Brooke Barrettsmith Interview

Who Is Brooke Barrettsmith?
Hailing from Chicago, Illinois, Brooke Barrettsmith is the newest signee to Christian music major label Essential Records.  Barrettsmith was a Top 50 finalist on the 5th season of American Idol.  Brooke just released her debut national solo release - simply titled Brooke Barrettsmith.  Brooke has already toured with heavyweights such as Pillar, Building 429, and Wavorly in her short career thus far.  Her current single is the rock-edged “OK”.  Brooke is gearing up the “Million Voices” Tour with BarlowGirl and Jimmy Needham.

KEY:
C> Chris
BB> Brooke Barrettsmith

C> OK, so why don’t you just tell us a little bit about yourself - introduce yourself to the readers of the site who may not know who you are.  Then, we can talk about the new record.

BB> Cool.  Yeah, great!  So, I grew up in a musical family - both my grandmas were singers - Broadway and Opera.  My dad became a blues musician in the city of Chicago - he played session drums for Muddy Waters and Eddie Guy and all those blues greats from that area.  So, you know I think it was inevitable - it was in my blood, you know?  I was just around it all the time.  My dad actually wasn’t a Christian at the time and so through that lifestyle - all the drugs and alcohol and light nights - my mom filed for divorce.  And you know, he kind of came to the end of himself at that point.  He didn’t want to lose everything.  So, he called upon the name of the Lord - he didn’t say the sinner’s prayer or anything - just called upon the name of the Lord to save him and help him and from that point on, God gave him an immediate deliverance and freedom from that lifestyle.  So, we saw such a radical salvation in my dad.  I was like 4 or 5 years old, and I barely remember it, but just enough to know who he was before.  So, he didn’t stop doing music at that point - though he did quit doing the blues scene because the lifestyle is so hard there.  But, he eventually translated that into doing Christian music - still making quality, awesome, rockin’ music and adding a faith message to it.  So, we watched him do that growing up, and he is my main musical influence.  Growing up in church, he decided that he wanted to be a pastor - and he went to Moody Bible Institute.  I’m a student there right now actually.  My dad has been very influential in many aspects in my life.  My family planted a church and have been doing that for about 10 years - a non-denominational church in Spring Grove, Illinois. 

My sister and I used to do music together for six years - so from when I was 18 til just a couple years ago.  We both felt like God was calling us to make music for His glory, felt the same thing, were passionate about it, felt like it was in our blood.  So, we did music together for a long time as a duo.  However, we really started to feel like our hearts for ministry were different - as well as musically.  So, we parted ways.  As a final sister “hooray!” - we tried out for American Idol!  Season Five!  We made it to Hollywood - not as a duo - even though they made us sing together in the same room.  I made it to the Top 40 - she made it to the Top 90.  God is funny how he works stuff out like that - I think I needed that confidence that I could do it on my own.  A sister-sister relationship is ultra-personal, ultra-heartfelt.  So, parting ways with her was the hardest thing I had to do ever.  But, through that, God gave us a definite answer that we were doing what we were supposed to be doing.  He gave me the confidence to pursue it on my own.  I got let go in the Top 40 - thank God!  I just missed all those crazy contracts and stuff!  But I was like, you know God, you’ve called me to do this, no matter how big or small.  You want me to do it, and I’ll always glorify your Name and do music for you and never apologize for being a Christian artist or be ashamed of making music for you.  Shortly after that, I signed a record deal with Provident Label Group - Essential Records.  We wrote the album for a year - we worked on it - recorded it.  These are all songs about my life - 26 years of living on this earth.

C> Awesome.  So, I’ve gotten to hear this record.  However, some people may not be familiar with your style, musically.  Can you share a little bit about who you are as a musician?

BB> Absolutely.  It’s pop/rock with a bit of a harder rock edge to it.  Soaring melodies with passionate vocals!  I love to sing it out and sing it out loud!  It’s pretty rockin’!  The kind of album that you have to turn it up loud in your car and sing along with it.

Cool, so you’re a songwriter.  Explain that process to our readers a little bit.  How do you go about the songwriting process?  Even if there is a process.

BB> There is - but you know it’s different every time.  There’s three specific ways that I usually do it.  Either the music will come first, or the lyrics will come first, and then sometimes a concept will come first.  And that’s usually if I’m cowriting.  I love cowriting - cause you can really develop the concept more.  Like - “I like the idea of these cars racing down the street in Downtown Chicago” - and then they’ll help you figure it all out and get it into a structured song - depending on the concept you are trying to convey. 

C> That’s really cool.  It’s really cool that you’re from Illinois.  I grew up across the river from St. Louis in Illinois.

BB> Oh!  Cool!  We’re neighbors!

C> Kind of!  Yeah!  I’m a little more southern than Chicago - but it’s always cool to meet someone else from Illinois - because you don’t see that much in Nashville where I’m at now.

BB> Yeah!  Really cool!

C> So, one of the main questions that I’ve been asking artists this year - and you’re probably going to be getting it a lot as well - is about the future of the music industry.  As you know, the current business model of the music industry is pretty much collapsing all around us.  How do you as a new artist see yourself fitting into that equation?

BB> Well, I hope to be a part of the solution, you know, and not a part of the problem.  You know, I love the Christian music industry and have loved it ever since my dad became a Christian and started doing his thing.  I grew up on listening to artists like Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith.  My family has pretty much been following it from the beginning.  I think that what I can do to be a part of the solution is by choosing to stay devoted to Christ and not be ashamed of being a Christian artist.  I’m not going to apologize for being a Christian artist.  I have no desire to be a huge, mainstream artist.  If God decided that that was where He wanted me to go - then that would have to be His hand taking me there.  I think that’s just what the Christian industry needs right now - people who are passionate about making it work. 

C> So, your heart is for the church, obviously.

BB> Absolutely! 

C> So, that was birthed out of growing up around your Dad’s ministry?

BB> Definitely.  My mom and my dad are my best friends and my mentors.  I wouldn’t ‘be where I am today if God hadn’t given me such Godly parents.  I see the way they love our church body - the sacrificial love my Dad has for the people in his church.  I want to have to same love for the people that listen to my music.  You know?

C> You hear so much and criticizing going on about artists who are geared towards the Church.  But the thing that those people don’t realize is that that portion of music is always going to be needed.  Admonishment and encouragement for the Church - and I’m very much a believer in that as well as music that is geared towards the unbelievers.  Which is what my site is all about - Christians impacting culture - whether that’s through the Church or through other means.  I want to showcase it all.  So, I’m encouraged to see artists who are still passionate about making music for the Church.

BB> Cool, thank you!

C> But, I do have kind of a goofy question to switch gears a bit here.

BB> Yeah - definitely!

C> So this is a question I’ve been asking everybody.  What is your current musical guilty pleasure?

BB> Oh man, anything like the cheesy 80’s - synth heavy - techno sounding stuff.  I’m such a sucker for that kind of music. 

C> That’s really cool!  Well, I think that’s all the time I have.  It was great talking to you! 

BB> You too!

You can find out more about Brooke Barrettsmith by visiting her website. You can also check out more info about her by visitng her MySpace.