Jaime Jamgochian - Interview with Centricity Records' Jaime Jamgochian

We met Jaime at the 2006 GMA Week activities in Nashville. We chatted about worship music, her background, her new album, and more!

MQ: First of all, I was reading your bio and it was so cool. I was really blessed by how the Spirit moved to changed your life, then your sister's, then your mom and dad.

Jaime: God is so faithful. I never would of thought I'd be sitting here at the Gospel Music Week seven years ago. I didn't come to the Lord until I was 21. It was in Boston at Berklee College of Music, towards the end of my junior year. Man, He just got a hold of my heart and changed me completely. My family - we were kind of raised to 'be a good person', 'love God', 'be nice to people and you'll go to heaven' - but we didn't know the gospel of Jesus. We didn't know what it meant to be born again ... or to be forgiven, or any of that. So, it's been really amazing to see my whole family embrace Christ and walk with God.

MQ: That's awesome. When I read that, the first thing I thought of was that verse in Acts - 'Believe and you and you're whole household will be saved'. I thought, 'Man, that's straight out of Acts!'

Jaime: You're right!

MQ: In college, it sounded like you were in a down period - kind of struggling.

Jaime: Yeah...

MQ: Then out of that dark time came an amazing transformation...

Jaime: I think that God knew that ... maybe I was a stubborn one, and I just needed to be broken before I would be able to receive all that He had for me. I think that is so true throughout the word of God. God is looking for people that are just broken vessels that He can pour in to and use us with our strengths and even with some of our weaknesses. You know, I was a typical college girl - living for myself, and in relationsips, and doing the whole college scene. It was not bringing fulfillment and it was not filling the void I would feel in my heart every night. I can just remember I would go home at night and would be like, "What's wrong with me? All this great stuff is happening musically. I'm at this great school. I've got this great boyfriend - and all is great, great, great" - but I was still just empty and searching. It wasn't fulfilling the core of my heart. So, when I met Christ, I realized, "Wow, this is what it means to really live - and this is my reason to live. This is what it means to follow God and to live for Him is ultimate fulfillment.

MQ: You were working on music before that, right?

Jaime: Yeah, I was in a 'singer/songwriter girl' kind of mode, know what I mean? I wanted to be the next Tiffany, Debbie Gibson, Lisa Loeb - all that! (laugh)

MQ: How did your approach to music change throughout all that?

Jaime: The first Christian music I was ever given was from the girl that led me to the Lord in college. It was a tape. I'm totally dating myself ... (laugh) ... "audio cassette tape" ... and it had Darlene Zschech from Hillsongs. It was a worship record and I had never heard music like that. It was so powerful! I believe on a lot of the worship records that are out, there is a real presence of God - I call it the anointing - you just sense God's Spirit on it. I remember, I would sit in my room - like every morning - and listen to, like, three songs. And it would be this 'fix' - "I gotta listen to my Hillsongs...!" That kind of music grabbed me more than anything else. So, that's why I started writing worship songs.

MQ: That's cool. I can totally relate to that. I came from a secular music background. I was never in the Christian music scene. I was like, "Whatever, I'll just listen to my rock stuff." Then in college, I was drawn to it - and I haven't really gone back. It's like you said, "I've got to get my fix!" I don't get that when I go back and listen to my old stuff.

Jaime: Exactly.

MQ: It seems hollow. All of the musical elements are there, but there's something missing.

Jaime: There's no life. There's such life in the word of God. I love Christian lyrics that have a lot of scriptural base. There's just life that we need - what we hear and what we put into our spirit reflects us. So, when we're putting stuff in it that reflects God, we're just going to be altogether a whole lot better.

MQ: You play the piano, were you classically trained?

Jaime: Um, more pop, jazz...

MQ: Do you come from a musical family?

Jaime: No, I don't really. It's kind of funny. My mom is tone deaf. And my dad sounds great when I hear him singing through the walls in the shower. But that's about it. My sister was into dance and stuff. No, I'm really the only musician in my family.

