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Drawing, Flying, Acting—Selah
Get to know more about the members of the group Selah. Who likes to draw? Who's the pilot in the group? Who's the actor among them? Their sophomore album, Press On, was released on June 12.
interview by Michael Herman
Siblings Nicol and Todd Smith and Allan Hall keep the group Selah balanced in more ways than just their hidden talents. The levels of practicality and creativity, high energy and laid-back approaches, and even the various lessons each has learned in life add to the strength of this dynamic group.
The trio has just released their sophomore album, Press On, and already has one "Inspirational Album of the Year" Dove Award for their debut efforts. Get to know the three members of Selah through their own words.
What three words describe you best?
Nicol: Sensitive, contemplative, and honest.
Allan: Compassionate, storyteller, and low-key.
Todd: Confident, talkative, and energetic.
Other than a Bible, what one item would you want if you were deserted on an island (or on Survivor)?
Nicol: A battery-powered fan.
Allan: A big hat.
Todd: Toblerone.
What are your spiritual gifts?
Nicol: Discernment, empathy, and encouragement.
Allan: Encouragement and compassion.
Todd: Leadership and teaching.
What's one thing you've overcome in your life?
Nicol: Willingness to go back to missions.
Allan: Personal debt.
Todd: The fear of going on to college and higher learning.
Do you have a hidden talent?
Nicol: Drawing.
Allan: Acting and knowledge of movies.
Todd: I'm a pilot.
What would your friends say you do that's "odd?"
Nicol: I sleep with my eyes open. It freaked out my college roommates until they learned it was normal for me. That's how I first learned I did it.
Allan: I go to movies by myself a lot. Some people think that's weird.
Todd: I make-up and speak my own language at times. It's gibberish really, but it's really effective when a telemarketer calls me.
Do you have any habits?
Nicol: I sing a lot, but I'm not always aware that I'm doing it.
Allan: I recap phone calls. If you call me and we talk for a while, I'll naturally go over everything at the end of the call. I just do that.
Todd: I'm always late.
What words or phrases do you overuse?
Nicol: "Know what I mean?"
Allan: "Really?"
Todd: "And so um, uh … "
Name three musicians you'd pay to see in concert.
Nicol: Sarah Brightman, Peter Gabriel, and Kirk Franklin.
Allan: Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton, and Frank Sinatra.
Todd: Abba, Journey, and Peter Cetera (w/ Chicago).
What job would you like to do for a day?
Nicol: Nurse.
Allan: Astronomer.
Todd: Air Force pilot.
What's a great lesson you've been taught?
Nicol: The danger of putting hope in man instead of God.
Allan: Not to steal, and the importance of restitution (as a child).
Todd: "A man is tested by the praise he receives (from others)." Knowing what's truly important is a good lesson I've learned.
If you went back to school, what would you like to study and learn more about?
Nicol: Tropical/herbal medicine. My grandmother used to know a lot about this, so I have always been interested in learning more.
Allan: Literature.
Todd: History. I'm a big History Channel watcher.
Who do people say you look like?
Nicol: La Femme Nikita, Meredith Baxter-Birney, and Nicole Brown-Simpson.
Allan: I hear, "Like somebody's relative" a lot.
Todd: Wrestler "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.
What's your pet peeve?
Nicol: Cheery people in the morning.
Allan: Drivers not using blinkers/turn indicators.
Todd: Early morning flights.
Do you have any famous relatives?
Nicol: General Winfield Scott.
Allan: The last man ever hung in Tennessee.
Todd: General Winfield Scott, and Noah (I guess we can all say that).
What's the strangest job you've ever had?
Nicol: Cleaning houses for $5 each. Either that, or being "Katie the Cat" for a children's performance group.
Allan: Convenience store clerk.
Todd: Selling books door-to-door in West Virginia.
How would you rate yourself on a scale of 1 - 10 ?
Nicol: 7.
Allan: 8.
Todd: 9.
What one aspect of your personality would you change?
Nicol: I'd like more confidence.
Allan: I'd want to be better at maintaining focus on goals and following through with them.
Todd: I'd want to be less cynical.
What do you do that's a total waste of time?
Nicol: Watching home decorating shows on TV.
Allan: Pointless organizing.
Todd: Watching Sports Center (ESPN).
When are you most productive?
Nicol: Nighttime.
Allan: When I have one or two major things to do.
Todd: When I have a lot of things that need to get done, not just a few.
What would you like to see invented someday … a better way to do what?
Nicol: A better way to lose weight.
