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Article - Rebecca St James Interview |
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Pure Christian Music's Keith Hunter had the chance to interview Rebecca St.James, talking to her about her life, music and ministry.
Click here for more information about Rebecca St James
Right, let's ask firstly about how the European tour is going?
Rebecca: Really good. We've been amazed at the response from start to finish. We started out in Italy and we've been in Switzerland, Germany, Norway... a lot of countries in a short amount of time and the response all over has just been great and we've received a warm welcome wherever we've gone. We've really sensed that there is a need for Christian music and there is a hunger for God in the lives of the people. It's just been really exciting.
What's it like performing in so many different countries?
Rebecca: It has been a little bit challenging. I heard that we're in 14 different countries in 24 days! It's a little bit overwhelming too. A lot of countries are using a translator so it's different every night with the people you're working directly with and so you never know quite how it's going to be or how the crowd's response is going to be. But it's been consistently good so that shouldn't have been too much of a worry. We've been going in to a few countries that never get any Christian music like Romania, Italy, France and you have to be little a bit on your guard going as you never know what's going to happen next!
Do you think Christian artists concentrate too much on the USA?
Rebecca: For sure! In a way I think it's easier because you can just pop around state to state and you just travel in a tour bus or motor home but here it's a bit more flying and there are more cultural differences. It obviously costs a lot to get over here [Europe] so when you initially come over it's an investment. I think coming from Australia and seeing ourselves as pretty internationally focussed, we really wanted to put in that extra effort and that investment and had a heart for it. I've fully had a heart to go to countries that don't get much Christian music and that's been a beautiful thing, to make that effort and really see God moving through it and see it warmly received. It's been great!
Do you manage to get much of a private life with your hectic schedule?
Rebecca: Not really, which is sometimes a bit of a challenge, just trying to juggle friendships and even relationships with guys as a lot of them are long distance. Just having time alone from people is hard to find. I do feel like I live a life that is a lot of the time on a platform, which can be really draining at times. I also know that God has called me for ministry of this sort for a season and at some stage he'll move me out of this particular kind of ministry, maybe into another kind. I feel Christians are meant to be in some sort of ministry their whole lives, whether it being a minister as a secretary for someone, or a minister as a lawyer or a mom at home with the kids. I feel that we all have our own ministry. I know that this is for a season and I suppose that helps give me strength. I did have a sabbatical earlier this year and that was awesome, that was definitely just some private time alone.
One of the things you've done in the past is to go on a mission trip, do you plan to go on anymore?
Rebecca: I would like to in the future. I think one of the things I realised was I kind of glamorised mission work, if that's possible. I was always thinking 'how cool it would be to minister the kids and see the need and then meet that need'. I think I had really seen it through rose-coloured windows. I think that went away after a little bit of hard work in a country that's really been devastated by communism and just the hurt that's so huge in the people there and the need is so massive. I think it's hard for missionaries to see how they are making a difference when there is so much need and I think I definitely felt that. It made me appreciate for sure what I do. I think if I did do mission work in the future, it would be short term or else I would wait to do it with my future husband.
Let's talk about your new book. Do you want to give us a brief outline of what your book is about and what made you decide to release the book?
Rebecca: I've written two other books but they were more devotional books for young people ages 12 to 20 and I've seen a good response to them but I think I've always wanted to write like a 'book book'! You know where I could dig into a subject and I love writing, always have. I was one of those strange kids at school who always liked English class! But the topic I'm writing about is about sexual purity and that's something I've spoken about for many years and feel very passionately about. It's just encouraging young people to make a stand for God by abstaining from sex. And then every time I talk about that, I always talk about forgiveness for people who have made mistakes, those who have had sex outside of marriage that they need to seek God's forgiveness and wait from then on. And so in a book, it's based on my song 'Wait For Me', a love song for my future husband, talking about waiting for him and we've received such a response to that song and seen such a need for that message to get out there. I wanted to write a book and in which I could go deeper than a 3-minute song and really just say 'Ok, we know that we should wait but how do we wait in a 'just do it' society?' It's very practical, very biblical and it's got a lot of stories in it as well, it's very real.
What's it like having your own band releasing albums of their own?
Rebecca: Well it's cool! I'm really supportive of them. It's actually only 2 of my band that are in Fusebox and then they're actually leaving at the end of the European tour, which is in only 2 days time. And it's strange because of one of the guys who's leaving has been with us for 6 years so that will be bizarre, doing shows without him. The whole time I've had a band, he's been in my band. But I'm really supportive of what they're doing, they're all about rock worship and got really good hearts. I'm really excited that there's almost been an offshoot of our ministry in their new ministry so I'm excited for them.
So the big question... what do you think of Fusebox's album?
Rebecca: I really like some of their songs, like 'I Will Exalt', I really like that and I like the song 'Lost In Worship'. And I partnered with them on a couple of songs, just doing some backgrounds and I did a duet with Bill [Buchanan] so I was kind of involved in different parts on their album. And I'm really excited about some of their new stuff because I'm hearing about it and it's really cool.
And now you've got Charmaine, one of your backing vocalists releasing an album. What do you think of her album?
Rebecca: Oh it's great! I really like her album and I really like her heart. Her and I were roommates on the road so I've really got to know her well. She's just a young person who's really curious about God and passionate about making a difference and has a really great heart for worship. I'm really supportive and I think it's hard being a young person and being in a platform ministry but I think she's really got her head on her shoulders and got a good focus and has also grown up in ministry with her family so I'm really excited for her.
Do you have any plans to do a few duets with Charmaine or any other artist?
Rebecca: I've actually never done a duet with a female. I think that female voices may be a bit hard differentiating who's who so I haven't thought about doing a duet with Charmaine. I actually just did a duet with Michael Tait for a musical that I'm a part of called 'Heroes' so I've been doing a few different duets here and there lately.
WorshipGod was your last album, a simple worship album, how did you go about selecting the songs for it?
Rebecca: Well it was a bit difficult because there's so many really, really good worship songs out there but I really wanted to pick songs that I felt so passionately about, that I could have written myself, you know, that they were that much a part of my heart. That's why I've written a lot of my music because I've wanted to be able to sing it passionately in my soul and for people see that reality in me as I sing it. So I really just picked some songs that were a big part of my heartbeat and in which I could worship God in a real way.
Your music actually covers a range of styles, bit of dance, rock, pop and so on, which style do you prefer singing?
Rebecca: Really the rock! I think that will always be the undercurrent of my music. I have had different elements like the pop and the dance and even like the movie sound track 'Extreme' but I always think it will have that element of rock underneath it.
What are your plans for the future? After WorshipGod what's coming next?
Rebecca: Well I'm actually just finishing a couple of tracks for a best-of album that's coming out in March next year so that's the next thing that people will hear from me. But we're talking about recording again a full normal album at the beginning of 2004. We've discussed doing another worship album, as that's so much a part of my heart and always has been. We've seen a really good response and a real hunger and need for worship, we're considering doing that. But who knows what God has got in mind for that far down the track.
Will you be hoping to tour Europe again soon, perhaps doing some more gigs?
Rebecca: Yeah! We're actually already talking about touring mid-2004.
OK, thanks Rebecca. That's all my questions, thanks for your time. We wish you all the best for the future.
Click here for more information about Rebecca St James
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