MQ: You're leading worship for Girls of Grace conferences?

Jaime: Yeah. I got to go out this Fall and tour with Point of Grace and Rebecca St. James on the Girls of Grace tour. It was awesome. My role was to lead the young girls in worship each week. It was so cool to teach them new songs off my record and see thousands of kids singing them. It was great. I've just been asked to go out on the road this Fall again with them. So, I'm real excited about that.

MQ: That's how we first heard about you. I think it was a press release where Shelley from Point of Grace was quoted as saying, "Jaime rocks!"

Jaime: What I love about them is, they're the real deal, you know what I mean?

MQ: Yeah.

Jaime: They've been in it long enough that there's no facade there - who you see is who you get! I love it!

MQ: I'm a big fan of theirs and my musical tastes are very similar to theirs. So, when I saw them talking about your record, I thought to myself, "Hmmm, I'll check that out." When I bought it, I was like, "Oh yeah, I'm hooked!"

Jaime: Thank you. I'm glad you like it. It's coming out as a re-release on June 6th, but we're calling it the release date. Word distribution picked it up. So, more stores will have it.

MQ: Will it be the same tracks?

Jaime: Actually, we've recut 'Hear My Worship'.

MQ: Are there any songs on the record that you'd like to talk about?

Jaime: That one! That song just came out of a time with the Lord where I knew I had to honest, and real before Him. I don't ever want to be one of those worshipers that goes through the motions, you know? I'm naturally a charasmatic person, so I don't ever want to just raise my hands and sing and have it not really connect with my heart. So, this song, to me, is just about wanting to be faithful to His presence and faithful in worship and honest and real. We did just recut it and I'm real excited about the new approach we took for it. Hopefully you'll hear it on your radio this summer.

MQ: How would you describe your sound?

Jaime: I'd say 'pop' worship. I'd love to be in years to come and on my next record, to go more like the Chris Tomlin route. People know when they go to a Chris Tomlin concert that they're going to worship. When people come to see me, it's not 'sit down and watch' - everyone is up, worshiping.

MQ: So, what kind of musical influences would you say you have - that have shaped your sound and direction.

Jaime: Definitely the worship leaders like Darlene Zschech. I love everything that comes out of Hillsong. 'United Live' - I think their worship band is incredible. 'Desperation' band is one of my favorites. Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman. I love the hearts of 'Big Daddy Weave'. I know they've done some worship stuff. I think they're amazing. I really love people that, 'It's not about their music. It's not about their ministry or them. It's about worshiping and pointing people towards God.' That kind of music.

MQ: So, to someone who hears your songs on the radio and buys your album - what would you hope that they take from it?

Jaime: I hope it excites them about worshiping God. If they put it in their car, I hope they just want to sing along. I really hope that it's something that draws people into God's presence and makes their heart get excited about singing unto Him and worshiping Him - something that would bring excitement to worship God.

MQ: You can listen to a lot of radio releases and it seems like sometimes they can get locked into a certain tempo or sound that's a little restrained - and then you put in your CD and the first thing you hear is a snare drum! I can see where that potentially has great appeal to folks that think worship music is one thing - with keyboards and acoustic guitars. You've kicked it up just a notch - it's more energetic. I love that. It's one of those things where you can go down the road and just crank it!

Jaime: I think there's something God is doing with worship music. I went to the Passion conference last year in Nashville and 30,000 college kids excited about worship music! Even on Christian radio now, you hear so much of it. I think that's just, hopefully, blessing the heart of God, know what I mean? I hope it's from genuine, pure motives and true worship.

MQ: When I listen to some of this stuff, you can't quantify it, um, I don't know - I can't put my finger on it - but it just makes you want to just lift your voice, you know? You hear someone just belt something out on record and externally you're listening to it and go, "That's just a rock record. They're just belting something out." But inside of me, I can't turn the knob up loud enough, know what I mean?

