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One little girl
was different that day. It was nothing obvious or extreme. Maybe
it was her very ordinariness that set her apart. She stood in
line with hundreds of other fans who were eager to meet the
artists. Her desire was no different from that of many other
young girls there; she just wanted to say how much the music had
meant to her.
There was nothing in her face or appearance to make her
memorable, no particular beauty or clothes or poise. She was just
a typical fan: half eager and half embarrassed to meet her
heroes, but determined to experience the encounter.
Erica and Tina Atkins, the two sisters who make up the
gospel duo Mary Mary, don’t remember what city they were
performing in that night or how long they stayed afterward to
shake hands and sign autographs. But they both vividly remember
that one little girl. She approached them hesitantly, head down
and eyes averted, to tell them how beautiful they were and how
much she loved their music. Something about the way she carried
herself struck the two singers.
"She held her head down the entire time she talked to me,"
Erica remembers. "She never looked me in my eyes. I said to her,
‘Honey, hold your head up! You’re beautiful. You’re just as
beautiful as we are.’"
But the girl walked away with her uncertainty still evident,
and the sisters were left wondering what it would take to
convince her of her beauty and worth in God’s sight and in
theirs.
Experiences like that just add fuel to the fire of passion
that Mary Mary has to share its hope-filled gospel message
everywhere, especially with youth. Everyone who has lived through
adolescence knows how difficult it is for teenagers to believe
they’re worthwhile and important or that they can achieve
something significant.
It’s a time when all the fears of childhood and adulthood
collide, and many teens get lost in the confusion. Those fears
and difficulties are multiplied for kids who grow up in urban
areas and poverty-stricken neighborhoods. Erica and Tina Atkins
are familiar with the challenges of growing up in poverty because
they experienced it.
"A lot of times in urban neighborhoods," Erica says, "you
don’t hear that it is possible to live for God or be educated and
be successful."
Both sisters are quick to add that although they grew up in a
poor area, they did receive the encouragement they needed to
motivate them to pursue success.
"God blessed us, and we had wonderful parents who put great
things on the inside of us," says Erica. Tina also acknowledges
the role their church community has always played in their lives:
"Everything we got fed spiritually came, of course, from our
parents, but we also got it from our church. There was nothing we
could be in need of that they wouldn’t try to help out with."
Everyone in their church had something to give to the Atkins
sisters when they were young, and they credit much of their
success today with the encouragement and motivation they still
draw from that second family. Now they want to do their part by
helping today’s children.
"Any time we have an opportunity to give back just a portion
of what was given to us," Tina says excitedly, "we jump to it."
That opportunity came when Evangelistic Church of Christ in
Los Angeles, where the sisters grew up and are still members,
decided to open a youth center to provide a youth empowerment
program for their community. Tina and Erica were eager to be
involved in any way they could. When they heard of the need to
raise money to start the program, Tina suggested that they
organize a benefit concert.
The event, which included performances by Mary Mary as well
as other gospel artists, raised enough money to enable the
program to get underway. The Atkins are excited that the center
was able to open so quickly, if only on a small scale at first;
in December 2001 it started being open one day a week for
after-school tutoring and counseling.
Even more exciting to Erica and Tina is the knowledge that
they will be able to have a long-term impact in the lives of kids
in their own church and community.
"I’m not just dropping some money in a program," Erica says. "I
know these kids personally. Some I was there when they were born
and the first time they came to church. To know these children is
a wonderful thing because you’re part of their lives. That’s a
great thing."
Tina adds, "This program will be another tool to win people
in, to get people connected to the church. And meeting some of
the new kids that are from the same community is gonna be
exciting."
Although the program is new, the experience of church-based
community outreach is not novel for Tina and Erica. They have had
a lifelong passion for relational ministry, for using all the
tools available to draw people into relationships in the church
and relationship with God. Ever since they were young, music has
been their primary tool for service.
"Before we even became Mary Mary," Erica remembers, "we were
in our church choir. We would go to the projects, to the worst of
the worst neighborhoods, and we would sing and witness and pray
with them."
Today the success of Mary Mary is an example of how God
entrusts more responsibility to those who are faithful with a
little. The sisters feel that what they do at a concert today is
hardly any different from the ministry of their old church choir
in the projects of Los Angeles.
