Interview with Onitsha and Sunny Hawkins

Grounded. Gifted. Real. If you ever have the privilege to hang out with gospel music's hottest new solo artists, Sunny Hawkins and Onitsha, you will likely "Amen" my sentiments. These exceptional labelmates of Stillwaters/Hidden Beach Recordings (HBR) introduced themselves to Houston, TX with a Holy Ghost bang on Saturday, April 14, 2007 as they headlined the Black College Expo at the Reliant Center. While the event was set up to connect high school and community college students with various Historical Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU's), this phenomenal duo individually offered an added bonus of fresh talent by gracing the stage with a host of infectious lyrics and melodies amongst a packed audience of hyped young people.

Who is the Church Girl?

Ontisha, affectionately known as "O", was born and primarily raised in Los Angeles, CA where she accepted Christ at the impressionable age of four. This self-proclaimed "Church Girl", as is the title of her debut album which dropped on April 17, 2007, regularly attended church with her babysitter when she was just three years old. Onitsha's talent was obviously recognized even at this tender age as she was often invited to stand before the congregation and sing Whitney Houston's Grammy nominated hit "The Greatest Love of All". Although she was too young to know whether or not she wanted to pursue singing as a career, Onitsha continued to hone her craft by singing in various choirs, plays, and other functions over the years.

Are you asking yourself, "Now, where have I heard that name Onitsha before?" Nope, I'm not talking about your next door neighbor's little girl. I'm speaking of the memorable former background singer for platinum-selling artists Mary Mary! Onitsha has also demonstrated her musical gift on projects with Ashanti, Christina Aguilera, Deborah Cox, Destiny's Child, Jada Pinkett-Smith, and Stevie Wonder. This smooth and soulful alto has geared up with acclaimed producer and co-writer Shep Crawford (Yolanda Adams, Boys II Men, Kelly Price, and Whitney Houston) to create gospel music that is a sweet combination of smooth, urban beats with a hot old school twist.

You'll quickly be drawn into an awesome worship experience with her distinctive melodic intro: My name's Onitsha, Onitsha, Onitsha, so glad to meet ya, to meet ya, to meet ya. They call me O, but my name is O-nit-sha, The Church Girl it's a pleasure to meet ya. Along the way, you'll have a divine encounter with Onitsha and the leading lady of gospel music, Mahalia Jackson, as you listen to an exceptional arrangement of Search Me Lord, with its funky, 'upper room' feel. If you want a taste of who God is, then you'll want to get yo' bounce on to He Is. When asked why she chose the title Church Girl for her album Onitsha stated, "We were tryin' to figure out a name for the record and I was just thinkin' about myself... like, you know, who am I? I'm a church girl!" As she speaks about all the different artists she has been blessed to work with, she also wants to remind people that, "I'm still a church girl. I'm all about God, I love Him with all my heart, and I always will." Through this premiere album, Onitsha clearly relays her message of keeping your joy, keeping the faith, and not giving up.

Her father, who passed away earlier this year, was a major influence in her life and musical abilities. Upon asking about him and his contributions to her talent, she responds, slightly teary-eyed, "My dad could sing his butt off!" And we fell out laughing as she thought out loud, "if I can say that.... you know being a gospel singer. "All the runs you hear me doing... he taught me that... he always encouraged me up until the last minute... losing my father actually made me stronger."

The Sunny side of things...

Sunny Hawkins is a rare and phenomenal singer/songwriter who has naturally found her niche in the gospel scene, and is already proving to be one of the most amazing talents of her time. She was raised in the church and began to flex her vocal muscles at the ripe age of two! One would likely say that Sunny was destined for greatness. This is not surprising being that all of Sunny's parents are musically inclined. That's right... all of them! Her biological parents are musically gifted, as well as her godparents - Walter and Tramaine Hawkins - two iconic figures in gospel music today. After moving from her birthplace, Berkeley, CA, to Washington D.C. at the age of five, Sunny managed to maintain close and consistent contact with the Hawkins.

Upon graduating from a performing arts high school at age 16, Sunny went on to graduate from Arizona State University with a degree in music and voice. It's plain to see that Sunny always had music on her mind and in her heart regarding a career choice. Not long after graduation she landed a chorus part in the long-running Broadway musical, Rent, which she later was able to parlay into a coveted leading lady role in the smash hit. Following an incredibly successful run, Sunny was determined to spread her wings and soar to even higher heights that would showcase her solo musical abilities. Well, what happened next was nothing short of destiny.

Sunny's light began to shine even brighter upon reconnecting with her childhood playmate producer/songwriter/instrumentalist Jamie Hawkins (son of Walter and Tramaine Hawkins). Jamie has worked with several multi-platinum artists including, Boys II Men, Lauryn Hill, Mary J. Blige, and his own mother - Tramaine Hawkins. Sunny, herself, has written hit songs for the incomparable artists Aretha Franklin and Patti LaBelle. She has also sung background vocals for a number of notable artists throughout her young years. With the combination of their dynamic and innovative musical abilities they rekindled their friendship, fell in love, and were married about two years later in 2004. Their lives were shaping to truly epitomize a match made in heaven.

Today, Sunny is excited about her first solo album, More of You, which debuts on May 22, 2007. She and her husband, Jaime, co-wrote and produced the entire album together. Sunny's sound is inspirational, unique, urban, and funky! Sunny and Jaime were exposed, early on, to "gospel music that breaks tradition a bit." She explains, "It kind of made us a lot less intimidated by the idea of what gospel is supposed to be... what it's supposed to sound like...and a lot more open to just sharing the message and not getting confused about the difference between the message and the music." What's intriguing about the music on this album is that there is truly something for everyone - lite rock, funk, R & B, soul, jazz, and pop. The genres of music represented ebb and flow like strong waves on a peaceful, sandy shore.

More of You is a head-bobbin', slammin' cry to know more of God and to be more like Him. Love Me Too, with its catchy hook, will have you dancin' and praisin' God day in and day out. In What a Man, Sunny's beautiful soprano voice begins gently and crescendos in a powerful, mind-blowing ballad that will bring you to your knees in worship of the Lord. This is just a sample of what is to come on this debut album. Sunny desires that "people be able to come away from the album wanting to know God that much better... appreciating Him that much more, and knowing that when it's all said and done God is there for you no matter what."

Their legacy... their future

In Titus 2 Paul explains how older men and women are to teach younger men and women about the things of God which seems to, in essence, allow these elders to leave a legacy of excellence to be passed on to future generations. Upon asking Sunny and Onitsha what awesome legacy do they see themselves leaving for future generations, Sunny replied, "More than anything, I want my life to be a legacy. I want people to be able to say that they were able to see God in me... that they were able to watch me grow and become more and more like Christ. What I want people to say about me 20, 30, 40 years from now is that they're really inspired by my life." Onitsha's response was, "At the end of the day, I just want people to be like, she really meant it! She was really serious about God's work, and I respect her and I wanna be like her. I want Him to say well done. I want people to see that I'm sincere about God and that I love Him with all my heart."

These young ladies have immense potential to make long lasting impressions in the gospel music arena. Their uncompromising messages coupled with edgy, contemporary music puts them in a league that surpasses many. As far as I can see, on this side of heaven, it is already well done.