Jamie Grace – Worship In The Waiting

CCM: Why were you nervous about how people would perceive “Reverb?”
JG: I have not rapped on an album since I was seventeen. I was a little nervous, because I didn’t want people to people think that I was trying to do a new thing or attempting to brand myself as a rapper. I grew up on Christian hip hop—T-Bone and Cross Movement, etc. I always loved it, so I wanted to pay tribute to part of my roots in a way.

CCM: You let listeners know at the start your album that you were “Different.” In addition to rapping, what were some of the more creative risks you think you took on ’91?
JG: It’s funny, because I wrote “Different” the day before the album was supposed to be turned in. Originally, ‘91 started off with the interlude “Spotlight,” and there was another interlude in “Spotlight’s” place that got kicked-off. I think one thing, from a production standpoint, that I’ve always wanted to do is an entire chorus in half-time, so that’s what we got to do on “Different.”

I love playing the acoustic guitar, but I also really do love pop music—and I really do love urban-sounding music as well, I even love country. So something that was really important to me is that I got to implement all of those styles in an album in a way that was true to who I am and the music I grew up with. If you played all of my different CDs as a kid, you would literally go from playing the most pop, upbeat, ZOEgirl-kind of song, to Skillet the next moment, to Bill Gaither, to Kirk Franklin.

CCM: A prominent theme on ’91 was your identity as a child of God. Why do you think you were moved to write about that particular topic as much as you did?
JG: With the exception of “Daughter Of The King,” I don’t necessarily even remember trying to make that a theme. It’s just something that the Lord has so graciously reminded me of, especially these last two years. I think I needed the reminder for myself, so I put it on paper then put it to melody. I also know how refreshing that reminder is, and so I want to remind other people, as well.

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