"To do that at a young age," Erica says gratefully, "and then
embark on a recording career and still be able to do the same
thing is wonderful. It lets me know that this is God’s plan for
my life: to help other young people come to Christ." It’s a high
calling, but Erica and Tina Atkins don’t consider it a unique
one. "We should all be trying to help somebody," Erica insists,
"we should all be trying to love somebody, to bring somebody to
Christ."
Tina agrees. "If you don’t take the gifts and talents and
blessings God has given you and share it with somebody," she
asks, "then what is your life really worth?"
Their first album has been recognized by multiple awards,
including a Grammy for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album. And
in just a few weeks on July 16, their much-anticipated new
release, Incredible, hits the stores.
Incredible, which includes songs by gospel luminaries
James Cleveland and Walter Hawkins, is the
follow-up to the group's 2000 release Thankful, which was
certified platinum in December.
"We hope to encourage souls, to win people to Christ, to
encourage and uplift people to believe in God [so that] they can
love and accept themselves as they are," Erica explains.
"I think people think of dance tunes when they think of Mary
Mary, because we have a lot of upbeat tunes. That's us. We're
definitely delivering that, but we're also bringing some
thought-provoking songs to let everybody know that you are loved
and you can find happiness in Jesus. It's definitely going to be
a step up from the last record. As time progresses [in the life
of an artist], you want to progress with your songwriting, and
everything else. And I think this time we take it up to the next
level."
The sisters of Mary Mary may have more gifts and talents than
average. But neither fame nor album sales nor commercial success
can give these women the sense of worth that they sing and speak
about so confidently.
"I don’t want to just be one of those girls who sang good
songs," Tina says humbly. "I want people to say, ‘She changed my
life. She told me her experiences, and it increased my faith and
changed my life.’ I want that kind of story to follow me."
Judging by the many fans at concerts who stand in line to
tell the gospel duo just those kinds of stories, the legacy that
their music leaves in many people’s lives will be following the
sisters for a long time to come.
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Q&A with Mary Mary
Q:
Tell us how you guys got started.
Erica:
We grew up in church with a preacher as a father and a missionary
for a mother, who was also a missionary/piano player/choir
director. Big family, whole lot of kids, little bit of money. But
we grew up singing. We had a lot of faith and a lot of hope, and
we believed that God could supply everything, even though we
didn't have much of anything. So our faith kind of infused us, as
kids, in that way. As we grew older, we went on to travel in
stage plays. We met our producer Warren Campbell, started
writing...
Tina:
Got a publishing deal, in between that...
We wrote "Shackles" for The Prince of Egypt,
but we liked it so much we kept it for ourselves. Gave in, gave
over, let go, let God. (Laughs.)
Columbia Records heard it by accident, in somebody else's
meeting in New York.
And there you have it -- from there, we got a record deal.
And a year later, the album came out.
Q: And now you've already got a new one on the way.
Erica: Yeah, we do. We're very excited about that.
And we got a Grammy! (Laughs.) We got a Grammy, a Soul Train
Award, a Lady of Soul Award, four Stellar Awards... We were the
first gospel group ever nominated for Best New Artist at the
American Music Awards.
Q:
Wow. You're off to quite a start. You guys are paving new ground.
Tina:
Yeah, we're really excited, it's been a really, really great
year. God has been good to us. Thank you, Lord!
Q:
What can we look forward to on the new album?
Erica: You can look forward to the signature Mary Mary
sound. I think people think of dance tunes when they think of
Mary Mary, because we have a lot of upbeat tunes. That's us.
We're definitely delivering that, but we're also bringing some
thought-provoking songs to let everybody know that you are loved
and you can find happiness in Jesus. It's definitely going to be
a step up from the last record. As time progresses [in the life
of an artist], you want to progress with your songwriting, and
everything else. And I think this time we take it up to the next
level.
I mean, we don't want people to think that we're just like a
"dance group." There's so much more to Mary Mary. That was our
introduction, but now we're going to introduce a little more to
you.
Q: Why did you choose the name Mary Mary?
Tina: Because Warren Campbell thought it was so hot, we
had to keep finding reasons to keep it on there. No, I'm just
kidding. (Laughs.)
Erica: But that's true, though. He kept saying, "You
guys should really call yourselves 'Mary Mary.' I just had that
idea." And Tina was like, "What did you have that idea for?"
