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| Meet Britt Nicole (& Song) |
By Mark Pittman
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Listen to Britt's song, Set The World On Fire, below
Interlinc: Britt I want you to just start off and tell this crew of Youth Leaders your testimony, and your story on how God met you during High School and shook things up and got you doing what you are doing now.
Britt Nicole: I grew up in church all my life, my Grandfather is a Pastor, so I have been around music and ministry most of my life. When I was seven I gave my heart to God, I asked Him to come into my life. My parents were divorced at the same time. Even though I was young, I knew that I needed more in my life then just my family. I was confused and Jesus in that time of my life was a savior. It was a place where I could go to get peace. I remember going to my room when I was seven years old and reading my Precious Moments Bible and finding peace in that, even though I didn’t understand all of it. After growing up in church when I was seventeen, I felt God speak to my heart and say “You have given me part of your heart, and part of your life, but you have not given me everything”. He asked me to just surrender everything to him. I had planned on going to Belmont University to study Commercial Music and I had been accepted into that program with a scholarship. The Lord just kept speaking to my heart to “Stay home; I have a different plan for your life”. So I decided not to go to college. When I was seventeen I stayed home, I had no idea what I was staying home for, but I knew that God had a plan for my life. He has brought me to this place by just being obedient to the voice of the Lord. Saying I know that you have something better for my life that I could ever have planned out. Now I am doing music, I have been doing it since I was seventeen. I just singed with Sparrow Records a year ago in March, which is awesome. God is so faithful to open those doors in my life. I love to share my heart, and the stories of what God has brought me through. That is what my music is about.
Interlinc: I want you to talk about your life and your song writing and how they link up, because you put a lot of yourself in your songs. I know that the staff favorite at Interlinc is “Set the World on Fire”, if you can just pick one or two songs and tell us the story behind them.
Britt Nicole: I started writing for this record two years ago. I was writing a lot of songs, and they were good songs, but I felt like they were not coming from my heart. So I told God I want to write honest songs. I want to write songs that really reach into peoples lives, and to change their lives. I don’t want it to be just another ten songs for a hooky-pop record. I want it to change people; I want people to put in the record and to feel the presence of God. I started to write songs that were so real to me. I wrote a song about my parents’ divorce called “Don’t Worry Now”. It’s a song of healing and restoration. It speaks joy to those broken places. I was very broken from that situation; I was always a Daddy’s girl. When my Dad had to leave, I was told I could only see him every other weekend. For me that was very difficult and I held onto the anger and the bitterness and things like that for so long. God gave me that song “Don’t Worry Now” which really brought healing into my life, which was very cool. I also have a song about cutting, which is something that a lot of girls deal with. I don’t know you guys hear about that with young girls in your youth groups. A lot of churches that I go to, young girls come up to me afterwards that were involved in church all their life and they say “I am cutting myself, and I don’t know what to do, I haven’t told my Youth Pastor, I haven’t told my family members, but this song has ministered to me and I want to be honest about this”. I personally have never struggled with cutting, but I have read a lot about it and the root comes from feeling rejected, and I have felt rejected in my life before, and so I feel like I can relate to those girls. I am not a person that looks at them and goes, why do you do that to yourself, how could you ever do that? I somewhat understand it and I know where they are coming from. I tried to write a song that would speak into their lives and help them to be honest, so that they can share that with you guys and to ask for help. They really need to be set free from that. I write a lot about what I deal with and my generation deals with. The cool thing is I find it ministering to adults and parents as well, just as much as young people.
Interlinc: As a Youth Leader hearing you say what you just said, I think its tuff for as Youth Leaders to know, it can become a little easy for an artist to just go find that hook and write a pop song, instead of really sweating it, and making it work. As Youth Leaders I think there are emotional buttons that we can push when we talk instead of really digging down and serving up good solid meat. I hope you guys are seeing a little parallel in what Britt shared. You got to sweat and find the meat in those songs, then just doing the formula thing.
Britt Nicole: I think it is important to just speak to those issues. I remember when I started writing I was afraid to go into the industry. I don’t know if any of you have been to GMA week in Nashville. A lot of the shows we do there are show cases; they aren’t necessarily concerts or ministry opportunities, its more to showcase your talent and what you are doing. It’s hard for me to cut off the ministry aspect of it and say this is just a performance, because what I do is ministry it’s not about just being an artist performing. I remember being afraid to address some of those issues. What are people going to think if I talk about cutting, or if I am talking about pornography, or really talking about things our teenagers are struggling with? Are people going to look at me like I’m weird, or say I shouldn’t talk about those things? I knew that God was calling me to talk about that, and to be honest and to talk about those issues. I just want to encourage you guys as Youth Pastors to really reach into your young peoples lives. They want to talk to someone; they are looking for someone to share with what they are going through. Who better than someone like you, who knows the word of God, who can lead them and guide them in the way that they need to go.
