March 07, 2007 @ 10:49 am

Crossed that River: Mary Mary Interview

Clay Cane

The Gospel Divas talk secular appeal, sexual lyrics, and their gay fanbase

When you're a gospel artist and your music is played in heavy rotation on urban radio with a playlist that includes Beyonce and 50 Cent - you've obviously entered the world of secular adoration. With ferocious vocals and urban beats gospel sensation, Mary Mary, have evolved from the pulpit to the clubs, garnering a huge and diverse following that's rare for Christian musicians. Sisters Tina Atkins and Erica Campbell got their start singing in church, but would eventually work with artists like 702, Brian McKnight, Brandy. Their first album, 2002's Thankful, won a Grammy with the help of the Billboard Top 40 hit "Shackles." Seven years and three albums later, Mary Mary's self-titled 2005 album peaked on Billboard's Top 200 at number eight. Two years after its release, the hugely popular single "Yesterday" is still keeping the album's momentum alive. In an exclusive interview with Mary Mary, the gospel divas detail their crossover success, sexuality in R&B, their diverse fan base and much more. Mary Mary is one of the few gospel groups who get airplay on R&B stations. Why do you think you appeal to secular audiences?
Erica: Our musical style is very relevant, very current. Contrary to popular opinion, church people are a part of the regular world - we go to work, we get mad at traffic, we have heartbreak, we live in urban neighborhoods where we hear urban sounds and we feel that just like everybody else does. The difference is, we are talking about keeping God at the center. I think in a lot of urban communities that's the attitude, that's how we generally feel - most of us anyway. So, I think it kind of resonates with urban listeners and they play the music. On top of the fact I feel like the tracks are banging! [Laughs] So they play it on the urban stations. I'm really happy about that because I feel like we can get the message to people who are "unchurched." Tina, in an interview, you once said, "If you consider yourself to be a Christian there are types of music you shouldn't be singing." Do you think R&B artists who are sexual and provocative, but still call themselves Christians, are being hypocritical?
Tina: I think there is a very fine line that can be crossed when you're singing about something. Put it this way: the Christian standard is to not commit fornication and not invoke others to lust, especially if it's not your husband or your wife. People who are singing music of a sexual nature and are not necessarily married, it doesn't agree with Biblical standards. That's not to say that you're not attracted to others and that you don't have these feelings there, but sex before marriage is just not the Christian standard. If you're promoting music about that and you're not married, I don't agree with that. At one point you were both background singers for R&B artists like Brian McKnight and Brandy - they're not too sexual, but did their lyrics, or other people you sang background for, ever conflict with being a Christian?
Tina: I sang one time with this artist - I don't want to say the artist, I totally love the artist, I think the artist is completely a Christian, he's a great guy. I was totally content with his lyrics, and then once the choreographer got in there and was trying to make sure that the female background singers, who were also kind of dancers, which I was a part of, they tried to portray the song in a more intense way, all these moves they added to it - I was like, uh-oh, I don't know if I should be doing this. I did feel little uncomfortable about that. I don't know if it's necessarily the lyrics, but it's a lot of the other things that can go with it. It's the way that you choose to market it, it's the way you try to compete - okay, I'm going to go the extra mile because it's a competitive market, let me do this because this is what sells. That's not exactly Christian standards. So, that's the thing that made me feel uncomfortable, all of the choreography that went with it and I was like, Oh, I don't think I'm supposed to be doing all this."
Erica: I will say this; everyone has their own relationship with God, what works for me may not work for somebody else. But what I do know is if you have a real relationship with God then you want to talk to him and find out how he feels about your life because that's what you do when you love somebody. When you love somebody you talk with them, you find out their opinions on your goings on in your life and whatnot. I try my best not to make a practice to look at what someone is doing and making a judgment call on it. If I feel strongly about it and I connect with that person then I'll share my opinion if they ask me. For the most part, I don't make it my business to throw judgments about people's actions. I give it to God and God will do the rest. Would either of you do a secular album?
Erica: I don't think I would ever do a secular album. Secular means without God and God is love, so if I talk about love then it's not really secular because He's love. I'm married, you know, there's a lot of things that relate to love, but to have the R&B secular title, no. I don't think that we'd ever do that. Would we sing about something different? Possibly. I've heard some criticism about Mary Mary regarding the song "Yesterday" - that you are gospel singers, but you don't hear God until the bridge of the song. What do you think about that?
