An interview with musician Rachel Lampa by Elisabeth Bloom
Faith & Fitness Magazine (FF): You started your career at a young age. That no doubt included considerable travel, public exposure and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. How did you stay grounded? And what advice would you give to young women who want to pursue their dreams?
Rachel Lampa (RL): I would say it had a lot to do with the people that were around me. I think it’s so important in life in general, let alone a public career to have the right teams around you weather its good friends, family, business partners or managers. All of that is so important to have a good community and people that will tell you the truth, and say, “You know I see that your head is getting big”. For me it’s my little brother who is constantly like, ‘your hair is weird’ or ‘you messed up right here’. I love that. It’s so good to have people around you.
I would encourage young women this way. First regarding the team aspect; have a great group of people around you that will tell you the truth. But I would also say just let God guide you too. Do your part and strive to be excellent and great at what you do. Then let God have the reigns as far as where he is going to take you.
FF: I was listening today to some of the songs on your album All We Need. One thing I like about it is that your lyrics are not overly preachy. I think Christian music sometimes tends to be a bit too sweet, sanitized and innocent. Being Christian does not exempt people from life’s troubles. What challenges inspired this album? How do you feel God led you to create an album that goes beyond the usual comforting Christian lyrics?
RL: I think a lot of it had to do with stepping away from music for a little while. I took a five-year break. I think sometimes Christians can get into a bubble where they are only around people that are in church and ministry. That’s beautiful and its great to surround yourself with people that strengthen you in your faith. I also think there is a place for stepping out.
I grew up in a very non-Christian kind of town and I was always around that. When I got into Christian music it was this great time for me to be able to have Christian friends and people that were encouraging me but, I also think I lost balance a little bit. I forgot about where I grew up and what I grew up in.
So when I was on my break I went on tour with Jordan Sparks as a background singer and we toured with Brittany Spears and the Jonas Brothers. I was kind of in that world where God doesn’t often get talked about. I was able to talk about him, pray with people and pray for people. I think maybe that inspired some of these songs that are not quite so happy go lucky all the time. There is a lot of pain and a lot of darkness. It’s in the world and we have to be part of that too. We don’t have to be of it but we can definitely be in it.
FF: How does your song Beauty’s Just A Word have personal meaning to you?
RL: We go through some hard stuff. We go through breakups and we go through losing people in our lives. Were in the middle of that pain, and then there are all these people saying you’re going to know someday why all this happened to you. You’re going to learn a lesson and sometimes we don’t learn our lesson. Sometimes we never actually know why it’s happening to us. I think that’s okay to discuss. It is okay to say sometimes pain is just to show you that there is beauty. Sometimes hurt is just a chance to heal and we wouldn’t know what healing feels like unless we had pain to heal.
Tears are just a chance to feel. Some people have a hard time crying and have a hard time feeling emotion and being vulnerable. God wants us to live life to the fullest and I think fullest means in pain and in beauty. That thought has become really important to me in my life because I’m often trying to find reasons for everything. And I think God say’s, “Just relax, I’m in the middle of this all the time so just be in the middle of it with me.”
FF: Lets talk fitness for a moment. How do you maintain a healthy lifestyle?
RL: Sports really is the biggest way. I played softball and basketball those were my main sports. I also played football or hockey with the boys. I was a major tomboy growing up and I always wanted to be in the mud. I have refined it a little bit now that I’m a little older. But if anyone is ever throwing a ball or a Frisbee, I’m running to be in the middle of it because I just love to play sports.
FF: Are you a little competitive?
RL: I might be a little competitive but I can laugh about it so I’m not scary.
FF: The songs All We Need and My One And Only are two energetic tunes. They’re must-haves for every runner’s iPod. Do you dance or workout to any of your songs? How do these two songs reflect who you are and your walk with Christ?
RL: Well I’m not big at dancing to my own music but I defiantly have to have music when I’m working out, running or doing anything like that. I need it. I’m the kind of person if I’m not playing a sport against people and if I don’t have that comrade, I will start to drift off and not work as hard and so what really drives me is great music.
All we need is just a really simple sweet song about the love of God, and how God has given us everything that we need to live this life. I think we complicate it so much through things in life with money, fame and all of that. I think God is just there saying, “I have already given you what you need, and you have my love”.
My one and only is a song about finding that same love that is enough. God’s love is everything that you need to live the rest of your life.
FF: How do you create time during the day (for example maybe during your exercising or stretching time) to meditate and talk with God?