Interlinc: I’d also say we need to use your music, because a lot of times you are going to be able to bring up some subjects that we as youth leaders may not be able to get to. We need to be able to use that. To say here’s a CD, take this home, it could have a huge impact.
Britt Nicole: I just appreciate you guys, I pray for all the Youth Leaders because you can do something that we as artists can’t do. We may have a CD and do something you can’t do, but you can also do something that we can’t. We are all a body that should lift each other up in prayer. We all have the same goal; we all want to see children and adults, and young people in general go after God. We want to see them peruse something that is real and to have a passion for something. We are a body and we are all doing this together, we all have one goal. Thank you so much for your prayers, thank you for lifting up us artists, because we need it. I love you guys, and want to say thank you for what you do.
Interlinc: I want you to tell them what happens after a Britt Nicole show, how accessible are you?
Britt Nicole: I always go out to the table afterwards to sign autographs and to talk to the people. My road manager Jennifer has been my best friend since we were thirteen; it’s such an awesome thing to have her on the road with me, its like family. You can ask her, they always try to put artists behind the table to sign autographs. I can’t stand to sit behind the table; I want to be out the in front so I can love on them. I think what they need more than anything is to be loved and to feel accepted. I have had so many young people walk up to my table and just break in my arms, just from a hug, with tears running down their face, for them to just know that they are loved. I try to go out there and talk to them and to love on them, that is what I am called to do and it’s so important to me.
Youth Leader: Do you speak as well as sing at churches?
Britt Nicole: I sing mostly, I feel called to speak as well; right now I am focusing on the music. When I do concerts I share a lot from stage. I share about the songs and what God is doing in my heart. I also think that every church and youth group that I go to is a different audience. I always take time before each concert to pray and ask the Lord what they need to hear, because what I speak today might not be what the youth group tomorrow needs to hear. I really just try to take time and ask God what needs to be said to this specific Youth Group, what are you saying to this specific church, and I try to share that. I am focused more on my music right now, but I feel called to speak as well.
Youth Leader: A lot of the kids in my youth group come from broken families. What can I do or say to help boost their morale and to really help them through it?
Britt Nicole: First of all I can say that I don’t know you, but you seem very real and very honest. I know you just want to talk to the kids and really dig into their life and what they need. First I just want to say that it’s awesome, I love people like that, and Youth Pastors that you can just tell off the bat that are just real. I think a lot of kids; well I know for myself, I didn’t understand why my parents were divorced. My parents never sat us down to say this is what’s happening, your Dad is leaving and this is why, it just happened. I had no answers, I was very confused, and I had a lot of unforgiveness towards my parents. I didn’t even realize that I had that until I was twenty years old and I’m twenty two now. I had to make the decision in my life to forgive and let go. That is one thing that I speak, it may not be something that encourages them, but I think that is something that they have to do. They have to forgive, that heaviness just weighs on you. Like I have said I grew up in church all my life, I don’t think I ever knew the fullness of God’s love and joy until I forgave my parents when I was twenty years old. I remember the exact second I forgave them. I felt a burden lifted off of me, and I began to laugh in the presence of God, and I began to smile. I just had this peace that I had never felt in my life. I want these young people to know that, so I encourage them to let go, and to forgive. I also remind them that it’s not their fault, because a lot of kids go through that and wonder if they did something wrong. I remind them of how much they are loved by their Heavenly Father, no matter if their earthly Mother or Father isn’t there. A lot of times they feel rejected and they begin cutting or start to feel ashamed and all these things that are attached to divorce. It’s really weird all the emotions that come from something like that. I just remind them how much God loves them and that He is proud of them. I came from a church where my Grandfather was an amazing Pastor, but in my personal walk with God, I always felt like I had to work for God’s goodness and love. If I pray this much, or read my Bible this much, if I fast one day a week, if I do all these things, then God will love me then. I am just now coming to know over the past couple of years who Jesus truly is. That He is a loving Father who wants to just wrap His arms around us and to be with us. It’s just an awesome revelation to get that. I’m from North Carolina, the Bible belt, everybody there is a Christian, and everybody there goes to church. That’s what people say, but I think that there are not a whole lot of people that know the real Jesus. I feel like I have gotten that revelation in my heart and my life, to be able to share that with youth people is an amazing thing as well. I hope that helps, those are just some things that I like to share with young people.
Interlinc: I don’t know a Youth Ministry in America that doesn’t deal with that as well.
Britt Nicole: Over fifty two percent of the church is divorced, that’s the statistics. It’s not just your Youth Group, it’s everywhere. Every concert I go to I have the kids raise there hands and it’s always over half of the audience.
Interlinc: You have got a couple songs too; you’ve got a couple recourses. I think it is tuff if you haven’t experienced it personally, sometimes we may not feel qualified to even try to address it. I think the biggest things are to just let them talk and they need to know that God is going to be a better Dad than the disappointment they may have gone through.
