{"id":712,"date":"2011-10-04T08:00:39","date_gmt":"2011-10-04T12:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/wholenotes\/?p=712"},"modified":"2011-10-04T09:31:08","modified_gmt":"2011-10-04T13:31:08","slug":"a-conversation-with-recording-artist-beckah-shae","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/wholenotes\/2011\/10\/a-conversation-with-recording-artist-beckah-shae.html","title":{"rendered":"A conversation with recording artist Beckah Shae"},"content":{"rendered":"

Click “Like” to share this with your friends!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Depending on the song and its lyrics, singer Beckah Shae\u2019s rich, soulful voice can be both haunting and hopeful. The former bares shades of her broken past, while the latter expresses who she has become since fully embracing a relationship with God that started years ago as a child.<\/p>\n

In this Whole Notes interview, Shae (whose fifth album Destiny<\/em> released in August) talks about how she was shaped by her upbringing, the revelation that turned things around and what needs to happen for artists like herself to break through to a larger audience.<\/p>\n

Chad Bonham: Tell me about some of the challenges you faced growing up.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Beckah Shae: My mom was divorced when I was just a baby and was remarried three times. Just saying that is enough to know that there were problems and dysfunction but the second marriage was very abusive and it was a very violent atmosphere for me when I was younger. As a result of that, we had to move around a lot. There was just a lot of chaos going on, so the neighbors would always be concerned about the little girl that lived in that house. Cops were visiting our house all the time. We would move around a lot because my mom had such a big heart and she would be so forgiving. She made some poor choices but then she\u2019d want to go back and reconcile. So we\u2019d end up living with family members or in hotels or even in shelters for months at a time. There were a couple of times I was taken into foster homes.<\/p>\n

It was those times that were so important to my relationship with God. In those times when it could be a lonely and scared time for a kid, Jesus really became my strength. He was my peace. He was the only stable thing in my life. He was my best friend. So I\u2019m really grateful for the things that I had to walk through when I was young. I literally knew that I could pray to Him and call out to Him. He became so real to me. I understand now that I\u2019m older and walking with Him in maturity that so many people find that much later in life. So I established a very real relationship with the Lord at a very young age.<\/p>\n

Bonham: What led to the spiritual detour you took as a young adult?<\/p>\n

Shae: I had this incredible relationship with the Lord when I was younger. I knew Him. But we were so incredibly unstable. We moved so much. I was never in the same school. I had pen pals all over the place. The thing that I was lacking was stability. I was lacking foundation. I didn\u2019t have a church home and I didn\u2019t have teachers or mentors or leaders to speak into my life or to help me to walk in the right way, except my mom. That is so crucial in your development and your maturity as you grow in the Lord. You really need a family. You really need the Body of Christ to be able to be there for you and help you. For me, it was off and on and so unstable.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Right around the end of my mom\u2019s last marriage, we moved to Orange County, California, and up until then, I didn\u2019t pay that much attention to my image or anything like that. But there, it was normal for 16-year old girls to be getting boob jobs and nose jobs. Suddenly, the enemy took hold of me and captured me in this insecurity. I starting to think that I wasn\u2019t pretty enough, I wasn\u2019t good enough, I wasn\u2019t smart enough. All of the sudden, I became completely obsessed with trying to fit the mold and trying to be accepted. I fell so hard. I fell into depression and anxiety. I was trying so hard to please people that I became so lost. I did so many crazy things. It was only 45 minutes from L.A., and four and a half hours from Vegas. That\u2019s what we did as teenagers. We were going to parties. We were going to clubs and underground things.<\/p>\n

In the midst of that, I was the good girl. I was the angel because I didn\u2019t do the drugs and I didn\u2019t drink. With doing all these things and throwing myself into those atmospheres with these different people, I didn\u2019t realize the darkness I was living in. I was being called the good one but I really needed some light in my life to show me how far I\u2019d gone. I\u2019d gotten so depressed. I had no joy. One of the things that\u2019s so funny now is how people talk about my giggles and the joy that I have, and I love that so much because it\u2019s so not who I used to be. I was not a happy person. I hated everything about myself and the enemy had me bound by that. I felt so distant from the Lord. When you focus on yourself, you\u2019re completely distancing yourself from the Lord and His love. I was rejecting His love for me by hating myself. That was a really tough time that I walked through. I knew that He was always there if I needed Him, but I got so bound by the enemies lies.<\/p>\n

