Walking on Sonshine...The Sonflowerz

by

Charles White

They have shared the stage with powerhouse Christian artists like Kutless, Jeremy Camp and BarlowGirl and have climbed the charts with multiple singles. They toured Europe multiple times and have won numerous awards. Despite all of their success the Sonflowerz still remain grounded in their faith and their family and love what they do.

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.

“These girls are the real deal,” stated Alyssa Barlow of BarlowGirls on the Sunflowerz website. “They are talented musicians and true artists, but what really sets them apart is their passion for God. We are excited to watch them make an impact on the world.”

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