Britt Nicole: I think if you are real, they will trust you. I think trust is a big thing that youth deal with and trusting people to share their secrets; to share the things they are going through. I believe that they are going to trust you and want to sit down and really talk to you. I just want to encourage you, a lot of times you don’t even have to say anything you just have to be there to listen.
Youth Leader: It seems like most youth groups are mostly female and most Youth Pastors are male, so it’s hard to really relate or understand a lot to the things the girls deal with. How would you encourage the church to change that and bring up more female Youth Pastors to help with the girl’s needs?
Britt Nicole: I think you are right, it is much needed. If you are a Youth Pastor and your wife is not involved in the ministry, she may have another job or something like that. I do think it is a cool thing for the wives of the male Youth Pastors to be involved if at all possible. We as young girls do need Mother figures; we need Godly women to show and to lead us. We are looking for women and men alike to show us how to do this thing, how to go after God. If we don’t see you do it, for me I had to figure a lot of that on my own. It’s important to have women in the church body and the youth groups. I don’t know if it is something you can just announce at church, and say we are looking for some women who can at least take one night out of each month to take some girls out to coffee to just listen with them, share your heart with them. That is something that is greatly needed.
Interlinc: It gets to be scriptural too. The church body wouldn’t operate very well if the girls in your youth group don’t have women they can connect with and trust. They may say I will listen to that guy, but I know that he doesn’t know everything; he is not wired the way I am. There will always be that disconnect. Did you ever feel that when you were going through youth ministry in high school?
Britt Nicole: I never did have that figure. My mom is an awesome woman of God, I had a great relationship with her, but we never prayed together, we never did that. I wanted somebody to just sit down and pray with me and spend time with me in the Bible and to teach me, and we are hungry for that. A great example of that is my mom has felt called to open a Girl’s Home for a long time. It’s happening now; she is going to be able to do it, which is really cool. She has had a young girl living with her for the last month, who is nineteen years old and has been addicted to cocaine for four years. She had a son when she was sixteen, she has been to jail, and she has been through a lot of things. My mom has just taken the time to just sit with her. My mom said she would just come over and just sit on the front porch and just talk. All she wanted was someone to just to be right there beside her that would just be an ear to hear what she had to say. To know that someone cared about her, my mom said she really didn’t have to do anything, she didn’t have to say anything or have this great wisdom or advice, she just needed to be there. If you know women who are not in ministry but feel called to do something like that you should encourage them. A lot of times they may not feel qualified, they may look at their past, and say I have done this and there is no way that they can speak into another young ladies’ life. Just encourage them that we need people there to just love us and to listen.
Interlinc: Sometimes Mom doesn’t always cut it; there are things you don’t want to tell your parents that you will someone else.
Youth Leader: How should we encourage musicians inside out youth ministry?
Britt Nicole: Well some may be going off to college, and trying to make decisions for their life. For me I felt like I wanted to go to college that was the plan that I had for my life. It’s important to take the time and just sit, and ask God, what do you have for me? It’s most important to tell them to seek the Lord, and some young people may ask, what does that mean to seek the Lord? To sit and to spend time with God in prayer, and to ask God, what do you have for my life? What ever God has for them, He will equip them to do it and He will open every door, it’s not going to be forced. For me I never had to force myself to be an artist, I wasn’t begging record labels or sending out all these demos, it was like “This is the path I have for you, just walk through it.” Tell them to ask the Lord if this is what He has for them. When God said to me “This is what I have for you”, I was scared. This may be what you have for me, but I don’t know how to do it, and I can’t do it, I’m seventeen, I’m young, I have nothing to say. I was going through the whole thing of I’m not qualified, I’ve done things in my past that I’m not excited to tell people about ,and I don’t’ think I can do it. God gave me the scripture 1 Chronicles 28:20, and I share it everywhere I go, it says “Be strong and courageous and do the work, don’t be afraid or discouraged by the size of the task, for the Lord my God is with you, He will not fail you or forsake you. “ I have stood on that scripture from day one. This task is huge, I don’t think I can do it, but God just reminds me every day, “With Me you can do it.” So tell them to surrender it to Him, if God calls them to do that, don’t be afraid, don’t fear what people think, what their friends may think , but to go after it with all their heart. God opened the door for me to work with local producers right in my home town which was great. I did an independent record and when I was finished with it, I said you have called me to do this now you work it out. For six months I worked at a gym making protein shakes and taught dance at a dance studio. God said to me “It’s great you have the faith, but you have to make an effort and work.” I began calling churches, I opened up the phone book, I called and said I am a local artist, I feel like God has called me into music and into ministry, can I come to your church and sing? So little things like that they can do, they can call churches or do camps in your area. It takes a lot of hard work and effort and I think God blesses you when you are willing to do that.
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