Selah's Amy Perry Speaks About Her Solo Worship Album "Glory All Around"

Contemporary Christian trio Selah's Amy Perry has recently taken a hiatus from the group and has released her own worship record "Glory All Around" on Curb Records.  Not only has the album received rave reviews (especially here at Hallels, check our reviews section for our review), the album is full of worship songs ready to be of service to churches and individuals.  We are honored to be able to atch up with Amy for this exclusive Hallels' interview as she shares with us her thoughts on her new album.  

Hallels:  Thank you Amy for your time.  Why have you decide to record a solo record?

The decision to record a solo project actually came several years ago.  I'm a worship leader at my church, The Grove, in Hercules, CA and have noticed over the years that what I do on stage with Selah is a little bit different than what I do on a Sunday morning at church.  It's all still worship, but there's a freedom in worship leading; you can sing a song for 8 minutes if you want! And I felt like there were songs I'd written and that I loved that didn't exactly fit what Selah was doing.  I just wanted to be able to express myself musically.   

Hallels:  How is this new solo record different from your work with Selah?

I used a fantastic producer, Brandon Fraley, who is experienced in pop and country, so musically, it's got an edgier sound on some of the songs.  We've also taken out the "trio" sound that Selah is known for and made it more just a solo sound while still trying to focus a lot of the songs into a corporate worship sound. The idea is that you could sing most of these songs at church during your worship set.  

Hallels:  Did you time it so that your solo album came out on the same day as Allan Hall's "Work of Love"?

The timing of the combined release was actually the work of the record label.  He and I had both been working on them for a while, so we thought it was cool that the label wanted to put them out together.

 Hallels:  One of my favorite songs is "Letting Go;" this is a song that really tugged at my heart.  What was the inspiration behind this song?

"Letting Go" was actually part of a worship conference I did at my church a few years ago.  The theme was Victorious Worship and I had put together a monologue skit as part of my training session and I wrote the song to go with it.  Essentially I wrapped myself in chains and labeled them, "bitterness, anger, brokenness" and had one hidden under my sweater labeled "Low self-worth".  Throughout the monologue I was preparing for my very first worship leading experience but was weighed down by all the chains, the hurt and bitterness I was carrying around. As I began to sing the song, I spoke some dialogue with the Lord about really wanting to be free; the chains came off as I sang, and the last one, "low self-worth" came crashing down as I sang the last part of the bridge, "Hallelujah, Lord Your worthy, I'm yours completely."  That song really resonates with me because the skit and song were both written out of my real experience of dealing with low self-esteem most of my life because of my weight and being teased about it.  I lost 80 pounds prior to writing that song and had really experienced a freedom, physically and spiritually; so I wrote about it.  I gained most of the weight back during my pregnancy and have struggled to lose it again, so "Letting Go" constantly reminds me that I have to lay those feelings down, every day. 

Hallels:  Kari Jobe, even co-wrote a song on your new record.  How did you get to work with Kari?

I didn't get to work with Kari, which is a bummer, because I think she is amazing.  The song was pitched to me by a friend.  

Hallels:  I know Selah has also released a new single with a new album coming out later this year.  What will this new album be like?  When can we see it being released?

The new album, You Amaze Us, is so great.  It's taken a while to release, so I hadn't listened to it in a few months. I popped it back in recently to re-familiarize myself with the music and I've loved getting to hear it all again.  There are a few of our classic Selah-sounding hymns, a few hymns we took to a more contemporary level, and then some original music that really tells a story of God's great gift of grace in the sacrifice of Jesus.  I took a version of the old hymn, Just As I Am and wrote a new chorus to it. Allan wrote a song about Rev. Billy Graham that is so lovely.  We always throw in an African song to touch on Todd's African missionary roots.  There are some really fun moments musically, and some really tender ones.  It releases August 19, 2014.   

Hallels: If our readers would like to purchase your new album or find out more about you, where can they go?

The album is available at Lifeway Christian bookstores, iTunes, Amazon and Selah's online store via the website.  People can also buy it at a Selah concert, if they happen to go to one.  To find out more about me people can find me on social media: instagram, twitter and Facebook as amynperry.  I have a new website, www.amynperry.com, and of course I'm on Selah's website, www.selahonline.com

Tags : Selah Amy Perry Selah Amy Perry Amy Perry solo album Amy Perry Glory All Around Amy Perry 2014 Amy Perry exclusive interview Amy Perry interview Selah interview Selah you amaze me Amy Perry letting go Amy perry allan hall Allan Hall Allan Hall Work of Love hallels exclusive interview Exclusive Interview