print: Gina Green | Interview | August 2006 on BlackGospel.com, Your Music Ministry Source!

Interview with Gina Green
August 2006, BlackGospel.com by Christopher Heron

A soul-sister, a soulmate, a survivor and a singer. Trendency Recording artist Gina Green embodies all these rich qualities procured over a lifetime of unforgettable episodes. Gina’s testimony is one that has found resonance in her music and added a rich texture to her emotive voice and stirring lyrics.

As a pastor’s daughter, Gina was the Sunday morning psalmist of choice. As a teenage wife, Gina learned early on the adversities that come with premature marriage. And as a seasoned singer, Gina Green had the confidence to share her struggles and successes in prose and poetic form through her songs.

BlackGospel.com conversed with Gina Green to discuss her album and songs and came away with a new appreciation for this woman of God who’s committed to ministry and motivated by her divinely inspired experiences.

Christopher Heron: Gina, I’d like to start our conversation by taking it back to your childhood days. From a toddler, you progressively gravitated towards singing and performing before others. What are your earliest memories as a child of singing? And who were some of the artists and individuals in your family and social circle responsible for fostering this love for singing and cultivating your artistry?

Gina Green: My earliest memories of singing are at my elementary school surrounded by all my school peers on the playground. I didn’t realize that I had a gifted voice until my friends overheard me singing a Denise Williams song, "Silly.

CH: You grew up as a PK (pastor’s kid) which comes with all of its particular characteristics. Were you the child who always ministered to the congregation before or after your father preached from the pulpit? And what are your memories of growing up in the church?

GG: Yes, and I hated it. My dad would always brag about how well his daughter sang and all the church would want me to sing with him as a father/daughter team. I did it for a while but my dad’s style was so different. I wanted to put a more youthful twist to the traditional music that he supplied me with, so I began developing my own style to the point where they wanted to hear me sing alone. My dad was always so proud of me.

CH: Your parents eventually divorced, which I can imagine was pretty traumatic, especially since your family were pillars of the church. How did you cope through what must have seemed like a perilous time in your life? And how did this affect your faith and relationship with God?

GG: Actually, my parents divorced when I was around 8. My dad did not become a preacher until after my parents divorced. My mom raised us Catholic and my dad embraced Christianity. It was definitely two different teachings. Later, my mom received Jesus as her Lord and Savior and was filled with the Spirit through Dr. Fredrick KC Price's ministry. I really didn’t feel affected by the divorce as a kid. I just took life as it came and I dealt with the reality of life. I've always been that way. The worst thing is that I missed getting to know my dad better. In spite of all that, I never stopped believing in God, and it never did shake my faith.

CH: Your life took a turbulent turn when you married as a teenager. Looking back on that experience, how did that setback prepare you for greater things and relationships in the future?

GG: It made me strong and I learned how to rely upon God. I saw His provision time and time again.

CH: And what lesson did you walk away with or testimony would you offer young women considering marriage at an early age?

GG: Listen to your parent’s advice. They have wisdom. It’s like they've "been there, done that." They've lived life and made the same mistakes. That’s why they warn you, but many young people don’t want to listen to older people because they feel they are old school. Wait before you get married and seek God's purpose for your life. Get direction and guidance. Get a vision. Don’t choose a mate based on looks or superficial things. Don’t compromise - ever! If God shows you something about someone you are dating that is a bad thing, listen to His voice. Don’t ignore it; just trust God for a godly spouse that you will be equally yoked with. Be patient! In due season, God has a blessing for you.

CH: Your life finally found its way safely back into the arms of the Lord. What was the turning point in your life that compelled you to return back to Christ?

GG: I moved from Los Angeles to Covina, California after I graduated from high school. Due to not having adequate transportation to go to the church I was attending prior to leaving on the other side of town, I found a little church in the Covina area with the most loving group of people I had ever met. They became family to me. It was at this ministry where my life began to change and God became more real to me than ever before. One thing I want to say is that I never turned my back on God as far as not believing in Him or loving Him; it’s just that through the adversities I had experienced in my life, those experiences brought me to a more mature relationship with the Lord. I began learning more about the word of God and became hungrier for His presence in my life. I realized that I needed Him more than ever because of the pain I was suffering in an abusive marriage and hurt from a challenging childhood. Ultimately, it was God's love, mercy and His acceptance that sealed my faith in Him.

CH: Let’s talk about your new album, Tell Um. It’s your third and most textured album. Lyrically, what is the consistent theme and message in your album?

ADVERTISE HERE

GG: "Tell Um that I gave my life for them. Tell Um that I shed my blood for them. Tell Um that I set the captives free. Tell Um for me." This is what God spoke to my heart when coming up with the concept for the name of the album. The songs on this CD are musical testimonies of my life. I write about the truth of what I experience as a believer, how I truly feel while going through drama, about how sometimes nobody is there but God to hear your cry and to give you answers to questions you can’t figure out. God is very real to me because I see Him clearly through his unchanging love, mercy, forgiveness and grace. It is my desire that, by listening to the lyrics of this CD, others can identify with these issues and be encouraged, be compelled to trust God, to hold on to Him even if everyone leaves your side. To know that God has their back no matter who may betray them. He's real!

CH: And musically, how would you describe the sound and style of your new release?

GG: (Laughs) Basically, it’s me, very different.

CH: In conclusion, could you describe your hope and wish for everyone who listens to Tell Um?

GG: My prayer is that people will identify with something I've overcome in my life and find the answer and deliverance through the blood and love of Jesus Christ, that they will learn who to turn to when they are experiencing drama.

CH: And what is your wish and prayer for your music ministry, as God continues to work out His marvelous plan in your life through your gift for singing?

GG: That I will always have a spirit of humility and integrity. That I will grow closer to the Lord more and more each day. That I will never get caught up in a spirit of materialism and status, and that nothing will affect the way I treat the rich compared to how I treat the poor. That I will love all equally. That I will never forget my purpose for why I’m on this earth and the commission that God has given all of us - to go out into the highways and the byways and tell the world about what Jesus did for them. I desire to be a vessel that is totally sold out for Jesus in order to accomplish His will and not my own.

To get acquainted with Gina Green and her ministry, visit her official website at www.ginagreen.net. To contact Gina for performances, speaking engagements or to share your words of encouragement, call her at 951-283-1114 or email her at gina2000@adelphia.net.