Jaime: Totally.

MQ: I just want everyone to hear this. I wish I could just go somewhere and play 'this song' for people and see what kind of reaction it would get?

Jaime: Yeah. Like, "How Great Is Our God" comes on the radio and I'm rolling down the windows - driving down the road - I want everyone to sing with me 'How great is our God!' (laugh) It's exciting! It's corporate. We're coming together as brothers and sisters in the Lord. It's not just listening and I think it's great that there's Christian music that encourages people and is horizontal, but, it's exciting because you're looking at your brother or sister and saying, "Yeah, how great is our God!" It takes our eyes off ourself.

MQ: How do you approach songwriting? Where do you go for inspiration?

Jaime: I try to take things out of my journal. I haven't been very good about journaling this year though, that's not good. I'll be in trouble when I go to do another record. (laugh) Real life experiences and what God is teaching me. Scripture is a big deal to me. A few of my songs are just playing out scriptures. I do a lot of co-writing. So, it's neat because if I'm weak in one area, the co-writer will say, "Let's go this way". I'm more of a musical, melody [writer] - lyrics are a lot harder for me. I have to dig deep to get the lyrics.

MQ: Have you had a mentor along the way?

Jaime: When I was in Seattle, I had a wonderful pastor's wife that would just speak life into me and encourage me. Walked with me on the good days and the bad days and knew the good stuff about me and the issues I was needing to overcome. She still emails and calls. Yeah, I think mentorship is huge for anyone, any Christian. You should always have someone, that's above you in your walk with God, mentoring you and I think it's great when you are speaking into someone who is maybe a new Christian or a little further behind where you are at.

MQ: Have you had any cool experiences from the road?

Jaime: I just got back from the mother/daughter BRIO cruise with Natalie Grant. We went to the Bahamas. I love Natalie Grant and she led worship with me on the Sunday morning service which was such an honor. That was fun to be on a boat with about a 1000 moms and daughters and worshiping out in the middle of the ocean! So, that was one of those 'suffer for Jesus' kind of gigs. (Loved it!) Then, my first experience on a bus was with the Point of Grace road band. Let me tell you, I was the newbie and they really got me. They played little tricks on me, but it was fun!

MQ: What do you love most about music in general?

Jaime: Music touches people's hearts. Growing up, I had a really hard time with school and education and a lot of learning disabilities and music was the one thing that came easy to me and I just 'got'. It touches people emotionally, spiritually. It brings peace. It brings joy. I love the power of music - especially worship music because the scripture I stand on is 'In the presence of the Lord, there is fullness of joy.' And what better way than to be in the presence of the Lord than to worship Him and be in that atmosphere. Music is a powerful tool.

MQ: What are you thankful for these days? As you look back at the early days - having an indie CD, and now you're at GMA Week, getting a wider distribution record deal for your latest CD...

Jaime Jamgochian talking about God's plans

Jaime: I'm thankful for the journey. I look back and think, "I still can't believe I'm doing this?! I never would have dreamed to be a 'Christian Worship girl' - know what I mean? It's just so funny - God's plans for us are so not our plans! (laugh) It's really neat. I just figured when I got saved I was just gonna lay down all those recording dreams and touring dreams and serve the local church and be worship leader at that church. I'm thankful that I'm able to go into different churches and meet different parts of the body of Christ. I have some really good friends out here. More and more I'm learning the importance of relationship and I'm so thankful for great relationships and growth in my walk with God through those relationships.

MQ: It's like that verse Jeremiah 29:11 ...

Jaime: I love that verse...

MQ: - it's so satisfying when you're in that plan...

Jaime: And to know that He knows what is going to happen tomorrow even though I freak out all the time and go, "What if this happens?" or "What if this doesn't happen?" He knows and He's not out there like, "Uh oh, well, we'll see...". God's plan is going to be fulfilled no matter what!