Bonham: How did your move to Nashville change your life?<\/p>\n

Shae: It was a move of faith. I was desperate for God and I was willing to do whatever it took to be close to him and do whatever He wanted me to do. I listened and I obeyed and I came to Nashville. I was so excited and so yielded to God. I just wanted to do whatever it took to do the right thing and to live right and to live holy and pure. I was so excited to get planted in a church. I found this church that had a super thorough membership process. I did everything you\u2019re supposed to do. I did this workbook and you do all these classes and you get discipled and then you have to fill out a big application and you get to meet with one of the pastors. I was thinking this was the most awesome church. I\u2019d never experienced anything like that before. I remember I walked in to meet the pastor. I was so excited to finally meet him. He didn\u2019t even walk from behind the desk to greet me. He just put his hand out to shake my hand and then with his other hand, he took the application and he sat down started reading the application in front of me. There was just a coldness in the room. I was really caught off guard because I was looking for a loving welcome. It was such a terrible experience. It was like an interrogation and there was a lack of love. He gave me a stamp that said \u201cunapproved.\u201d He said I wasn\u2019t ready to be a member of the church.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>I remember the rejection I felt. There was such a war within myself. I knew that pastor had to be right and I had to be wrong, but what he was saying didn\u2019t make any sense. I didn\u2019t understand but I was trying to be open-minded and open hearted. I was trying so hard and my head hurt. So I went home that night with such a migraine and with such rejection and such a broken heart and such confusion. I really was wanting to do what was right but it didn\u2019t work out. At that moment, I ran into my Daddy\u2019s arms\u2014my Daddy that I knew, my God. I fell in my bed and I just started crying out to God saying, \u201cGod, you know me! Why is he saying these things?\u201d It was the worst feeling and the worst thing that ever happened to me but it was the best thing because at that moment, He said, \u201cYou\u2019re my daughter. Let me begin to reveal to you who you are.\u201d In that time, more than any time in my entire life did I dive deeper into the word of God than I had before. I breathed the Word. I fell asleep with my nose in the Word and I woke up wanting to read the Word. I wanted to find out what God said about me, and what He thought about me. I wanted to know everything about Him.<\/p>\n

In that moment, I realized it doesn\u2019t matter who you are. I don\u2019t care if you\u2019re the pastor of a huge church. I don\u2019t care if you\u2019re an artist with major accomplishments. If you don\u2019t have love, it doesn\u2019t mean anything. The Bible tells us we can have the faith to move mountains. We can have tongues of angels. We can give everything we have to the poor. But if don\u2019t have love, it doesn\u2019t mean anything. God revealed to me to never put my trust in man, but \u201cblessed is he who puts his trust in me because he\u2019ll be like a tree planted by the water.\u201d<\/p>\n

God has taught me so much since then. I\u2019ve found a confidence and a boldness. Knowing God is the most important thing that I could ever do. The beginning of freedom is to see yourself as God sees you. When you know who you are, nobody can tell you who you aren\u2019t. You have to know Him in order to find that confidence. That\u2019s the only way. I know where I\u2019m going and I know that I\u2019m going to be with Him. That\u2019s my goal. That\u2019s all that look forward to\u2014to be with my God and to be in the arms of Jesus forever and ever. That\u2019s my passion. That\u2019s my pursuit. That\u2019s my purpose. It\u2019s everything that I live for. With that, I get to live free and thankful for His mercy and thankful for His grace. I just get to be free and God\u2019s using me to bless other people.<\/p>\n

Bonham: How do you tackle the challenge of being an RNB styled artist in an industry that has rarely embraced that kind of diversity on radio?<\/p>\n

