A Heart to Heart with Nicole2Nikole

Ugh, where I been.. right?!?!  Livin' baby and lovin' it.  Speaking of Lovin' it, I have fallen head over for Nicole2Nikole.  They just did a really cool right up on yours truly- clean baby-nothing but rav reviews. Enjoy!  http://nicole2nikole.blogspot.com/

I'm Lovin' It!!

Finally, Great Christian Hip Hop!!

I'm a lover of CeCe , Chris Tomlin and Mali Music, just like the next person but I have been starving for some head bangin', neck noddin' Hip Hop that's not violent, misogynistic, or self-glorifying....oh and cheesy.  Honestly, some of the wackness out there has been embarassing.  But my beau has introduced me to some folks that  (if I call myself a bold, loving Christian) I have to share with you.


Mouthpiece: I've been a fan of his for over a year, ever since "Broken" on his "Lost and Found" Mixtape. He has a young sound with rugged lyrics and his merging of music genre is creative but not overreaching.


theBreax:  A dynamic duo recently turned quintet...sort of.  5 guys with Beleaf and Ruslan in the lead.  I had the privilege of opening for them a few months ago and was blown away by their talent and transparency.  Support the project "Never Arrive" on iTunes.


High Society: Last and NO WHERE NEAR least....High Society. Individually, they've always been charming, but the collective swag on this team is cosmic. I've passed this music on to so many teens in ministry and it has blown me away how they connect. I can't stop sharing it...goodness, you're listening to them now on the site.   I bump it in my convertible, babymobile....it's hot.  Enjoy downloading a bunch of their free music here and do not hestitate to move the gospel forward when it hits the stores. 


Left it cause I Love It.

Happy New Year Dr. King!!

I am soooooo excited and nervous about this year.  It's a funny thing when you start allowing yourself to want a dream.  For me, I  vacillate  between The Fear of Failure and The Fear of Success....  My brain will toss back and forth between, "How am I going to pull this off... what if I'm not good enough"... to "OMG..what if I break under the pressure of success...how will I manage in front of all those people!!!"  Geesh lady, nothing has even happened yet...lol. Besides, as big as this dream is, God is going to have to pull it off and He don't front no double-minded saints... that's scripture (James 1:6-8).  So I pray for wisdom, a little more faith and rest in the fact that my forefathers went through far greater trials for me to be in this position.

Happy New Year Dr. King!

Go with the flow...

So it's my first time spending my own hard earned money in the studio.  The Great Sir Walter- pianist extraordinaire and I are under time constraints and we really want to put out a nice cover for the Christmas season.  I feel the pressure...

I go in with the intention to first cover Donny Hathaway's- "This Christmas", and I'm feeling pretty confident. We practiced and the arrangement we came up with is really swanky but once I'm in the studio, my chee is off and the flow ain't right!

I call my hubby and he helps me put it all in perspective saying, "you're paying for it so maximize or reschedule". Logically I know this to be true but emotionally I'm kinda salty.  I mean I've been in the studio a few times and figured "I got this". But needless to say, I started off feeling a bit cocky and ended up singing a bit rocky....womp womp.

My diva status is squashed and I'm a little disappointed so I decide to move on to "Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas".  God grants a miracle cause 1 take later.... waallaah... we're experiencing studio magic.  Sir Walter and I vibe, Eldridge is majorily pleased and ultimately, we end up taking this cheesy picture of me brimming with pride.

The point is, I've been really learning how to go with the flow.  My usual tactic would have been to use sheer will power and force the results I desired in life. The disadvantage is I rarely like the results and never enjoy the process. Long story short, the single will be out in a couple of weeks and I hope it gives you a big-ole koolaid smile like mine. Happy Thanksgiving!

Potato Chips

A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with a bag of potato chips and a six-pack of rootbeer and started his journey. 

When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old woman. She was sitting in
the park, just staring at some pigeons.
The boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a
drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old lady looked hungry, so
he offered her some chips She gratefully accepted it and smiled at him.


Her smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered
her a root beer. Again, she smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat
there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word. As
twilight approached, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to
leave; but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran
back to the old woman, and gave her a hug. She gave him her biggest smile
ever..


When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, " What did you do today that made you so happy?" He replied, "I had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? She's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"

Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home. Her son was stunned by the look of peace on her face and he asked, " Mother, what did you do today that made you so happy?" She replied! "I ate potato chips in the park with God." However, before her son responded, she added, " You know, he's much younger than I expected."


Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime! Embrace all equally!

Have lunch with God.......and bring chips.

Thanks Cheryl

No Call Back...

So my girl Vikki, at the Goodman Theatre, suggested I audition for Yolanda - a 22yr. old, Brooklyn fireball in the upcoming Crowns play. Perfect, Yeah?!? Except I've never auditioned for anything theatre related...ever.  I've sung...a lot, which is like performing on stage, but it ain't acting.  Still I'm honored Vikki believes in me so Saturday, I'm on the curb, with a bunch of 20 somethings, waiting in the cold for the door to open and the games to begin. I met Isabel who is a pro at this- having recently waited for hours to audition in Lion King, sang octaves with

fellow laborers in the art and due to nerves- delivered a B- monologue.  I couldn't get lost in the character.

Anywhooo, I called my ubba Christian and ubba successful Hollywood friend, Naima Lett for help and consultation. Both which she happily obliges and I literally learned how to do a theatre resume and monologue from her the night before.  We recap afterwards (what went right and what went wrong)  and the convo changes direction in which Naima asked me "If you had God's great big YES, what one thing would you be doing in life?" I muster up as much courage as I can and admit- I'd be singing on the same scale as Whitney Houston was. Big production, great fashion, extraordinary choreography and the music would be Christian/Inspiration.. a quality of performance that has never done before by a Christian artist". I mean sure Madonna, Cher, Beyonce,Prince, Celine and Janet have all done it, but not one Christian artist.  She delicately replies, "Then why are you auditioning for someone else's play when you should be focusing on how to get your production off and running. You're a singer.. why haven't you given yourself permission to be the best at that"?

OUCH  Naima!!!

She proceeds by saying, "You're not focused, I mean laser focused " and generously calls out why...(reasons which will remain private.. thank you very much). What could I say, she was right, it hurt, I needed to hear it...and now I'm focused!

You gotta laugh at God's irony though: I sit in the cold to audition for a part, that I don't get a call back on, only to admit that I should not have been outside, waiting in the cold from the start. For me, it was a distraction...a cop out and I knew it but I couldn't have seen it, if it weren't for my good gal friends. So thanks Vikki for giving me the opportunity and  thanks Naima..for helping me live truth!

FOCUS.

Brand New Music For You!!

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