10 Questions with ... Audrey Assad

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

LABEL:

Sparrow Records

DISCOGRAPHY:

• The House You're Building (2010)
• For the Love of You EP (2010)

1) Tell us a little bit about your musical journey. How did you get connected with Sparrow Records?

I met Brad O'Donnell at Sparrow in early 2008, just after I had finished recording an independent project in Nashville with Paul Moak and Phillip LaRue. Paul handed a copy to Brad shortly after we finished and Brad called me that week. I had barely gotten my footing in town so I had no idea who was who or who did what yet--but something told me Brad was special. He gave me some really good critiques and encouragement. I stayed in touch with him over the next year and came back to him with a ton of songs and a lot of growth and the time just seemed right to give it a shot together. I couldn't be more excited about this time with Sparrow. They are so amazing at what they do and I've never felt more supported and believed in.

2) Tell us about the story behind the current single "For Love of You."

"For Love of You" is inspired by a Gerard Manley Hopkins poem called "As Kingfishers Catch Fire." There's a line near the end of the poem that arrested my attention when I first read it. It says, "Christ plays in ten thousand places, lovely in limbs and lovely in eyes not His, to the Father, through the features of men's faces." I found it so striking a way to say that Christ is all around us. It's a simple truth, and not a new one, and yet the way Hopkins put it stopped me in my tracks, as truth tends to do. From there, the song turned into a celebration of God, who is all around us, especially in other human beings; and the chorus is my attempt to describe how God is constantly recreating me. I am not only alive, but I am also coming alive in and through Christ, who lives in me.

3) What is the message you hope is conveyed through "The House You're Building"?

I hope that people will come away knowing that their sufferings are meaningful and beautiful and that they have a place in the Kingdom, no matter how misshapen or unfit they may feel. God's got nothing against misfits. He has always been asking us to come as we are; it is we who hold back.

4) Do have a favorite song on the new project?

I think it's the title track, "The House You're Building." It really moves me still to remember the day we wrote that (I wrote it with a friend, Ben Glover). I couldn't even get through the chorus without crying that afternoon. "I'm a broken stone, so lay me in the house You're building." God doesn't do things the way we do. When we build a castle we cut the stones perfectly so they fit together with little trouble. But God, building on the cornerstone of Christ, uses us as living stones, with all our jagged edges and rough spots. He shapes us as we grow.

5) Which do you enjoy more: the process or the performance, the studio or the stage?

Between process or performing, I love singing for people but I think songwriting wins out in the end. I could write songs every day for the rest of my life. However, between studio and stage, stage is my favorite. There is absolutely nothing like singing these songs for and with people. God always does something fresh and revelatory, at least in my heart, and hopefully in their hearts as well.

6) Who inspires personally and/or spiritually?

I have always admired Pope John Paul II's dedication to right sexual teaching and how fearless he was in addressing gender roles within the human race and the Church. Being a woman who "leads worship" and has a career in a predominantly male industry, these issues are of great value to me. I consider myself conservative in my approach but also interested in the heart of the matter enough to actively explore and discuss these things with my community.

7) Any funny, inspiring or interesting stories that you can tell us from your visits to radio stations?

There was that one time I talked about leg hair and how often I do and don't shave it, live on K-Love. [smile] Enough said.

8) Do you have any musical or songwriter mentors? Anyone that you look up to as you write music?

I am so blown away by Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan. They are storytellers, simple and elegant. There is nothing coy about the way they wrote, and yet their songs were and are intensely approachable.

9) What's ahead on your summer schedule?

Lots of conferences, summer camps and showcases! And lots of Arizona heat waves.

10) Do you have time to listen to much music? What other artists are you listening to right now?

I try to make time for it but it's difficult to accomplish, especially when I am struggling so hard to keep up with reading. However, there are a few artists on repeat in my iPod right now: Needtobreathe, Jakob Dylan, Thad Cockrell, Jillan Edwards and Gungor.