Artist description In a world where worshiping God is often the farthest thing from most teens’ minds, 17-year-old Australia native Charmaine is bent on being a worship encourager to her peers - in hopes of offering them a fresh view of worship and the faith it fuels. While some may use eloquent speeches or Bible teaching to reach their audiences, Charmaine is speaking the language of her generation, using music to guide teens into what she calls an “every day walk with God.” “I want people to see more of Jesus and who He is,” Charmaine asserts. “I want my peers to know that He’s not just the Bible story God they’ve heard about or learned about in Sunday school. I want them to understand that worship is a lifetime event.” Appropriately titled, her Aug. 13 Elevate Records debut album, All About Jesus, is all about giving her peers upbeat, relevant music framing worshipful words. “We knew the music needed to be something my age group would listen to, that they would think is cool but at the same time be worshipful,” explains Charmaine who co-wrote six of the album’s 10 songs. “It’s an area that hasn’t been touched on completely yet, so I knew I wanted these songs to encourage youth to worship.” Worshiping through music and encouraging others to do the same has been a way of life for the young artist who’s already performed before thousands on Rebecca St. James’ U.S. “Wait for Me” (fall 2001) and “Wait for Me Encore” (spring 2002) tours. In addition to singing background vocals for St. James, she opened the concert, performing one of her own self-penned songs. However road life became part of Charmaine’s fabric long before sharing the stage with St. James. From the time she was born, she began traveling worldwide with her parents’ music ministry, Endless Praise, performing at age 4, and at 12, she officially joined the group, living 10 to 11 months on the road each year. The experience, she says, prepared her both musically and spiritually for this next chapter of her life as a solo artist. “I’ve grown up on stage singing, sometimes giving my testimony,” she says. “So in a sense, these new steps I’m taking now are just a continuation of what I’ve already been doing.” For Charmaine, the steps to a record deal with the worship label David Smallbone founded in 2001 were almost invisible, though in hindsight she can see God’s provision in each one. She’s one of the few artists who didn’t go out searching for a record deal. Two years ago at Gospel Music Week in Nashville, meetings between Smallbone and Charmaine’s father about expanding Endless Praise’s music ministry expanded into talks about Charmaine and her talent. Shortly after hearing and meeting Charmaine, Smallbone offered her a record deal with Elevate. “I had nothing to do with the path God was leading me down,” she explains. “Singing is one of the loves of my life. I knew that God would use me in music, but it was something that He led me through instead of me trying to walk in that direction.” A year later, a prayed-up Charmaine moved to Nashville to tour with St. James and begin thinking about her first solo record. To create relevant worship music for youth, Elevate enlisted a seasoned spectrum of producers, including Otto Price (SonicFlood) and Jeremy Bose (Rebecca St. James, Jaci Velasquez). Charmaine’s co-writing credits on the album include “I Love You Lord,” “You Found Me,” “Only You” and “Acceptable,” “Give You All My Love” and “You Are Here With Me.” The amalgam of producers, songwriters and musicians delivered a final project that affords this young songstress a platform to speak to her peers. “I see so many kids my age and younger worshipping on Sundays, but their relationship with God during the week is zero,” she says. “I want my music to encourage them to continue to walk looking up at Him every day in their lives instead of just at church. It doesn’t mean they necessarily have to feel anything special. It’s about looking at Him, spending time with Him. The more we look at Him, the more we fall in love. That, for me, is worship.”

Music Style Modern Christian Worship Pop/Rock

Albums All About Jesus

Location Franklin, TN - USA

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