RL: I think that’s just an all the time thing. I think one of the freest times I have to pray and meditate is when I’m on the road. I love to run outside. I’m not a huge treadmill person. I just like to be out in the open air with God. I grew up in Colorado where it’s just beautiful. There are so many places to run and to just be alone with God. I feel like my back is to the world for a little while and my heart is just open to Gods word.
FF: Can you describe how you prepare yourself mentally, physically and spiritually before you perform?
RL: I always try to remember that the show, the actual show is only part of the day. Its not like part of the day where I lock myself up the whole day and don’t talk or converse with others. I know that most of God’s work happens behind the stage during sound check. When I arrive at a venue and I can talk to the people that are local. So I try not to put to much pressure on the show aspect and really just live my life during the day. I will probably take about an hour before the show and warm up, loosen up, walk around, jump around, goof off with my band. It’s really important to go up on stage with a band that’s feeling like were all in this together and were all here for the same reason. We just want to glorify God and just give it up and sacrifice it. That’s our most important thing about the show. Obviously we say a prayer right before we go on and then we give it up.
FF: I have always imagined being able to perform in front of people would be one of the most amazing experiences ever. Help our readers visualize your experience when you perform. What goes on in your mind? How does your spirit tune into the ministry that God’s Spirit is doing during your concert?
RL: It is exciting. It’s exciting because its something a lot of people dream about and I dreamed about it; I’m passionate about it. It’s exciting when you can hear other people singing it or you hear it on the radio and all of that. But I think really what’s more exciting is the fact that people are singing about God and they are speaking truth. Even if its not one of the preachy-preachy songs its truth. I think that there is lack of that in the world and on the radio.
So when a song about how God has infused my life comes on the radio, it gives me joy just to know that is what people are hearing. I do have to constantly check in with myself and with people around me to make sure that its not going to my head, because it’s very easy to. Fame is one of the most sought after things in the world, over money even; people just want to be famous. I want to make sure that’s never the goal or what I’m excited about.
FF: How has your career or faith journey not always gone the way you wanted it to? What advice would you give to people who feel like giving up on their dreams?
RL: Its happens over and over and over. It’s a constant cycle. That’s kind of what we sign up for when we decide we want to be a part of the music industry. You have to know that it is such an up and down world. Some moments the media, radio and TV will love you and the next moment they are over you. Because of that I have realized not to put too much pressure on that part. I would say go find your fans.
Go find the people that want to hear your music. Go find them first and be available to them. It’s so awesome now that we have You Tube, Twitter and Facebook. Because you know that’s cutting out the middleman and just coming straight to you. It’s very personal, real and authentic. I think that if there has ever been a time to just go for it its now, because people are listening and searching on YouTube for new music all the time. So you need to get out there and not hold back.
FF: Have you ever pushed for something and realized that you were doing it and it wasn’t God doing it?
RL: All the time. I think we do that in life in general, just constantly thinking that God is behind a certain idea or a certain thought. You chase after it and find out that God is not with you in it and you have to re-track. I think that God isn’t so concerned about our big ideas and our big career moves. I think he is more concerned about our hearts. I think that if we continue to chase after him with our hearts and link up our hearts with His than we wont miss His blessing. We wont miss the opportunities that He has for us.
But it’s very easy to get lost with all the voices that are speaking into my life on a daily basis coming from the money perspective. I’m constantly checking my heart and it has been great for my faith to actually have God as my shield against the wrong ideas or the wrong path to walk down. It’s a constant battle though.
FF: What did you want to accomplish with this album? Do you have any plans on expanding your music ministry? What do you want to achieve in your future goals and ministry?
RL: For this album I just wanted to create something that glorifies God and that reaches people where they are. I want something real. I want somebody to hear it and say I’m so glad I’m not alone in where I am, what I’m feeling and what I’m learning. I wrote this album when I had taken a hiatus and regrouped my thoughts. I came away with the fact that God is simple and he is not as complicated as I was making him.
I hope people who don’t know Him hear this and say, “God is attainable to me”. If someone who isn’t a Christian listens to this music I want them to say, “That’s a God I want to get to know”. That’s what I want from the record.
For expanding the ministry and expanding my music I’m putting that in God’s hands. I think he has been gearing me up for his work. I want to be ready for that. I’m definitely working my spiritual muscles and being very aware of where He is guiding me and directing me. I feel ready. I think God has a season for us to rest and a season for us to work. I think this is my season to work. I’m ready for whatever He has for me.
