A Parable.com ExclusiveInterview with Rebecca St. James
"Before we start, can we pray?" Rebecca St. James asked as our Parable.com exclusive interview began. With that one simple question, Rebecca showed that for her, the name of her newest album, "Pray" is more than just a title, it's a way of life.
Living such a life hands-on is the heart of Rebecca St. James. Her message is bold. Her message is simple. "Live radically for God. Read the Bible. Pray. Stand up for what you believe in and make a difference in your world."These words have clearly caught on for thousands of teens and young people, as her fan base has grown around the world.
Let's talk about when you first started in music. Were you always a singer? Did you have plans to make music your career?
Rebecca: Not really. I never really had a big dream to be a singer. My dad was a concert promoter, so I was always around the stage and performing. I realized that it doesn't mean anything, it's just another way to communicate a message. But God definitely had a plan for me and I feel that he definitely meant me to be in music.
Does your success ever surprise you?
Rebecca: I don't know if I ever really think about it. I just take it all one day at a time and don't really take it too seriously. My dad always told me "Don't believe your own publicity." You just have to know that you're called to be a servant of God.
Tell me a little about the new album, are there any new influences? Any new styles?
Rebecca: I really feel it is a quite a different album for me. We've taken the real 80s kind of programmed sounds and mixed it with the real 90s sounding live drums and guitar. I grew up listening to Petra, White Heart and Stryper, so there are still some of those influences. But also, hopefully my music is becoming more and more affected by the Bible. As I go I hope the lyrics and the songs get deeper into His Word.
Why the title Pray?
Rebecca: Prayer is such an important thing to me. It's something I just can't go without. Part of it, I think, is that I started performing so young. My first tour was when I was 13 years old and it was really kind of scary. I remember falling on my face in prayer before I went on stage asking God for strength to carry me through. I've also seen miracles in my life. We've gone through a real living by faith experience in my family. There was a time when my father had lost his job and we had no food, no car and seven kids. We had to rely wholly on God and really saw miracles happen. [That experience] really rocked my world because it made God so real to me.
What is your favorite song on the album?
Rebecca: "OK" is one of my favorites because I really feel my generation is looking for hope. So much is shaky out there. I wan to deliver hope, Jesus' hope, to them.
"Omega" is another favorite. I really love it because it is so biblical. I speak a lot of it. The chorus is a blessing to people. We've started to perform it in concert, and it is quite powerful. Every time I hear it I get chills.
Your album is coming out soon, are you nervous?
Rebecca: I'm not really nervous. My life is completely in God's hands. I know I don't really have to worry about whether people will like it or not and that's very freeing. I've already seen his spirit move through [the album] and I trust that he will use it for his glory.
Are there any specific messages you're hoping to communicate through your music?
Rebecca: Live for God, live God's way and don't even mess with any other way. That's really what I'm trying to tell people. I have a close friend who just got pregnant. We were very close and she went away to college and really went her own way. She had all these dreams of being a doctor and now... I looked in her eyes and I really saw a change there. Something was different. I really want to say to people that "His way is the only way that works." In my life I've seen the joy of living for God. This is real life, this is true joy. I also want to tell people how important having daily time with God is. We must make the time to spend daily with God.
You also talk about purity quite a bit.
Rebecca: Yes, I've always felt a real calling to encourage my peers in purity. Especially today, the decision to have sex before marriage can be a life or death decision. People are dying. It can be so easy to gloss over the consequences of sin.
But for those who may have already made the mistake and had sex before marriage, I really try to communicate that they can find hope and forgiveness in Christ.
I feel like part of my calling is to bring the hope of God to people. But above all I want to please God. As long as I'm seeking to be faithful to Him He will take care of the rest. I want to be beautiful to Him, not beautiful to the world.
A big part of being a performer and creating an image with photo shoots and interviews how do you feel about that?
Rebecca: It's really kind of strange because you've got all these people fussing over you. I tend to feel uncomfortable with it. I really approach it in that I know that the image thing is a part of it, but I try not to take too seriously. I'm just going to be myself and not feel like I have to buy into all that because it can really steal who you are.
Tell me a little about you as a person, how would one of your close friends describe you?
Rebecca: That's a good question. I think I'm pretty bubbly and happy. My friends would probably describe me as encouraging spiritually. It's hard having friendships from the road but I have some really great friends.
I think I'm also reasonably fun. I like just doing silly kids stuff. Just a few weeks ago my friends and I went to a park and we had wheelbarrow races, and just had fun being totally kids.
Your family plays an incredible role in your life and your career, how have you managed to keep those relationships so strong?
Rebecca: One of the greatest things my parents have instigated, and I hope to do someday if I have a family, is they've encourage a "no secrets" policy. That means everything is out in the open. There's nothing you can't talk about, which is wonderful.
[My music] is very much a family ministry, which is great because it really keeps you grounded. There's a real comfort in that. I would count my family as some of my best friends.
Your role as a leader for your peers carries a lot of responsibility, how do you deal with the weight of that?
Rebecca: I don't feel a huge burden. I'm the oldest of seven in my family and it does sort of feel like a big sister role, which I am very used to.
How do you stay grounded in your faith in the whirlwind of concerts, promotions and recordings?
Rebecca: The core is being daily committed to having time with God. To spend time saying, "God speak to my heart, convict me, challenge me, change me." I also spend a lot of time in prayer, before interviews, before going on stage, before recording, before doing anything I pray. That way, when anything good comes out of it, I know it is from God.
Also, on the road we have devotions as a team. Plus, the whole concert is a worship experience.
Going is church is a major priority. A couple weeks ago we drove 10 hours through the night just so we could get home to go to church the next morning. It's a huge priority for us to be in fellowship.
You're also a spokesperson of sorts for Keith Green's re-releases, why? What do you want to tell the world about him
Rebecca: I really believe in his love for God. You really saw God's raw passion in him. I seek to be a passionate person like that. He was really a man after God's own heart and he is a little bit of a hero for me. He really took a stand for God, no matter what.
Is there anything else you would like to tell us about?
Rebecca: I just want to say that the whole theme of the album is around 2 Chronicles 7:14, which says, "If my people, who are called by name will humble themselves and pray... then I will heal their land." That to me is just such a huge promise. It is such a call for all of us to get down on our knees and pray.
Our generation has such a hard time admitting our need. But it is only when you are truly humble that God moves. As a nation we need to be called to humility.
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