Today, they are visiting this blog to share news of their latest CD released this February. The CD is called Fearless and they want to give away one copy of it to the wianner of the CD giveaway contest hosted by Rafflecopter (see widget)! If you'd like to win a copy of their new CD, fill out the entry form on the Rafflecopter widget toward the end of the interview.
Enjoy getting to know the ladies of VIRTUE as you read their interview today!
*Words by Alexis are in bold and words by Virtue are not in bold.
~*~
What’s it like being an Adventist artist in the music industry spotlight? How do you share your unique faith?
Heather: We feel blessed that God finds us worthy enough to represent Him. But, I think it’s no different than being in any other career. You stand up for what you believe in and people respect you for it. Sometimes there are situations that you may not agree with or that you can’t do because it’s on Sabbath, so you explain your faith, then you don’t do it. Every time someone feed us, it’s an opportunity to share our faith because our diet is unique. We just stay open to the leading of the Holy Spirit and He always gives us an opportunity to let our lights shine.
What’s next for Virtue? Where do you see yourself in the next 5 to 10 years?
We are currently working on a cookbook because we love to cook and it tastes great! Also, we feel that God is calling us to share our health message with the world in a doable tasty form. Our fans can also look forward to a devotional book that we’ve been working on for years now!!
~*~
Connect with Virtue:
Website - www.virtuegirls3.com
Twitter - https://twitter.com/VirtueGirls
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/virtuegirls/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/virtuegirls/
Alexis: Fearless, your new album, is FIERCE! What was the inspiration behind the title song, “Fearless”?
Heather: Thank you! The song was written by an incredibly talented young man who goes by the name of Alvin Garrett. When we heard it, we immediately identified with it because we are three women who at this point in our lives are juggling our music career, side jobs, raising children, being wives, going to school, and a multitude of things at one time and to do it all, we’ve had to totally depend on God and be fearless!
What’s your favorite song on the album? Why?
Ebony: I’ll just say, for the record, I truly love every song. But today, “Worship You” is my favorite because I truly worship every time I hear this song! I go in, especially in my car on the way to work.
Give us a glimpse behind the scenes of making Fearless. How often were you in the studio producing this album? What were the challenges and pitfalls? What was the most rewarding aspect of making this album?
Karima: Going into signing a new deal, we and our label Mixed Bags Records, knew that this would be challenging because we all lead full time lives as mothers, and other numerous other roles. And we all live in 3 different states! So we decided to just take one summer to record. Ebony and I packed up our kids and moved in with Heather and her family in Birmingham, Alabama, to get the record done. It was a hardcore plan!
Heather has four kids, so we thought it would be easier for her that way. Personally, the studio is my favorite part because you get to be creative and you can fix your mistakes! At the end of the day, we made some sacrifices to do this project, but we are a close-knit family, so we really enjoy being around each other. It had been a long time, almost 10 years since we made a record together, so it was at times tough getting back in there. But overall, it was a very good experience for all of us. The most rewarding aspect is the finished product, the music and the emotions that came out of this process. We’re pretty proud of it!
In what ways do you hope your new album will impact listeners?
Heather: We hope that our listeners find Jesus through the messages of hope and inspiration that are found in our music. We pray that someone who is struggling with life will find these songs helpful in deciding to do the right thing. We hope that they are encouraged to be faithful and fearless.
What drew you to the music industry? Share your story about how you went from dreaming of performing to making that dream a reality?
Karima: I’ve always known that I wanted to be a singer. I didn’t want to go to college because I wanted to sing, but my Mom wasn’t having it! She sent me down to Oakwood College, where Ebony had already been attending for a year. Thank God I went! Shortly after I got there, someone asked me to put together a group to sing at AYS, a campus Friday night program. So I rounded up two other girls, and the chemistry and blend was great. From that point on, we sang on campus together all the time. In one of our regular rehearsals, we didn’t know that a person from a major record label was sitting in and falling in love with us! LOL! She offered us a deal, we were very young, but we signed. After a couple member changes, we’ve evolved to an all-sister group with Heather joining us a little later. And here we are today.
Who is your favorite musician? What makes them special to you?
Karima: I can’t say that I have a favorite, there’s just too many! One of them is Brandy, love her tone and her range is incredible! I would say she has that “thang.”
Heather: This is a tough question for me too. I will just name one of my favorites, I really love PJ Morton. He is a writer, singer, producer, musician all in one, and a native of New Orleans. Just a real talent! I can relate to his music and his voice is simple, but moving.
Ebony: Whitney Houston is my all time favorite! She was just a beautiful person to me, with a gorgeous voice that still gives me chills.
Do you only sing gospel music? Why or why not?
Ebony: Yes we only sing gospel music because we believe that it is our purpose. We grew up singing in the church, so gospel music is just in us. We would not be true to ourselves, or authentic if we sang anything else. You have to sing what you are passionate about, and for us, it is sharing God’s love to people through song.
How did attending and graduating from Oakwood University prepare you for the real world? Did it help your music career dreams come true? Explain.
Heather: You know Oakwood has a reputation for being a training ground for amazing singers and musicians. It was a perfect place for us to begin our journey into the music industry because they can be a tough crowd!