Shae: I\u2019m so blessed to get to work with my husband (producer Jack Shocklee). We do everything together. It\u2019s our passion. Music is rapidly changing. If you think about iTunes, for example, there\u2019s this thing where you pay a membership fee and you can download music. So it can\u2019t just be about the money anymore. It\u2019s got to be about a purpose. We do this because it\u2019s a passion God put in our heart and our love for music and because we want people to hear the truth and we want people to be set free. That\u2019s why we do it. We have this unique situation where we can make music from home. We don\u2019t have to answer to anybody. But when it comes to radio, it\u2019s a bummer. There\u2019s a wall. There are a lot of gatekeepers that will have their own ideas on what should be played and what shouldn\u2019t be played. For us, it\u2019s just a matter of being faithful. God gave me these songs. I sat in the studio and asked the Holy Spirit to give me the words to say. So I\u2019m going to be obedient and let God to the rest. It\u2019s really cool because a lot of fans have stepped up to the plate. But I don\u2019t really concern myself with that. We just want to be faithful to put the music out and God will lead the people to find it. I just enjoy doing what we do.<\/p>\n

Bonham: What will it take for Christian radio and other outlets to open up the playlist to include artists like you?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Beckah Shae with BeBe and CeCe Winans at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, VA.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Shae: I\u2019m just going to keep it real here. The radio stations are being supported and they want to play what they think is going to keep them supported. So they\u2019re not taking a risk. It\u2019s really about the younger generation. My priority is for the next generation. I\u2019m going to get old. I have two children. It\u2019s all about our legacy. It\u2019s about what we pass down. It\u2019s about what we send down to the next generation. If you look at the top of Billboard and secular radio, what is it? It\u2019s basically all pop and hip hop. It\u2019s not rock. I don\u2019t have anything against rock. I love rock. I used to play my guitar and sing along to old Southern rock bands. There\u2019s nothing about me that doesn\u2019t like rock. But if you look at the top of the charts, it\u2019s pop and it\u2019s hip hop. This is what the younger generation is buying. This is what they\u2019re listening to on secular radio. They\u2019re consuming it and they\u2019re tolerating it and it\u2019s nasty stuff. If you read the lyrics on the top five singles, it makes me so passionate because it gets me so upset to think about what young people are listening to. I\u2019m tired of it. Instead of radio trying to play it safe and not take risks, they need to be thinking about the young people that literally need it. That\u2019s where I get passionate. I know that it\u2019s not up to me. It\u2019s up to God. \u201cA man can make many plans but the Lords plans will prevail.\u201d I trust that with all my heart.<\/p>\n

Keep up with the latest from Beckah Shae by visiting her official website HERE<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Click “Like” to share this with your friends! Depending on the song and its lyrics, singer Beckah Shae\u2019s rich, soulful voice can be both haunting and hopeful. 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Chad\u2019s professional journey began at the University of Tulsa where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (1993) while working extensively in athletic media relations and serving as a sports editor for The Collegian. Since then, he has written extensively for such publications as Relevant, CCM, Christian Retailing, New Man, Charisma, Today\u2019s Christian, Ministries Today, Breakaway, Brio, Sports Spectrum, Christian Single, Faith & Friends, Sharing the Victory and Gospel Today. He has authored, co-authored or ghost written and edited 13 books including Life in the Fairway (New Leaf Press), Glory of the Games (Cross Training), Wrestling with God (River Oak), Spiritual Journeys (Relevant) and the four-part Fellowship of Christian Athletes Core Value Series; Excellence, Teamwork, Serving and Integrity (Regal Books). Chad is currently working on five new books including Sooner Legacy, Husker Legacy and Lessons From Sooner Football (Cross Training) as well as The Faith of Stock Car Racing (Judson Press). When he's not writing, Chad lends his efforts to various independent television and film projects. He was the coordinating producer for Choosing Life (2010) and Life Happens (2011). Chad is currently serving as producer on a forthcoming documentary about Super Bowl champion Brian Kinchen. Chad and his wife Amy live in Broken Arrow, Okla., with sons Lance (September 2003), Cole (February 2008) and Quinn (February 2011).","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/wholenotes\/author\/cbonham"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/wholenotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/712","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/wholenotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/wholenotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/wholenotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/418"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/wholenotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=712"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/wholenotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/712\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":721,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/wholenotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/712\/revisions\/721"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/wholenotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=712"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/wholenotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=712"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/wholenotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=712"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}