Walking on Sonshine...The Sonflowerz by Charles White
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Sisters Eliza
and Becca grew up in the Fort Worth area of Texas and eventually moved to
Colorado. Surrounded by a loving family and an active Church life, the pair
quickly became entrenched in their local youth group. Out of this came the
seeds that would eventually sprout into the Sonflowerz. Seeing the sisters’
talent and deep faith, their youth director encouraged them to use their
gifts. “Growing up,
music was always a part of our lives,” Eliza shared. “However, we never
really imagined doing it ourselves. Our youth pastor really encouraged us to
use our gifts and lead worship. Music really became a bigger part of our lives
when we started to lead worship for our youth group.” Out of this
experience came the Sonflowerz. Born from a desire to do more with their
talent, these courageous young women moved out of the comfort and safety of
their own Church and went on the road to share the message of Christ through
their music, a move that was strongly supported by their parents. “Mom and dad
immediately saw what God was doing and got behind us and that was such an
awesome thing for Becca and me,” Eliza explained. “My Parents would
actually come out on the road with us. It is such a joy to have a family that
fits well together and works well together.” The duo started
out playing various venues in Colorado, but soon felt called to tour a little
bit farther away, the United Kingdom to be more precise. However, this was not
as big of a leap as most would think. The sisters had been visiting the UK for
many years since one of their parents is British. While in the
UK, Eliza and Becca had the opportunity to expose young people to Christian
music, a genre that most had never really experienced. “We wanted to be a
light wherever God would give us opportunity to play,” Eliza explained.
“A lot of our first UK tour was just going into public schools and
playing for assemblies and even in the classrooms there.” This early tour
really solidified their vision of reaching young people with their music both
in the US and Europe. Their talent
didn’t go unnoticed. In August of 2007, they won first place in the Vocal
Duo competition and Best Over-All Vocal Group at the 33rd annual GMA Music in
the Rockies. They have had several singles hit number one in Europe and have
shared the stage and have garnered praise from their peers.
Despite the
awards and accolades, the duo remains humble. They don’t find that success
is measured in material things, despite all of the awards, and accolades.
“It is easy to see success in physical ways,” Becca stated. “God has
been reminding me that being faithful with opportunities is success. The
opportunities might seem small, but if they are from God, they’re important.
This goes so counter-culture to what the world is saying.” Their desire to
make an impact on the world is what sets these talented sisters apart from
most artists. “We feel humbled that God would allow us to be a small part of
what He is doing,” Becca explained. Becca and Eliza hope that their music
can be a beacon that illuminates the love of Christ amidst that darkness that
many young people, especially young women, feel today. “There is a lot of
pressure for girls to live up to a certain standard that the world has raised
up,” Becca offered. “More than ever, people are searching to fill a void
in their hearts that can only be filled by God.” Author
Henry David Thoreau once said, “Live your beliefs
and you can turn the
world around.” Despite dying more than a hundred years before they were
born, Thoreau seemed to have Eliza and Becca in mind when he wrote this. This
extremely talented pair of sisters is proof positive that music has the
ability to touch lives. When coupled with their deep faith and the power of
God, they really have the ability to reach the lost sheep among us and turn
the world around. All Pictures Courtesy Of The Sunflowerz |
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