How The Music Seed Was Planted
I grew up in Berea in the inner city in Johannesburg. The influence of music largely came from my dad. He listened to, like, your Bob Marleys, your Peter Toshes, UB40. That’s kind of what I grew up listening to. And we’d learn lyrics and stuff like that. I imagine that’s probably where the music seed was sort of planted for me. I actually thought everyone wanted to do music ’cause of how much I wanted to do music. But I think at the age of 15, 16, that’s when I knew for sure this is really what I wanna do.
Giving Up On Church
Growing up, we always went to church. I loved being late for church ’cause it meant that I would have to stay there for a less amount of time. And I think it eventually reached a point with my mother where she felt that she didn’t wanna force us into going to church anymore ’cause it was painful. So she kind of left us. I was out of church for a number of years. I didn’t really get the whole Jesus thing. Jesus is the name we use to make sure that God answers our prayers. So, “In the name if Jesus,” then it’s sealed. It’s going to happen.
I didn’t really get the whole Jesus thing. Jesus was the name we used to make sure that God answers our prayers.
During those years when I wasn’t in church I was exploring a lot of different faiths. Just really struggling to find, I don’t know, that thing that really spoke to my soul. The Lord used a lot of events in my life that took place in my life that sort of did bring me to my knees at a place where I’m like, “Shucks I don’t have it all figured out.” In university, that was when something clicked for me there. I guess it was feeling very, is it disillusioned? About life. And again I’ve always been someone who’s trying to understand our purpose, why we’re here, what’s this whole thing about?
Getting The Gospel One Easter Sunday
Around the time when I started dating my now husband, he had also become a Christian. But he sort of started going to a Reformed or a Baptist church. He started challenging me on the things I believed, and that was really hard. I can say I fully heard the gospel, heard what Jesus did, why he came, who he was, and that he was God, on Easter Sunday 2013. And I’ll never forget that because I just cried the whole service. And I was like, “Why were they not telling us this?” That’s when I got it. I don’t doubt that the Lord was at work in my life, regardless. I’m grateful that I got to the place where I could actually hear the truth of the gospel.
The Gospel Changed My Songwriting
I think the big thing for me was realising that just because you are a Christian doesn’t mean that bad things won’t happen. Or it doesn’t mean that life is perfect. And so I started writing songs and it was like one song became three songs, became four songs, became eight songs. I was like, “Okay, is this what we’re doing now?” I’ve always wanted to say what God wants me to say. And it’s always been something that I’ve submitted unto him. There’s one thing I know – my gift comes from God. So there is more of a responsibility that I feel because you’re sort of carrying this message.
I think the big thing for me was realising that just because you are a Christian doesn’t mean that bad things won’t happen.
Using Art To Communicate God’s Love
Our faith shouldn’t be the Sunday thing. Our faith should be at the centre and everything comes out of that. I think there’s a way that we’ve been able to connect the Church with the everyday young person walking the streets through art. So those of us growing up, church was always put in that box over there. And we kind of had to sort of figure out, what does Jesus have to say about my job? Or about my relationship? What does the gospel have to say about my race? So we’re kind of tackling those issues so that we can communicate to the younger generation that yes, the gospel still is relevant. And what better medium to use than art? Because it’s so influential.
You are made in the image of God and you have value because God has given you value. It’s not because you have X amount of degrees, or this job, or you live in that neighbourhood. Your value comes, intrinsically, because God has given you value. And I know for me, when I understood that, it transformed how I viewed everything. It’s a huge identity crisis. There are a lot of issues where it feels as though, who is talking into them? And just realising the gospel speaks into that.
Our faith shouldn’t be the Sunday thing. Our faith should be at the centre and everything comes out of that.
If you understand that you’re made in the image of God and the woman across from you is made in the image of God it’s gonna change everything. And I think we can only fully understand that through Christ. Because that’s where you see that it’s not all glittery. It’s gory and it was paid for.