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A multiple Dove Award winner as well as a winner of America’s most prestigious musical Award—the Grammy®—Australian born REBECCA ST. JAMES has throughout the late ‘90’s until present been considered to be a major defining female voice in contemporary Christian Music.
With the dawning of 2007, her groundbreaking album project Pray has most recently achieved RIAA gold record status—following in the footsteps of the previously gold certified RSJ album God.
In January 2007, she was for the 6th consecutive year named “Favorite Female Artist” in Contemporary Christian Music by the more than 27,000 votes cast by readers of CCM Magazine, considered the flagship publication of the Christian genre. Rebecca also repeated with he “Best Female Artist of 2006” award from one of Christian music’s highest traffic music sites—Christianitytoday.com—her fourth consecutive year to be given this honor With sales of her music soaring around the globe, her signature blend of modern pop/rock sensibilities and lyrics of unwavering devotion, has blazed straight to the heart of an entire generation. Along the road of more than 200 concert dates a year, her path has led to 17 Top 10 singles--#9 of which reached the #1 spot on the charts.
In April of 2006, she won yet another Dove Award--Christian music’s highest honor—for her participation in the “Special Event Album Of The Year”—for the Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe, for which her dramatically charged song Lion was a centerpiece.
CRW Magazine has named Rebecca to the list of the “50 Most Influential People in Contemporary Music.” Her book, “Wait For Me,” now in a 9th printing reached the #1 spot on the prestigious CBA (Young Adult) book chart in 2003, with Rebecca’s passionate, and often controversial, challenge to young people to “stand strong” with her on issues of sexual purity. She closed out 2004 with the much anticipated release of her new book, “SHE,”on Tyndale. An impactful “where the rubber meets the road guidebook,” for women of her generation, in “SHE” Rebecca gives a controversial and impassioned voice for a modern womanhood based on a return to biblical principles. The “teen” edition of the book—SHE TEEN—launched in September of ’05—quickly reaching #1 on the CBA Young Adult Chart. Her latest album If I Had One Chance To Tell You Something released in November of ’05 from EMI. One of the most anticipated albums in recent Christian Music history, it contains Rebecca’s trademarked passion for unique self-written music—from rock and pop to symphony—her first full on studio album in five years If I Had One Chance To Tell You Something sonically embraces her passionate lyrics of devotion and praise to God.
January of 2006 found Rebecca in Rwanda, Africa for on the ground mission work and the filming of a television special in her role as a global spokes person for Compassion International. She co-hosted the 2006 Dove Awards presented in Nashville in April and in May of last year gave a prestigious special performance for President George W. Bush at the White House in Washington, D.C.
With the opening of 2007, Rebecca St. James is in March launching the much anticipated Worship Revolution Tour with fellow international Christian rock band Delirious?
Q&A WITH REBECCA:
1. How did you become a Christian? What's your testimony?
RSJ: I grew up in a Christian family in Australia, which is very rare because there are not that many Christians there! From a very early age, my parents said, "Rebecca, you know if you're going to be a Christian, you must decide for yourself to follow Jesus - you can't just call yourself a Christian because we are Christians." And so they really stressed the need that it [should] be my own personal relationship with Jesus if I was going to decide to follow Him. When I was 8 years old, I really felt God's calling in my life. I was at a Girl Brigade meeting, which is kind of like Girl Scouts, and they asked the girls there if they'd like to give their lives to God if they hadn't already. I really felt God's tug on my heart, so I gave my life to Him that night. That was the beginning of my big adventure! It all started in my hometown of Sydney, Australia.
2. What are the highlights and low points of being a Christian singer?
RSJ: Well, there are a lot of highpoints, you know, like just seeing people's lives being changed every night at concerts... seeing them respond to the altar calls, and give their lives to God or get serious about their faith. It's great to hear testimonies about how a young person gave their life to God or got serious about their faith at one of my concerts and they're now in youth ministry, or pastoring somewhere. I get to see the effects of what God has done. Going to Holland and hearing people sing my music word for word when they speak an entirely different language than me has been beautiful! Getting to go on missions trips with Compassion and seeing kids' lives changed through the concerts and people sponsoring kids through each show. There are so many things! Just being able to travel around the world and see God's amazing creation has been quite awesome! As for low points, I have to say that there are a lot of expectations on someone that has been placed in the spotlight and sometimes trying to live up to those expectations is very difficult. The scheduling of constantly being on the road and adjusting to new people and places each day - not being able to be home under a normal set of circumstances very much is sometimes hard to keep up. Writing songs, writing books, touring, making records, doing interviews…it's been so constant over a number of years that I think I've hit stages during my ministry so far where I've felt very worn out by it all. I think those have been the low points. But even in those times, God always gives enough strength to keep me going on.
3. What's your favorite Bible verse?
RSJ: It's Acts 20:24. It says in modern translation, "I don't care about my own life, the most important thing is that I complete my mission… the work the Lord Jesus gave me to tell people the good new about God's grace." This is my life's verse because it's such a challenge to let go of self and really just say "God, my mission in life is all about you and sharing the good news about you. It's not about me." I think this is such a wonderful reminder because it's so easy for us to get all wrapped up in us and our own life and "me, me, me." I don't want to be that way.
4. I love your song "Wait For Me!" Why did you write it?
RSJ: It's actually a love song I wrote for my future husband and it's gotten a huge response all over the world--wherever we go. I think that's because it's about such a core issue with abstinence and because people enjoy the reality of it. The song came from a very real, honest place in my heart and I think perhaps people sense that and respond. I also believe that deep down, people know that abstinence is the right way - God's way - to go and they just need the encouragement to stand strong and wait. It's also about forgiveness and hope and talks about second chances. It gives hope to people that haven't waited that they can go to God and receive forgiveness. So it's really a song of hope.
5. What's your advice for an aspiring Christian artist?
RSJ: I would pass on what a little girl told me years ago. She said, "Bloom where God plants you!" I took that to mean be faithful where God has put you right now. Don't feel like, "Well, ministry starts tomorrow when I get a recording contract!" Be faithful at your youth group and at your church - serve God with your gifts. If your gifting is in an area other than music - maybe it's art, or maybe you're really great with computers - there's always a way to serve God with the talents He's given you! Specifically with music I encourage young artists to be faithful where you are. Maybe make a demo tape if you really want to pursue it and people have been very affirming. Above all, prayer is the biggest thing. If it's God's will for someone to be in music He will make a way. Be faithful with the little and He will be able to trust you with the much.
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