Genre: Pop/Rock
For fans of: Avril Lavigne, Ashlee Simpson, Hilary Duff, Kelly Clarkson, Michelle Branch
Label: Essential Records

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A lot has happened to Krystal Meyers since the release of her self-titled debut album in 2005. The talented teen has graduated from high school, received a Dove nomination for Best New Artist, scored a hit album and has not only become one of the most successful newcomers in the U.S., but has become a sensation in Japan. She's been on the cover of Nylon and Bounce magazines and knocked the Red Hot Chili Peppers from the top slot to achieve her first No. 1 single in Japan. All that can add up to a swirling vortex of changes, commitments and challenges, but at the center, everything remains the same - Krystal's God-given talent, her unwavering faith and her intense passion to spread the gospel.

Those are the forces that drive her sophomore project, Dying for a Heart, a collection of musically innovative and lyrically potent songs all anchored by Krystal's compelling voice. It's a voice that took the Christian music community by storm with the release of her debut disc. Her hit single, "Anticonformity," was a powerful anthem that encouraged others to buck trends and embrace their individuality. Krystal quickly gained a reputation as an artist whose musical talent was underscored by her conviction.

As she began writing songs for her sophomore album, her approach was simple. "I wanted this to be God's words, not my own," she says. "I want God to be speaking through my music. So I stepped back and prayed about it. I surrendered the whole writing process to God."

The fruits of that surrender are readily evident on Dying for a Heart. The collection encompasses a rich emotional landscape from the poignant, soaring "The Beauty of Grace" to the buoyant "Only You Make Me Happy." One of the most intriguing cuts on the album is "The Situation," a song about temptation and having the strength to make the right choice when a relationship begins to take a more physical turn. "We wanted to write a controversial kind of song that would totally challenge the youth of this generation," she says of the song she crafted with her guitarist Brian Hitt. "With 'The Situation' being about premarital sex, we wanted to make it more challenging and in-your-face. This is a real subject and it's serious."

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