All You Ever Wanted to Know About Stacie O
by courtesy of Forefront Records | posted 1/01/2003
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This in-depth interview with Stacie Orrico, provided by ForeFront Records, covers everything from Stacie's mainstream success to her dream gig of performing with Lauryn Hill – or Ella Fitzgerald. Read on …
On her mainstream success …
Well, we're here chatting with Stacie Orrico whose latest self-titled album is just running wild all over the airwaves these days. Stacie, you're on MTV, in Rolling Stone magazine, and you've been on the "American Dreams" TV show and everything. What are you trying to accomplish with all of that?
Stacie: My goal ever since I started making music over 5 years ago has just been to make music in a way where I'm writing honestly about the things that I'm dealing with as a teenager, and in a way that's relatable to other teenagers who are going to pick up the record and go, "Wow, I'm dealing with that." And from a positive perspective. From a perspective of, either this is what I've struggled with, this is what I've gone through, and this is what I've learned from it, or maybe it's even just this is what I'm going through right now, I haven't figured it out yet, but there has to be an answer so lets try and figure it out together. So that's definitely the goal, and working in all the different markets, trying to reach kids from all walks of life.
There have been concerns from listeners who find out that mainstream stations are playing your song "Stuck" – they ask if you are still a Christian artist. I've offered my explanations; let's hear it from you. So, I guess, do you still consider yourself a Christian artist?
Stacie: You know it's difficult for me because I grew up listening to all types of music. I grew up listening to Christian music and mainstream music, and I remember always thinking, "Why do we put artists in all these different categories? She's a Christian artist, and she's a Christian woman, but her music could be really cool on this station. And maybe by putting a title on herself, maybe it's keeping her from going here." I remember even when I was 6 and 7 thinking about this trying to figure out why there were all these little titles.
I am a Christian, I have been raised in a Christian home, when I was 4 years old I prayed in my own little innocent heart and prayed to ask Christ to come into my life, and I cannot do anything without Him. He is the base of everything that I do every single day. I would love it if we could take off all the titles. I wish I could be just an artist. I am an artist who is a Christian, who sings R&B music, who sings honestly about the things I'm dealing with in my life – whether its my faith or the mistakes that I've made or the things that I'm questioning or the things that I'm discovering for the first time.
So, yes, I am a Christian – I have not deserted that. Yes, I would love to take all the titles off of every type of genre of music. I would love to hear all types of Christian artists played all over the world. I'd love to hear good, positive mainstream music played all over the place. I'd love to be able to bring music together. But I have not deserted Christ. I have not deserted my faith.
Well, talk to us about the whole salt and light approach and how it relates to the mainstream opportunities that you've been getting.
Stacie: I've had so many cool opportunities in the last year especially of just getting to spend time with people who have experienced things in their lives that I would have never imagined. People who have grown up in such different family situations from mine, and different cultural backgrounds. People who have literally never been around or had somebody in their life who told them anything about God.
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