5 Time Nominee at the Inspirational Country Awards Kristina Craig Chats with Hallels

5 time nominee of the Inspiration Country Awards, country/Christian singer Kristina Craig weaves together the best of Country and Christian music. Kristina and her Band have garnered several prestigious honors that prove their appeal across both genres. Most recently their "Angel with Tattoos" release has climbed to number 4 on the Inspirational Music Charts, with radio play nationwide.

Originally from a small town in the Sandhills of Western Nebraska,becoming a finalist on the 2007 ABC PrimeTime Special "Six Degrees of Martina McBride" and winning the "People's Choice" for her performance at the Wild Horse Saloon, led Kristina to Christian and Country music mecca, Nashville, TN.  We are so honored to be able to catch up with her for this exclusive Hallels' interview.

Hallels:  Congratulations for getting 5 nominations at the Inspirational Country Music Awards to be held in November this year, how does this make you feel?

     Thank you so much.  I'm very excited to be nominated amongst such great artists and in a genre I'm passionate about.

Hallels:  Tell us about yourself, how did you feel the calling to sing?

     I was raised in a small town in Western Nebraska, and began singing at the age of 13.  I started with local talent contests and began performing at local fairs and street dances doing secular, country music.I got saved when I was 16 and moved to Nashville, TN when I was 19.  I began writing a lot more after my move and felt like God was calling me to write more Christian songs.  My heart is in country music, I love it and can't get away from it, but I also love Jesus, and realized the need for positive, family friendly music in the country genre, so I decided to combine them and pursue Country Inspirational music.In our music ministry, we focus a lot on aiding people in breaking the cycles of abuse and addiction.

Hallels:  I really love the single and title of your album "Angel with Tattoos."  It's such a provocative title.  For some of our readers who may not have heard it yet, can you tell us what the song's about?

     Thank you very much.  This song was actually written about my sister.  There was abuse in our childhood, and we chose very different paths.  Everyone reacts differently to bad experiences. She got addicted to drugs, and repeatedly tried to end her life.  She has multiple tattoos, and highlights in her hair.  But she is still one of the most beautiful woman I know.  I wanted people to realize that we all have a past and we all make mistakes, but we also all handle them in our own way, so we need to be careful about passing judgement on those that look or act differently than we do. For the record, my sister is now free from her addiction, praise God.  

Hallels:  And I believe you are a songwriter too; how many songs on the new record did you write?  Do you enjoy song writing too?

I co-wrote all 12 songs on the album.  I wrote the lyrics and my good friend, Greg Giovannetti wrote all of the melodies.  I love writing music, it's such a freeing escape for me.  I love writing for other people as well, those people that feel like there's no one out there that understands where they're coming from.

Hallels:  What are you most excited about this new album "Angel with Tattoos"?

     I'm most excited about all of the different styles and moods that are on this album.   I hope there is something on here for everyone.

Hallels:  There are some songs on the record like "Glory Shine" and "Wait on You" that lean towards being worship songs, do you lead worship in churches too? 

     We do play a lot of churches.  We usually do a concert for the first 45 minutes and then end the last half of the program with worship.  We love worshipping collectively with other believers.

Hallels:  For our readers who would like to purchase your new album "Angel with Tattoos" or find out more about you, where can they go?

They are more than welcome to visit my website, www.kristinacraig.com.  There, you can get CDs along with other merchandise, as well as find out about our music ministry and upcoming shows.Our album is also on I-Tunes, Amazon and Cd Baby. 

 

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