ll be hearing more about in the years to come! 

 

 

TSO: Tell us about  yourself and how you got started in music.

 

Jessa: I am fortunate to have parents who raised me in a strong church community. Both of my parents have always been tremendous examples as they have followed Christ. Music has always been a passion of mine and something that went hand in hand with my involvement at church. From my first rendition of “Jesus Loves Me” as a toddler to the many hours of praise band rehearsal for my youth group, I took every opportunity to sing that was available.

 

My first year of college, I traveled with a university ministry team throughout the school year and for most of my summer break.  At that point, I realized how passionate I was about using music to connect with and serve God and other people. I saw the way great songs could speak to the listener and I knew I wanted to pursue that. That summer, I met Jordan (now my husband) and he told me about the performance program at Belmont University. I ended up transferring in as a vocal major and my time there was crucial in getting me to where I am now.

 

Not only what I learned about music, but the people God placed in my life. It was there I was exposed to the craft of songwriting and met the producer of my first independent release. When that CD was complete, Jordan and I decided to try music full time. We were passionate about it and willing to work hard, and we also saw that God was really providing and opening the door to that career path. Jordan still handles our booking and management (as well as songwriting and performing), and we just released my label debut with BEC Recordings (Tooth & Nail) which has been a really awesome relationship. We definitely saw that God brought that step about in His timing, through ways we never could have seen coming.

 

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

 

Jessa: My heart is really to just share openly about who God is and how that affects every facet of our life. I don’t shy away from one topic or another, I write about what’s going on inside of my head and my heart because I believe we are all in this together. If I’m feeling it, I’m wiling to bet someone around me is feeling it too. That gets challenging when what we’re going through doesn’t fit in a pretty package with a neat little bow on top, but the risk has been so worth the reward of just being honest.

 

Sometimes it’s the difficult moments in life that yield the greatest reward, and sometimes it’s fun to just celebrate the joy and beauty of who God is and how He loves us. I want people to feel like they got to know me, and maybe even get to know themselves and each other better as they connect with my songs and with me.

 

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

 

Jessa: Each song is so personal to me, and this album is full of milestones and memories in my life. “Everybody Has Those Days” is a lighthearted way of throwing my hands up and accepting that I am clumsy and some days I feel like a total mess, but God can teach me through those moments.

 

“Moving On” is a co-write with my husband about the emotional journey of becoming full-time musicians – a transition that included Jordan quitting two jobs that were paying us pretty well and leaving a community we were just beginning to build. We had supporters, but we also had critics, and that can be tough to face.

 

“Don’t Know” was written on the tail-end of my struggle with an eating disorder in college. It was a very self-involved and destructive time for me, but I also saw that God wouldn’t let me go. I found a lot of healing by facing the emotion head-on.

 

“Worship the Lamb” is a comfort song for me because it came through learning that I am not required to be perfect, I’m just required to give God the best that I have and sincerely worship Him with my life. I have let my insecurity undermine my worship, and knowing that it’s about God, who He is and how He loves us perfectly despite our imperfection is life-changing and worship-changing.

 

A lot of that is heavy, so “Fireflies” is there to bring joy by celebrating the beauty of our life here on earth and how that is just a glimpse of the beauty we’ll experience in eternity.  God is so amazingly creative, and I wanted to celebrate that!

 

TSO: What’s typically your inspiration for songwriting?

 

Jessa: Honestly, nothing is off limits. I may censor myself sometimes or hold back certain things, depending on the situation, but there’s nothing I won’t consider or try to tackle. It’s both fun and challenging to figure out how much to give of me and how much to let the listener give of themselves as they listen through a song.

 

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

 

Jessa: The times that humble me most are the times I see the music reaching a young woman I see myself in. There’s a live-in ministry for women dealing with eating disorders that has used some of my music in their program in various capacities, and I’ve had a chance to hear from some of those girls. It’s hard to describe the way that feels because it’s really emotional!

 

I’m glad God gave me the grace and strength to share things I wasn’t sure I was brave enough to share.  I’m amazed to see how He takes the songs where He wants them to go, independent of my efforts. I’ve also had the chance to send cards or letters to young girls dealing with difficult situations and knowing that God can use me, because of the impact of the songs but apart from them, is a wonderful blessing. I’m just really amazed at how God works and beyond thankful when I get to be part of it.

 

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

 

Jessa: I’m not sure I can narrow it down to one! I honestly love sitting alone at my keyboard writing as much as I love being on stage and sharing my songs and my heart. I love being with Jordan and our daughter Lorelei every day and getting a chance to see the world with them. I love witnessing the way God is at work in the body of Christ as we travel and share in the ministries that bring us in. I love meeting the people who spend time at our concerts or getting emails from someone who bought the CD. It’s a unique and sometimes challenging lifestyle, but I love it with a passion!

 

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

 

Jessa: He has been hitting me at all angles with the fact that my identity lies in Him and that who I am is His child, a slave who was bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ, a redeemed sinner!  It’s easy to tie up who we are in what we do — wife, mama, songwriter, performer, etc…and it’s easy to feel like if we are stripped of any of that our lives would end. That might sound dramatic, but if I’m honest, I have to admit that I hold on pretty tight to the things I love. I’m learning to trust God with those things because I love Him more than anything and believe His ways are higher than our ways. It doesn’t always look the way we think it will, and that’s okay!

 

TSO: What are your upcoming plans?

 

Jessa: Really just more of the same — touring with Jordan and Lorelei, writing as much as I can to prepare for the next CD, serving in the capacity God provides, connecting with our home church in Nashville (theaxischurch.org). We are on the road as a family full-time, so most months we’re gone at least 2 weeks, more during busier times. We have seen some really cool opportunities come up, including a yearly partnership with Extreme Response (extremeresponse.org) during their Christmas parties in Quito, Ecuador and I’m really excited to be taking that trip again in December! I’m looking forward to seeing what life looks like with the release of “Not Myself Anymore” and our partnership with BEC. God’s already doing some great things!

 

For more info, please visit www.jessaanderson.com and be sure to check out her debut album, Not Myself Anymore.