Your last pop album of all-new material was 1999's What Kind of Love. What was it like to get back in the studio and work on new stuff again?

Margaret Becker: It's always surprising to me that I get to make music, let alone make a living from music. So to be back in the studio with a brand-new bevy of songs that are just me—not myself with other people like the records that released between 1999 and now—it's just a privilege and an honor. It's really my dream come true.

What's the biggest difference between recording independently and with the support of a record label? Do you miss the latter?

Becker: I'm so lucky. I'm one of the few artists you will probably ever meet who absolutely adores her record company, still to this day. My time with Sparrow Records was amazing. They were so supportive and they literally gave me my dreams. But there came a time when I felt God was calling me to branch out in other areas, and I knew that I could not serve them if my attention was diluted. That's the day I went in to Sparrow and said, "Guys, I am ready to do something different. It's not because you haven't done an excellent job—I am not going [to another label]. I just feel that God is calling me to try some new things."

I enjoyed it when I was there, but like anything else in the journey we take with Christ, it's the fire by night and the cloud by day—when it moves, you've got to move. I am in my next chapter. The beauty of being an independent artist is that you are on your own time schedule and you can indulge yourself. I hate to say it that way, but it's the truth. What I do miss is the budget and the staff of really talented people. What I don't miss is the timeline, which was always quite consuming.

From the outside looking in, how has the Christian music climate changed in the last decade? Do you like what you see?

Becker: We grew as an industry [back in the '90s]. When you're growing that fast, you have to segregate, in a sense. We've got a really strong worship community now that has a light drawn on it, and I'm so happy about that. We have really strong divergent styles. I think that we've never had as many forms of music and expressions of Christ content as we do today, and that excites me. I love that we can hear everything from reggae to acid jazz, written and performed by Christians. That's fabulous.

The only drawback I see is that record companies are a lot more pressed financially and I don't think that artists get as long of a running jump as they did in the past. I am sad about that because so many artists who would have had their arms held up [in support by the record labels] 20 years ago are today have to get it right in a couple albums or else move on.

These days, you've taken to public speaking in addition to music. Lots of artists do that nowadays, so what sets you apart?

Becker: Part of chapter two for me is to use words in more creative ways than just music. One of the things deeply ingrained in me was the need to share more of myself in a speaking role. It's not something I like to do, frankly. It's not something I do naturally, but it's something that I am called to do, so I know that it's part of my development in Christ.

What sets me apart? The fact that it's me! We are all very unique. Every speaker who speaks, whether they come from selling shoes or music, will have a very different tone and a different take on Christ's expressions in their life. That alone will make us stand apart from one another.

You're also a mentor to up-and-coming artists. What advice do you give the most?

Becker: Pray, pray, pray, pray. Did I mention pray? That's the biggest advice I can give. The second biggest is, "Go and do." You don't need permission to express Christ. We are called to do so. Don't wait for somebody to do an 8 x 10 glossy and a bio. Go out there and offer yourself—do it. Right now, with way music is promoted and distributed through the Internet, there has never been a better time for independent artists to go and do and even support themselves (or close to it) through what they have to offer.

What song on Air resonates with you the most at the moment and why?

Becker: "You're Still God." It's a theme that I've visited often in my career: God's omniscience and his unfailing strength and mercy, juxtaposed against our humanity. To me, that truth—God's mercy for us, his strength, and his tolerance of our nonsense—never ceases to amaze me.

For more about Margaret Becker, visit our site's artist page, where you'll find our review of her latest album, Air.

© Andree Farias, subject to licensing agreement with Christianity Today International. All rights reserved. Click for reprint information.

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