Allan: I'd like to see a better way to get rid of the lint from clothes dryers. We can send a man to the moon and cure diseases, but we still use the same old technology to blow lint outdoors we've used for decades.
Todd: Better pavement on roads. We drive a lot, so I'd really like to have better roads to travel on.
What do you put on your ice cream sundaes?
Nicol: Caramel.
Allan: Hot fudge, peanuts, whipped cream, and Magic Shell.
Todd: Hot fudge and whipped cream.
What first and last name would you choose for yourself if you couldn't keep yours?
Nicol: Zoe Simon.
Allan: Joseph Forrester.
Todd: Stephan Johnson.
What fad or style are you currently resisting?
Nicol: Halter-tops.
Allan: Hair dying/bleaching … and that "messy Christian artist hairdo."
Todd: The Boy Band look.
What fad or style would you like to bring back?
Nicol: '80s music.
Allan: '80s video games.
Todd: A time when truly "singing" mattered.
What's something you could tolerate only if your spouse liked it?
Nicol: Camping.
Allan: Canoeing.
Todd: HGTV & TLC (TV channels).
When in your life have you been extremely afraid?
Nicol: When I was 10 years old—I was afraid of dying from malaria or going blind from it.
Allan: My first airplane ride, at 25 years old.
Todd: My first hippo hunt in Africa. Between the hippos and the alligators, and not being able to see them after the sun went down, I was petrified in our little canoe.
Meeting what person would leave you star-struck?
Nicol: Ekaterina Gordeeva.
Allan: Barbra Streisand.
Todd: Elvis Presley.
What's one thing you'd like to learn to do?
Nicol: Learn a new language every 10 years.
Allan: To know what all of those fancy terms in fancy restaurants mean.
Todd: To fly jets.
What tombstone epitaph would describe your life well?
Nicol: "They didn't shut her out after all."
Allan: "Slowly but surely, he ran the race."
Todd: "He made mistakes, but he did everything with passion."
Introvert or extrovert?
Nicol: Introvert.
Allan: Extrovert.
Todd: Extrovert.
French fries or side salad?
Nicol: Side salad.
Allan: Fries.
Todd: Fries.
Big Breakfast or Coffee?
Nicol: Big breakfast.
Allan: Big breakfast.
Todd: Big breakfast.
Dress up or Casual?
Nicol: Casual.
Allan: Casual.
Todd: Casual.
Left-brained (analytical) or Right-brained (creative)?
Nicol: Right-brained.
Allan: Right-brained.
Todd: Left-brained.
Talk Radio or Tunes?
Nicol: Tunes.
Allan: Talk radio.
Todd: Tunes.
Hotel or Campsite?
Nicol: Hotel.
Allan: Hotel.
Todd: Hotel.
Network TV or The Discovery Channel?
Nicol: Discovery Channel.
Allan: Network TV.
Todd: Discovery Channel.
Make from scratch or call Domino's?
Nicol: Make from scratch.
Allan: Domino's.
Todd: Domino's.
Spontaneous or Scheduled?
Nicol: Spontaneous.
Allan: Scheduled.
Todd: Spontaneous.
Talker or Listener?
Nicol: Listener.
Allan: Listener.
Todd: Talker.
Hands-on or Supervise?
Nicol: Supervise.
Allan: Hands-on.
Todd: Hands-on.
Front Page or Funnies?
Nicol: Front page.
Allan: Front page.
Todd: Front page.
Nickname or Real Name?
Nicol: Real name.
Allan: Real name.
Todd: Real name.
Large or Small Audience?
Nicol: Large.
Allan: Large.
Todd: Large.
Spring or Autumn?
Nicol: Spring.
Allan: Spring.
Todd: Autumn.
Surf or Turf?
Nicol: Surf.
Allan: Turf.
Todd: Turf.
Creamy or Chunky Peanut Butter?
Nicol: Chunky.
Allan: Chunky.
Todd: Creamy.
Sitcoms or Movies?
Nicol: Movies.
Allan: Movies.
Todd: Movies.
Sing In the Car or Just Drive?
Nicol: Sing.
Allan: Sing.
Todd: Sing.
Dance or Sit?
Nicol: Sit.
Allan: Dance.
Todd: Dance.
Take a Dare or Turn Down?
Nicol: Take a dare.
Allan: Take a dare.
Todd: Take a dare.
Hide or Seek?
Nicol: Hide.
Allan: Hide.
Todd: Hide.
Glass Half Empty or Half Full?
Nicol: Half empty.
Allan: Half empty (but I hope to change that someday).
Todd: Half full.
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