Britt Nicole

Those paying attention to sales charts probably noticed a new name on the scene a couple years ago as “You” and “Believe” climbed up the ladder with a name attached of Britt Nicole. The pop songstress moved to Nashville a few years ago to pursue a dream and ended up signing with EMI after a couple releases of her own. Say It, the resulting debut, declared a new name to pay attention to with strong pop sensibilities and memorable choruses.

Now Britt’s back with The Lost Get Found, an album centered on evangelistic themes and the hope that those listening will pick up the same fire she’s felt in her own spiritual life. As we sat down with Britt to get the story of the new album, we learn a lot about her struggles, her strength and her growth as an artist.

Soul-Audio: Can you tell me about the first single, “The Lost Get Found?” I’d love to hear the story behind that track.

Britt Nicole: It was one of the last songs I wrote for the album. I had written a ton of songs by that point and we were looking for the first single. I handed it into the label and they loved it. I wrote this song after visiting a conference with my youth group. I’m a youth leader here in Franklin at a church and I’ve been there for about four years. So I’m having a great time with my group at this conference and excited about what God was doing with each one of them. There came a point at the end of the conference where I wanted God to do something inside of me. [Laughs]

I was there to support them, but at the end I was wore out and I just wanted some alone time with God. I didn’t feel that God was doing anything in my heart at that moment, but what was cool was that during the drive – which was about three hours – I could feel a change inside of me. God was challenging me everywhere I went, whether it was a gas station or where we stopped to eat lunch, to step out and witness to people. God would tell me to tell a lady that He loved her or to pray with someone else. It was amazing that God was giving me this passion to reach lost people and I was feeling his heart for lost people.

I ended up writing with a guy, Ben Glover, later on. His wife and I were talking about this same subject and it was this message that God was teaching so many people around me – telling us to reach out to those who need him. So Ben and I decided to write about that. It was something we were so excited and passionate about, so we wanted to write about stepping out and seeing people’s lives change through that.

SA: When you look back on Say It from this perspective, what do you see?

Britt: I was definitely a new artist. I’m always learning and growing and developing my sound. Before I signed with EMI and did that first record, I was an independent artist. I’ve been an independent artist since I was 17 and I’ll be 25 in August. I’d already done two independent records, so it was really like my third record when I signed, but it was my first where my heart was really dedicated and in it. I still love Say It and still sing the songs in concert. I still feel it’s a part of who I am but that was two years now. I have grown a lot since then and that God’s done so much in my heart.

That’s how I think it should be. We should always be spiritually growing and moving from glory to glory. I want to continue to grow. So it’s cool to look back and love those songs and see what God was saying then but then realize that God’s been so faithful to take me to new places in Him and in my music.

SA: You talk about going to that new level, but can you tangibly describe that?

Britt: Spiritually, it’s about being dedicated to God and not wavering back and forth in my faith. It’s about a real consistency in my relationship with him. My grandpa is a pastor and he said to me once, ‘One of the greatest characteristics of a disciple of Christ is consistency.’ My life growing up took me through some hard times like my parents getting divorced. There have been times I’m on fire for the Lord and other times where I just get selfish and want to do my own thing. But over the last two years, the Lord has continued to heal my heart and show me what love is.

On the last record, I wrote so much about believing in love and having a fear of love. I wrote a song about my parents’ divorce and how I fear love through that. But now there’s a song on the new record called “Safe” that talks of God coming in and tearing down every wall in my heart that I’ve ever built towards love. You see that journey and you see where before I had this prayer to want to believe in love and now I’m in this place that I realize love is not always safe but it’s worth the risk.

SA: What about the producers on the new album?

Britt: To be able to work with someone like Dan [Muckala] I love being able to bring my ideas as an artist to someone like Dan or Robert Marvin and be involved, but I also love working with someone who has the expertise and experience and be able to lean on them and trust that. They’ve been doing this for a long time and they really know what works. Many times I would walk into the studio and think, ‘Okay, I’m going to have to get in here and change some things.’ But then after hearing their work, I’d not want to change anything because it sounded amazing.

SA: You said earlier you came in with a lot of songs, so how many is that?

Britt: Oh man, on the last record I came in with almost 100 songs. [Laughs]

SA: Wow, did you really?

Britt: Yeah, I really did. The funny thing is on the last record, I’d been writing for two years in Nashville before signing with EMI, so I brought all of those songs to the table and we’d narrow it down to 40, which was still a ton, and then 20 and then the best 10. That’s a hard process. Then in that process of making a new record, new ideas come. I remember on the last record in the last week or so, we wrote three new songs that were amazing and ended up making the record, so you have to bump three more off. On this record, The Lost Get Found, I probably had 40 to 50 songs that I brought in – maybe a little more. And we ended up choosing from that.

SA: Were there any songs from the last record that didn’t make it that ended up coming around on this one?

Britt: They did, which was exciting. There’s a song called “Like A Star” and I don’t even remember when I wrote that. I wrote it with a guy named Adam Smith probably three years ago and he really helped me when I first moved here as a new songwriter. He was new as well but we just came together and had a great chemistry. Dan actually heard it and we brought in a list of songs to him. When he heard that one he just flipped out. He said, ‘I can’t believe this didn’t make the last record. It’s so great.’ I think that’s the only one.

There is a song called “Have Your Way,” which ends the record. It’s a ballad, just broken down on a piano really and my vocal. The vocal on that song is very different from any other than I’ve done. The song came from a prayer with God just spending time with God. I have a little room in my house I go to pray and worship and play and for the last two years, I’ve been writing that song and I just finished it for this record. So we didn’t write it for the last record, but I did have the piano part back then.

• www.myspace.com/brittnicolemusic

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