Tina: That sounds like saying, "I couldn't really tell that they were black until they got out of the light!" [Laughs] It is what it is! We don't pride ourselves on being people that stuff God down your throat and beat Jesus into your head. That's not who we are, God gives us all a choice to follow him to make whatever decision it is that you choose to make. We feel like it's most appropriate and it's most effective if you just tell people your experiences. If the song comes out saying God- Lord-Jesus then you write it that way. If this song comes out not saying it at all, but the references are very clear on who you're talking about that's how we write it. So, to those who criticize it's okay, everybody's going to have an opinion and everybody won't agree with you, we understand that. But we know what we stand for, what we're about is God and spreading the message through song. That's what we do and how it comes out, it just comes out that way. We can't apologize for it.
Erica: I have an uncle who always says, "As far as I'm concerned everybody loves me and I love everybody and don't you tell me nothing different." So, God bless all the criticism as far as I know they love me and I love them right back. When can we expect a new Mary Mary album?
Erica: Maybe next year sometime, maybe 2008... we're not sure because people are really embracing "Yesterday" - except for that critic who feels like God's not in there enough. [Laughs] Maybe that person doesn't. But there are loads of people who really love the song and talk about how much it ministers to them and helps them through whatever their past may hold. I'm not sure if you are aware of this, but you have a large gay following. How do you feel about homosexuality and having a gay following?
Erica: We are aware. Um... how do I feel about homosexuality? I feel how God feels about it, um… but I still love them. You know what I mean? I don't agree with the lifestyle, but I love them. They can come to the concert; I'm going to hug them just like I hug everybody else. They have issues and need somebody to encourage them like everybody else - just like the murderer, just like the one full of pride, just like the prostitute, everybody needs God. What your struggle is may not be what my struggle is, but we all need Him. So, that's what our music is about: giving and God. Not to condone the lifestyle or to say, Oh it's okay, but not to bash - but just to give them God. I mean, I'm appreciative of all of our supporters and fans. Hopefully what their hearing and saying in our music is my love for God.
Tina: You know, I think the fact that our music is very, very upbeat and works well in clubs - you know, I think that's something that makes more people gravitate to it. Like Erica said, we don't necessarily agree with the lifestyle, but we don't pride ourselves on bashing. Everyone has things in their life that they need to correct, everybody has struggles. Even though that's the way we feel, we don't bash, and we embrace everybody who enjoys our music. Hopefully our music is impacting them in a way that, if they see there's some things in their life that's not quite right and doesn't align themselves with what the Bible says - hopefully our music impacts them in a way that makes them want to change it. Let's say someone is Buddhist or Jewish. Do you think they can still reach God even though they're not Christians?
Erica: Yeah, I actually had a guy say that to me, "You sing about Jesus? He's like my cousin." I was cracking up! [Laughs] He said he loved the music and I said, "Well, amen!"
Tina: There is a lot of music that we embrace. People who sing the music, the lifestyle that they promote, we don't necessarily agree with that but there's something in their music sometimes that we connect with. I've even heard music of different religious backgrounds that there's something in the music that might make sense or I might connect with - not that I agree with all of their religious beliefs. I just hope that our music is so powerful, the words are so strong and the presentation is so strong it is impacting people in a way that it impacts our lives. It's not just something for us to do, it's not just entertainment, it's not just a job. For us, this is our lives. If nobody ever bought our records, if no one came to our concerts and bought merchandise, or ever heard of a Mary Mary, Tina and Erica would still be in our church singing, giving praise to God, because we really believe that God is real. Jesus is the most powerful thing in our life. Hopefully people experience that when they hear our music no matter what their belief is, no matter what their lifestyle is, no matter how different they may be from us.
Erica: A lot of people feel like Christians only talk about Jesus, but there are some universal things that we talk about in our music that connect you to Jesus.Before you get to Him you have to get to overcoming whatever obstacle you face, you have to get to believing that you do anything that you can be anything that you can achieve anything if you try and if you put your mind to it. Then after you decide, you add God to that. It makes the combination all the better.

Article tags: Crossed, River, Mary, Mary, Interview 

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