But I thought it sounded great, because I didn't like 'Erica
& Tina' very much. But the reason we kept it is that I did a
little study, and there's Mary, the mother of Christ, and then
Mary Magdeline, the prostitute. When she met Jesus, she was moved
by his compassion and by his love, and she was changed because of
that. Not because he judged her or hated on her, or said, "Go
clean yourself up before you come to me."
So the name represents the fact that no matter who you are or
where you come from, He loves us, and we can all be changed by
His love. Most people feel like, "I'm way too dirty -- I've got
to get this stuff straight first, and then I'll come to Him." So
when we looked at it in that light, the name stuck.
Q: What has God been teaching you lately?
Tina: God has been teaching me to practice what I
preach. I know of course that that should just come naturally.
But a lot of times, people that are in the forefront that are
considered leaders, fall victim to the things that they are
promoting. We're talking about joy, we're talking about
happiness, and we're talking about how everything can be done
through Christ, and keep a happy perspective on everything. And
sometimes we find ourselves not being exactly what we're singing
about. Being mad every day.
"I'm singing about happy music, but I'm so frustrated about
everything."
Or letting every little thing get to me, giving off the wrong
attitude or the wrong personality. Or I'm being so critical of
myself that I'm not letting God just use me freely when I'm in
front of people. Instead, I'm telling them, "You're the person
that God made you to be, just be who you are in God, and that's
good enough." And then I find myself always being so critical of
everything and everyone.
God is showing me how to trust in Him. I think, like what she
was saying, when you're placed in front of people, you are first
speaking to yourself. A lot of times, with everything that God
has done, sometimes I'm like, "Ooohh, God, I'm not so sure." And
I hate that part of me. 'Cause God is like, "What reason do you
have to doubt Me?"
But I guess that's our human nature, that's just part of
being human. So I'm like, "God, just teach me to totally rest and
rely on You." And He's teaching me to do that through His Word,
and through other Christian books.
And that's cool, because I wouldn't call myself a huge
reader, but I've been reading the Left Behind series right
now. And those books make me get on my knees every night.
When I went to bed last night, I prayed, "God, please, don't
let me be wrong in thinking that I'm doing okay if I'm not."
Because there are a lot of people in the Body of Christ who are
so busy telling everybody else about God that they never do a
self-check. They're mean, they're judgmental, they're rude. They
pre-judge people and stereotype everyone that doesn't look like
them or fit into their mold. And nobody in the Body of Christ
should do that; I don't want to do that. If I see somebody that's
struggling with something, I don't want to think that I'm better
than them. I just want to be sensitive to what God wants of me,
and I'm learning to trust Him to help me do that.
I was talking to a few artists recently, like Kirk
Franklin, Yolanda Adams, and Donnie McClurkin, and I
was--
Erica: Can you even believe that we are able to talk
to them like friends right now! (Laughs.)
Tina: I know! We still can't get past that. (Laughs.)
But anyway, we were talking about how we can go out there and be
saviors to the world. Because before the world is introduced to
Jesus, we [the Body of Christ] are the only Jesus that they see.
We are representing Him. And what we were talking about was how
we can go out there telling everybody how to make it in, and we
get so caught up into doing that that we miss the mark ourselves.
We're not praying ourselves and we're not focused ourselves, and
we fall victim to the very things that we're preaching against.
And I don't want to miss the mark. I don't want to help fifty
thousand people get to Heaven and then I don't get there. I want
to be the first in line -- like, "Hey, Jesus, it's Tina. My
name's right there [in the Book of Life], let me get on in
there!" (Laughs.)
It doesn't matter if you save the world if the time comes and
God doesn't say "Well done" to you. So that's what we're trying
to focus on -- making sure that God says "Well done" to us.
Erica: Yeah, you know... I just want to be saved.
That's it. My dream is singing in front of people with my eyes
closed, and then opening my eyes and seeing people worshiping.
Not screaming my name or anything. And I remember the first time
that happened to me.
I was in a choir rehearsal, and we were recording an album
and we were rehearsing this song called "The Anointing." I
was singing and I was really singing from my heart, and my eyes
were closed. And suddenly I realized that the choir wasn't
backing me up. When I turned around, they were crying and laying
in the floor. And I was like, "That's it! That's the only reason
I want to sing. Anything that you can add on top of that is
unimportant.
This is the only reason I want to sing, right here." If
people get saved and come to truly know God, if my singing brings
change to people's lives, if I can bring somebody to Christ, then
that's it. That is the only reason we're here.
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