Hollyn – True

CCM: Just listening to album, we can see how it fits well into either category.
Hollyn: That was the goal. I’m not trying to be polarizing. I don’t know. It’s really hard for me to explain because I feel like Christian music and mainstream have been like, “You either do ‘this,’ or that,” and I don’t know why.

A lot of people believe you have to be either one or the other, but I feel like if you make great music, it’s going to translate. It’s going to resonate with people, and it’s going to be relatable. When you do that, I feel like music has no limit, and I just wanted to make a record that had no limits. I think that’s what we’ve done. We’ll see what happens!

CCM: Tell us more about the meaning of “Lovely” from One-Way Conversations. Was it written with the intentions of encouraging people who struggle with insecurity?
Hollyn: Yeah, and it resonates with me—it is something that I struggle with. Being a twenty year-old artist, on stage with people taking pictures and everything… You feel like you always have to try to look good, be fit, or do “this” or do “that.”

It’s so tiring, and I feel like it’s a message that the devil tries to get in your head. It’s crazy, and it can destroy you and take over your thoughts. I have to remind myself every day when I wake up that God calls me “lovely,” and I have to be thankful for what I have, for this life that He’s given me, and the body that He’s given me to live in. It’s His temple before it’s even mine.

CCM: How difficult is it to be a young, single girl in the music industry, with a growing platform, and how do you navigate that?
Hollyn: Aw, man—if I find out, I’ll let you know! It’s really hard. It’s a blessing. I am so blessed. I have the most amazing people around me. My team is incredible. The people that pray with me are incredible…my family, my friends. The Lord has just brought everyone at the right time. He’s redeemed friendships. He’s set me in a place where if I didn’t have the community, the church family, and the family that I have, I would just be completely lost.

Just being away from your family, it can be lonely. That’s not the main thing that I feel all the time. But I really wanted to address it in the album because a lot of people would ask, “What’s it like on the road?” Yeah, it’s exciting. And it’s great. It’s awesome. I love it. But it’s also really hard at times.

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