Links...
Official Bethany Dillon site
Sparrow Records
Revolutionary -
a Bethany Dillon fansite
Did You Know?
Bethany feels a strong calling to speak to the heart of women: "I want women to
know that God has placed a crown of beauty on their head," she says. And so
she writes songs of longing and empowerment, struggle and victory. "I want my
music to come from a place of rawness and honesty," she explains. Songs such
as "Beautiful" are both confessional and resolute, as Bethany sings about
"fighting to make the mirror happy," only to realize that "You say who I am is
quite enough."
MQ: You covered Amy Grant's '
Lead Me On'...
BD: I did. Yes.
MQ: Why did you choose that song?
BD: Josh Moore had suggested that I do a cover and I thought it was just a really cool idea. But, we had no clue about what song we wanted to do. Caedmon's Call actually does that song live sometimes. He was like, 'What do you thing about this song' and started playing it. I said 'What is that' because it came out the year I was born. I heard it and was like 'This is a great song - no wonder everyone flips out about it.' So we did it. We've met Amy a couple of times and just love her and I think in a way it's kind of just supporting her and saying that we really believe in her.
MQ: So did you grow up listening to Christian music?
BD: We're not one of those families that only listens to Christian music. We have stuff at our house....just an example, U2. My mom just loves, loves, loves U2.... Bonnie Raitt, Stevie Ray Vaughnn, Eric Clapton, stuff like that. We definitely grew up in the church so we had Steven Curtis Chapman, stuff like that, so that has always been in our house too.
MQ: Cool. Where do you go to find inspiration? You wrote or co-wrote everything on the album, correct?
BD: Right.
MQ: Do you write from everyday experiences?
BD: Totally. I mean yeah, its kind of like I'll watch a movie like 'Lord Of The Rings' or at youth group I'll hear something or somebody will say something in conversation and I'll write it down really quick. Its not really like a formula, just kind of whenever God decides, it just happens. It's really fun. I'm always writing. I'm always trying to push. My A & R guy says, 'It's kind of like fishing you always put your line in and whether you catch something or not, you always do it.' It's kind of a discipline.
MQ: Is that what your first love is...songwriting or more of a.... just the whole musician aspect of it?
BD: I think songwriting is it. I love music and I love playing guitar and composing...not really composing but playing with melodies and stuff, but I think the writing part is my favorite. It pushes me.
MQ: Do you have a favorite song on your record?
BD: Yeah. I think my favorite song would probably be '
Move Forward.' I wrote it after I read
Hebrews 11 - just kind of the 'hall of faith' chapter so it's based around that.
MQ: So what do you love most about music in general?
BD: There is this quote that I like...it says that 'Good music makes you homesick for a place that you've never been.' I really believe that music gives you permission to be as honest as you can be and to just move people - kind of without their permission, sometimes. You just catch people by surprise if you're really honest and free in your writing. I love being able to encourage people and challenge people and express myself and honor God in the process. So, that's what I love about music.
MQ: Do you have a message you want to convey in your music to others your age?
BD: I have on this record two songs that I wrote specifically for women, '
Beautiful' and '
For My Love'. 'Beautiful' has been on the radio. Um, I just... I feel a burden. I'm probably not going to always write songs about that...but just to be honest about that...that I struggle with my self image - I struggle with feeling beautiful. I struggle with all of that and I think it's something that's shameful to admit...and girls kind of hide it away and try to cover it up but I just feel burdened to talk about that. So that is definitely something I want to write about and talk about.
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