indigo

Indigo Interview - ChristianMusic.com

JOCELYN AKA INDIGO.

From her music to her life in Christ even to her website, JesusGroupie.com, Jocelyn aka Indigo has a knack for turning things around. Possibly, it has to do with the scripture she offered up to ChristianMusic.com as her all-time favorite: Philippians 4:6-7, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Not only is Jocelyn’s recently released independent album, "The INDI 1ST Project… Breakthrough," a critical success and a showpiece for her gifted vocals, it is also a benchmark of a life in transition.

"I was transitioning from being unsaved. I was truly ready to change and follow God’s call on my life," Jocelyn says, "so I just began writing from my heart and accepting songs from other writers that reflected the new change in me." Writing on most of the songs, she makes it clear that she is a changed woman, and that Christ is the reason.

Jocelyn grew up in a Christian family, mostly in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the Washington, D.C. area. "My family life was very happy in the beginning. My parents always made sure there were church ties," she says, "but shortly after my brother was born, my parents split up and eventually divorced and it was very devastating to me." Their church-going became irregular, she says, but the divorce was also a catalyst for her creative side. "Writing was always an escape for me from my broken home. It was a release."

Though she says her college life and her career as an R&B singer in the girl group 4BidN marked a turning away from God, she also knows, "God was preparing me all along, but I didn’t realize it until I began having a personal relationship with him, in 2006."

"My soul was in jeopardy, but I was too blind to see it. He prepared me by allowing me to realize the error of my ways and giving me a chance to do it His way," Jocelyn affirms.

That turnaround came when, after visiting all kinds of churches she reluctantly visited a church in a rundown section of northeast D.C. – About My Father’s Business Outreach Ministries. The following Sunday, she returned, to join the church and start her Christian life anew.

"It was really a turning point for my spiritual growth. It and its leadership continues to be a huge asset to my walk," Jocelyn says, "continually challenging me to optimize my ministry and always reminding me that this life is more than a selfish opportunity, but in fact a chance to introduce Christ to others."

Like many Christian music artists who have decided to "introduce Christ to others," Jocelyn found that the doors flew open for her, and opportunities for her to share her magnificent voice were suddenly there that weren’t there for the R&B singer.

Jocelyn also introduces Christ to others through a young, hip website called JesusGroupie.com. Again, with the turnaround: she witnessed a young teen being criticized for wearing an inappropriate t-shirt in church, so she did something about it. Among features of role models, the site sells t-shirts with both personally and religiously affirming slogans like, "Pretty Girls Love Christ Too."

Though the shirts sometimes cause controversies, Jocelyn sees that as a positive thing, both because the fashion reaches the "un-churched" and, because it starts a conversation about God. Just as her church is close to the streets, Jocelyn takes her Christian introductions to the people.

"I can’t go back and change that I was an R&B singer, that I dressed scantily clad, and that I sang songs which glorified unGodly relationships and lifestyles," she says. "But I can live my life in a way that shows God how grateful I am for Him saving me."

christian-music

-- Julie Carr and Nate Lee
FinancialPlanners.com * GraphicDesigners.com * GreatHotels.com * Romances.com