Heather: Thank you! The song was written by an incredibly talented young man who goes by the name of Alvin Garrett. When we heard it, we immediately identified with it because we are three women who at this point in our lives are juggling our music career, side jobs, raising children, being wives, going to school, and a multitude of things at one time and to do it all, we’ve had to totally depend on God and be fearless!
What’s your favorite song on the album? Why?
Ebony: I’ll just say, for the record, I truly love every song. But today, “Worship You” is my favorite because I truly worship every time I hear this song! I go in, especially in my car on the way to work.
Give us a glimpse behind the scenes of making Fearless. How often were you in the studio producing this album? What were the challenges and pitfalls? What was the most rewarding aspect of making this album?
Karima: Going into signing a new deal, we and our label Mixed Bags Records, knew that this would be challenging because we all lead full time lives as mothers, and other numerous other roles. And we all live in 3 different states! So we decided to just take one summer to record. Ebony and I packed up our kids and moved in with Heather and her family in Birmingham, Alabama, to get the record done. It was a hardcore plan!
Heather has four kids, so we thought it would be easier for her that way. Personally, the studio is my favorite part because you get to be creative and you can fix your mistakes! At the end of the day, we made some sacrifices to do this project, but we are a close-knit family, so we really enjoy being around each other. It had been a long time, almost 10 years since we made a record together, so it was at times tough getting back in there. But overall, it was a very good experience for all of us. The most rewarding aspect is the finished product, the music and the emotions that came out of this process. We’re pretty proud of it!
In what ways do you hope your new album will impact listeners?
Heather: We hope that our listeners find Jesus through the messages of hope and inspiration that are found in our music. We pray that someone who is struggling with life will find these songs helpful in deciding to do the right thing. We hope that they are encouraged to be faithful and fearless.
What drew you to the music industry? Share your story about how you went from dreaming of performing to making that dream a reality?
Karima: I’ve always known that I wanted to be a singer. I didn’t want to go to college because I wanted to sing, but my Mom wasn’t having it! She sent me down to Oakwood College, where Ebony had already been attending for a year. Thank God I went! Shortly after I got there, someone asked me to put together a group to sing at AYS, a campus Friday night program. So I rounded up two other girls, and the chemistry and blend was great. From that point on, we sang on campus together all the time. In one of our regular rehearsals, we didn’t know that a person from a major record label was sitting in and falling in love with us! LOL! She offered us a deal, we were very young, but we signed. After a couple member changes, we’ve evolved to an all-sister group with Heather joining us a little later. And here we are today.
Who is your favorite musician? What makes them special to you?
Karima: I can’t say that I have a favorite, there’s just too many! One of them is Brandy, love her tone and her range is incredible! I would say she has that “thang.”
Heather: This is a tough question for me too. I will just name one of my favorites, I really love PJ Morton. He is a writer, singer, producer, musician all in one, and a native of New Orleans. Just a real talent! I can relate to his music and his voice is simple, but moving.
Ebony: Whitney Houston is my all time favorite! She was just a beautiful person to me, with a gorgeous voice that still gives me chills.
Do you only sing gospel music? Why or why not?
Ebony: Yes we only sing gospel music because we believe that it is our purpose. We grew up singing in the church, so gospel music is just in us. We would not be true to ourselves, or authentic if we sang anything else. You have to sing what you are passionate about, and for us, it is sharing God’s love to people through song.
How did attending and graduating from Oakwood University prepare you for the real world? Did it help your music career dreams come true? Explain.
Heather: You know Oakwood has a reputation for being a training ground for amazing singers and musicians. It was a perfect place for us to begin our journey into the music industry because they can be a tough crowd!
Sometimes singing at AY on Friday nights could feel sorta like the Apollo because if you couldn’t sing, you didn’t want to be in front! So this kind of standard made you rehearse harder and longer to make sure you sounded good and could deliver a powerful performance. Also, I think our spiritual experience there was amazing. Hearing and being taught by some of the greatest speakers and preachers was a real help in fostering our relationships with God.
What’s it like being an Adventist artist in the music industry spotlight? How do you share your unique faith?
Heather: We feel blessed that God finds us worthy enough to represent Him. But, I think it’s no different than being in any other career. You stand up for what you believe in and people respect you for it. Sometimes there are situations that you may not agree with or that you can’t do because it’s on Sabbath, so you explain your faith, then you don’t do it. Every time someone feed us, it’s an opportunity to share our faith because our diet is unique. We just stay open to the leading of the Holy Spirit and He always gives us an opportunity to let our lights shine.
What’s next for Virtue? Where do you see yourself in the next 5 to 10 years?
We are currently working on a cookbook because we love to cook and it tastes great! Also, we feel that God is calling us to share our health message with the world in a doable tasty form. Our fans can also look forward to a devotional book that we’ve been working on for years now!!
~*~
Connect with Virtue:
Website - www.virtuegirls3.com
Twitter - https://twitter.com/VirtueGirls
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/virtuegirls/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/virtuegirls/
~*~
WIN a copy of Fearless:
I didn't see anything about another album in the next five years. Please please please pretty please.
ReplyDeleteDear "Unknown,"
ReplyDeleteYou need to fill out the entry form on the Rafflecopter widget in order to enter this music CD giveaway contest.
Please also include your e-mail address, so that if you win, we can contact you and make arrangements for you to receive your prize.
God bless you!
Sincerely,
Alexis