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To Sing Like
an Angel: An Interview with Angelina
By Lisa M. Hendey
This interview originally ran in the National Catholic
Register and is reprinted with their permission.
Angelina Davis is no typical sixteen year old
Catholic high school student. While most of her peers have
been concerned with learning to drive and hanging out with
friends, Angelina spent the past fifteen months making news
on the ever growing Catholic music scene. Shortly after
earning a 2003 Unity award for "Spoken Word Album of the
Year", (The
Chaplet of Divine Mercy) Angelina was the sole
American invited to sing at the Vatican blessing of the
outdoor Nativity at St. Peter's Square on Christmas Eve.
This year, Angelina has been even busier, releasing three
new music projects:
Songs of the
Faithful, released in February 2004, is a set of inspirational
songs about faith and the faithful, such as St. Joseph, St.
Francis of Assisi, St. Faustina, St. Pio, St. Patrick and a
special tribute to Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
The Child Within, released in June, is a special
collection of inspirational songs and lullabies to bring out
the childlike spirit in all of us. These songs, Angelina
says, "encompass the innocence of childlike spirituality,
love of God and life and creative imagination."
The Faithful represents a first
in the Catholic music industry: the use of music with video
as a means of evangelization. Angelina traveled to Ireland,
Italy and Poland to visit some places important to her
faith, "Faithful" puts the pilgrimage to song. It includes
11 music videos that will encourage and inspire others to
pursue a deeper life of prayer and bring us closer to
Christ. It has been nominated for a 2004 Unity Award in the
Music Video/DVD Category.
I had the opportunity to catch up with Angelina, a boarding
student at the Mississippi School of the Arts, on a recent
weekend visit to her home in Gulfport, Mississippi.
Q: Angelina, life has been pretty exciting for you in
the past year! Thanks for taking time to update our readers
about your recent and exciting news. Could you start off by
sharing just a little bit with our readers about how your
singing career began?
Angelina: Well - I have been singing since I could
talk. Professionally - since I was nine or so. It all
started with a simple request from my grandfather, who had
been diagnosed with lung cancer at the time. At his request
I began to learn the "Ave Maria." That was a very big
request for a nine year-old but I sang it for him six months
later on Christmas night. He died two days later and that
was the last song he heard. A month later, my mom and I
decided to start work on the recording of the Rosary.
Q: First
off, congratulations on your 2003 Unity Award on your 2004
nomination in the Music Video/DVD category! I know that you
were selected to sing at St. Peter's Square for Christmas
Eve last year. Please tell us about that experience.
Angelina: I had been to the Vatican earlier in the
year, so I was familiar with the area. The square is
beautiful. The nativity was set up larger than life, and the
Pope gave the blessing from his window right before I sang
"Do You Hear What I Hear?" It was so cold outside I had to
wear my jeans underneath my dress. The most important part
was going to midnight mass in the Basilica - it was so
awesome. My whole family was teary eyed when the Pope passed
by at the processional. It was a beautiful and blessed time
to spend with my family. My mother was born on Christmas
day, so that was extra special too!
Q: It's been a busy year for you with the release of
two new CDs,
The Child Within and
Songs of the
Faithful.
What inspired these projects? What are some of your favorite
songs to sing from these two CDs?
Angelina:
Songs of the
Faithful are the songs from
the DVD
The Faithful - all coinciding with Saints and
encouragement for us to live as examples like the saints did
and to follow God's will. "The Child Within" is a 'children
of all ages' CD. It has a few children's songs on it -- but
anyone can listen to it. We came up with the idea after I
had performed at a Catholic family conference in Kansas, I
did a few children's songs and was later asked "what CD the
songs were on," and I responded with 'well none yet!' So, it
seemed like a great idea to come out with a "children's" CD.
My favorite songs to sing off "The Child Within" are - Baby
Mine and Breathe. The "Songs of the Faithful" has my
favorite Rich Mullins song of all time: "Jesus".
Q: Your evangelistic music video,
The Faithful
was released this past Fall. Tell us about the process of
putting the video together. What were some of the highlights
of your travels? What are your hopes for this project?
Angelina: The video/DVD was so difficult to make. I
knew it would take work -- but it took a LOT of work. Twelve
to 14 hour days, I had to walk up so many stairs -- and sit
in one position for so long -- and retake me singing the
choruses of the songs over and over. It started to become
redundant -- but the finished product really shows how worth
it was to do all that work. It's a beautiful piece that I
can be very proud of. I told my mom that I really feel I
grew so much spiritually during all this filming. I hope
this project reaches more people than I can imagine --
this video will take people on a mini pilgrimage through
prayer and song. They are going to see the places where
great people like St. Faustina, St. Francis and my favorite
Saint Pio (who will be my confirmation Saint) lived out
their humble lives. There are many videos and shows that
already do this but not like what we have done. I think
children and adults will view this and come out with a
deeper sense of their faith and hopefully want change
something in their lives.
Q: With your incredible talent and all that you've
accomplished in your career at such a young age, it's easy
for "grown ups" like me to forget that you're only 16 years
old! I've heard that you're now studying full time at the
Mississippi School of the Arts. How has the transition to a
new school been for you? Is there any challenge as a
teenager to remaining committed to your Catholic faith and
religious practices?
Angelina: I love my new school -- everyone there is
so committed to their discipline -- whether it be Visual
[painting], Drama, or Vocal. I love how everyone is accepted
in that type of nurturing atmosphere. I think that's why
it's actually very easy to keep my faith alive -- because no
one looks down on me for being Catholic in a very Protestant
area. It's a very open-minded school where everyone is
accepted, and not shunned in anyway. Sometimes it can be
difficult in a Public school system in the South. I did go
to Catholic school up until seventh grade -- but I did
needed the music program for college. I found that changing
to public school actually made me more in-depth in my faith
-- because instead of being told what to learn I had to ask
my own questions -- and learn what people around me were
asking about Catholics. My mom says I am a little more
independent than most teens -- but changing around has
definitely helped me. My mom also sends me interesting facts
and articles on our faith through e-mail which helps and I
do research on my own on the internet. Now at the
Mississippi School of the Arts I am in a college atmosphere
to give me a taste of what college is going to be like. It
is a very small scale version of college -- but I truly love
it.
Q: Can you share with us some additional information
about your upcoming project "The Littlest Gargoyle?" Is
there anything else on the horizon that you'd like to share
with our readers?
Angelina: The Littlest Gargoyle was actually a play I
performed at the age of ten. Earlier this year the
playwright [a local writer by the name Tonya Hayes]
mentioned turning the play into a story book. My mom
remembered about how many times our family, listened to
books on tape or CD on road trips. The two came together and
the book was written. It's a great story about a young nun
in medieval France wanting to help Notre Dame during the
process of it being built. Her heart is surrounded with
doubt and fear of the unknown. She is led on a journey that
finds her in some very difficult situations but through
perseverance and her deep love for God and Blessed Mother
she begins a deeper understanding of His plan for her. This
story will be a wonderful tool to introduce the idea of
religious vocations. As for new projects, my mom and I are
flirting around with ideas at the moment -- we don't know
what type of CD we would like to do just yet. My main focus
would be to finish "The Littlest Gargoyle" book on tape and
be busy promoting the DVD, "The Faithful" which is a very
new product in the Catholic world. I am extremely happy to
be a part of all this and just want to continue to share my
gift with people. God bless!
Lisa M. Hendey is
webmaster of
www.CatholicMom.com, a wife and mother of two and a
Catholic music fan and supporter. |