Debra Black – God In Every Season

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

A) Growing up, I was a Top 40’s girl. I listened to a lot of pop and rock top hits. Worship wise, it would be Kari Jobe, Bethel and Jesus Culture. I really love all the stuff that they write. Deep down, I am just a huge Mariah Carey fan. I’ll be 100% honest. I grew up listening to her. She’s the girl I listened to a lot growing up. She’s my guilty pleasure. Even if she comes out with a song I don’t like, I still buy it.

Q) You have a new CD out called God In Every Season. What is the feel and vibe for it?

A) It’s definitely a worship album so the vibe is very organic, raw and real. It has some folk elements to it. It’s definitely a worship album. My prayer was that people would turn it on, press play and have a worship experience through the words. It’s kind of a raw vibe, but it has some moments that are really big and take you somewhere.

Q) How much hand did you have in the production of the CD?

A) I have a lot. My producer would give me stuff and we did a lot of co-writing. When we wrote a song, we would have a general idea of where the song was going. I had complete say and direction to it. I added two songs from a different project. The first score was definitely struck down, raw and organic. It was more of an acoustic vibe we were going for. And when I finished it I was thinking about just releasing an EP, but when we got done with it I sat with it for a little bit. I felt like it wasn’t finished so I went back in and did another four songs. So, I decided to do a whole album. Over time, we kind of just let things go where they wanted to. We wrote a song and thought, we have the acoustic vibe so we wanted to stick with that. Each song has it’s own ID and stamp on it clearly. You can start a song off and realize it is going to go a certain direction that it needs to go. You have to be willing to do that as a song writer.

Q) What are some of your favorite standout songs on the album?

A) I really love “Be Free,” which was actually the last song we wrote for the album, but is the first song on the album. It is based on psalm Isaiah 49:9. There was something about the wording “be free.” Christ has set us free and we’re free, but we have to exist freely. We have to live and relish in that freedom. “More Than Enough” was another song that I wrote a few years back. It was the first song that I ever did, released and wrote. The song we are focusing on now is called “You Go Before” and it is a song that we are really pushing through the churches. “Be Free” was released to the radio and “You Go Before” was specifically for the churches. We wanted an anthem of trust for the church to be able to sing in a corporate setting. We are letting them hear the song and, hopefully, want their congregation to sing it. “God In Every Season” is another one that I love. God is faithful and he makes everything beautiful in time. You just have to trust that he is doing something even in the times we don’t understand or that seem really dark. There is a purpose for that, too. Those are some of my favorite songs off the album, for sure.

Q) How do you go about your song writing process? Do you need music to write the lyrics?

A) I am more of a lyricist. I’m not the greatest at melodies. The process for me recently has just been having a co-writer. It has changed my life of songwriting, for sure. For this album, specifically, we just seriously took the word of God and opened it. We talked over some of the things that God was doing at the time and how he was showing me his word. It just kind of came alive. The first verse of “Be Free” is from Isaiah 49:9, which is “all who are captive, come out and be free.” Then, from there, it was just building upon it. It’s really a very spiritual process. With every song, it’s asking the Lord to be a part of it and specifically with the song “You Go Before” we have this moment where we were thinking about where it needed to go and what is the next phrase. This place within my heart started singing and my head started hearing, “Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,” the old hymn. It was just that moment and I know the Lord gave me that for that song. It was really awesome because it was what we wanted the church to sing. It’s not a feeling, but a choice to trust God every day. It’s a sweet and beautiful thing to trust in the Lord. Every song is different though. I would say that part of songwriting is being willing and making yourself available as a believer and doing Christian music. At the same time, it is knowing the word of God and worship. I really felt like there is no way I could write about it without God having shown me what it means to worship.

Q) What can fans expect from a live Debra Black show?

A) It’s a worship experience. I’m a worship leader more than I am an artist at this point. It’s really what I do. The goal is to point people to the Lord and that’s been my hope writing songs. I hoped it wouldn’t be just a song for Sunday morning, but a song that carries people throughout the week. Every time I sing a song that would be the goal, to point people to Jesus and really give them encouragement to thank the Lord and trust in your beliefs.

Q) How can fans get involved in promoting your music?

A) Obviously, just buying the album and sharing it. Sharing a song and, ideally, I want people to know God through my music. However that is, whether they are sharing it with a friend or listening to a song in the car with someone else in it. Clearly through prayer and spreading the word. Word of mouth is key and I also blog and write. I have some different elements for people to connect with me on different levels outside of music. I was just praying that this album would be a catalyst to really tell the stories and the faithfulness. We’re working on a song right now that is in mixing to be released at the end of the year called “Bright.” That song specifically is more showing my creative side as an artist. It’s a different to me than the worship album. It’s more showcasing the creative elements of the instrumentals and as a CCM artist. I think that will bring a whole different side of people to me as an artist. It will hit a different demographic of people and age group.

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your music?

A) I really appreciate it! I hope that through the music that they have a better understanding of God’s faithfulness and they can trust in him. God is good. Ultimately, I hope they will share it with people who need encouragement and to know God more. I’d say thank you all around.