Charity Von: Interview with Charity Von

We got to meet Charity Von at the 2005 GMA week in Nashville. We got to chat with her about her love for music, her parents, and lots more...

MQ: You're on tour - how's that going?

CV: It's awesome! Point of Grace and Scott Krippayne and I'm really, really, really enjoying it. They're awesome people, you know? And Scott is great. It's a cool experience because it's not the typical 15 minutes, 30 minutes, headliner - you know, how today's show is. They're actually throwing everybody together and there's this combined effort. Actually, Point of Grace is the first song - which is really weird and crazy. We're all just kind of thrown in. They do background for me on a song. I do background for them on a song. Scott's playing throughout the whole thing. So, it's really good. I'm enjoying it. It's a good experience.

MQ: Do you like to travel?

CV: I do.

MQ: It seems that people like to travel, or they don't...

CV: I'm used to it, because for about two years me and my family traveled - in the ministry. So, we lived in a motor home. We were in a different city every night - preaching and singing. I'm so used to it, that it's nothing new to me. I wouldn't say that I get real excited about - it's just because I'm so used to it.

MQ: You mentioned your family. I think I read a story about your dad in India. Do you want to talk about that?

CV: Yeah! My dad was thrown in prison in India - I think I was just getting ready to turn ten - for preaching the Gospel. He was supposed to be in prison for twenty years to life. So, it was a pretty big deal. Actually, my family and I didn't even find out about it until the day we were supposed to pick him up. We heard about it on the news. So, it was really tramatic and really terrifying. You know, it was looking like it was going to be a bad situation, but we just prayed a lot and asked God for deliverance. And actually, the Vice President of India - because my dad was in prison with about seven other guys - he paid their bail. I think everybody's bail was about 3 million dollars in our money. He paid everybody's bail to get out of there and shipped them out illegally because he was having awful dreams and couldn't sleep for the whole ten weeks they were in prison. It was just a God thing. So, he came home. Actually, my dad just recently went back ... and we were really worried over that because there was a warrant out for his arrest. He went back and their paperwork isn't quite like ours - they don't really keep up on those things. It was amazing, because he kept having testimony after testimony from people saying, "That event made it possible for me to be here. And it opened a lot of doors for me." So, it's been a good thing. God really used it.

MQ: Would you like to talk about how you realized music was something you were supposed to be doing?

CV: Yeah. Well, I often say that I never really got into music, music got into me. Because I've been saturated by it ever since I was born - practically. My mom is a singer/songwriter. She's an amazing jazz pianist. She's just always been saturated with music and loves music. So, just being around that, I think automatically - I mean, I would line my teddy bears up in front of my room and sing to them. My first solo was when I was four. It's never been an option and there was never a point where I consciously realized that that's is what I wanted to do. It's what I've always wanted to do - ever since I can remember.

MQ: Who are you listening to these days?

CV: Umm, I am an 'old school' girl. I like a lot of 'old school' stuff, you know - Joe Cocker, Otis Redding, Etta James, Billie Holiday, James Brown - I love a lot of that. As far as new artists go, I love John Legend. He's a new artist. He's a mainstream artist that is absolutely great. I love a lot of new wave stuff - which is kinda weird - I'm not into The Killers and stuff like that. But as far as Christian artists go, I love Mute Math. I absolutely love John Davis. They're probably my favorite two new artists at this moment.

MQ: Who would you consider a mentor - either on the personal side or spiritual side?

CV: My mother! My mother is a huge, huge influence on me. Like I said earlier, just an awesome singer/songwriter and jazz pianist and she kills me! She totally kills me. But even more than that, she's been a huge influence for me because she always made it a priority to tell us that music wasn't just a gift - it wasn't just fun. It was something that needed to express and edify - like, it needed to minister. God gave you a gift for a reason, now use it to minister. So, it was always just to please the Lord in every form and fashion. That was a huge inspiration for me. She's just great - I love her.

MQ: Do you have any stories or interactions from fans that confirm that this is where you need to be?

CV: I definitely have. I can't think of any conscious story in particular, but I get it a lot. After a show, someone will come up to me - teary-eyed - saying, "You know what? I've really been going through some stuff lately. And that really touched me. That really got to where I was at." I received an email just the other day from somebody telling me what a blessing it was, and how much they felt so touched and comforted by the Lord through a lot of that. So, I get it - and that's why you do it. That's the motivation.

MQ: Sorry, I've got to ask the typical interviewer question...

CV: Yeah...sure!

MQ: How would you describe your music to someone who's never heard it?

CV: I'd say it's kind of a blues-y, rock. Because a lot of my influences are a lot of soul people. That's kind of where my heart is. I think that shines through in my voice. But, I do love rock and roll. I love a mean guitar. So, I'd say 'bluesy rock'.

MQ: Do you have a favorite place to perform - maybe because the feel, or the crowd...?

CV: That just kind of stood out to me?

MQ: Yeah. Good or bad...(laugh)

CV: Actually, (laugh) it just happened to me. It happened last Saturday night. I went to Ft. Lauderdale Florida. It was an all-Jamaican church that I sang in. Every act there was a hip hop group or a reggae band or DJs ...and I was the only one that was not necessarily in that genre. I really wasn't expecting that. So, I was a little blown away ... and a little nervous. But, they really enjoyed it and they really liked it. I had so much fun just because it was something so different and so fresh for me. I mean - all-Jamaican church - I want to be Jamaican - I love their accents, I love their dreds, I love how they can wear bright clothes ... and so, I had a lot of fun! It was awesome.

MQ: What's God teaching you these days...personally?

Charity Von

CV: I'd say patience. He's been teaching me a lot of patience, and a lot of waiting on His timing ... and understanding that it's in His control. Sometimes God just wants you to wait, you know? It's kind of like at Pentacost in the Bible where God says, "Go wait and my Spirit will come." And so, you had all of these people that went up into this upper room and waited forever - and at first there was this large amount of people and then as time went on, eventually it dwindled and dwindled. The people that stuck around and actually waited were the ones that were filled with the Holy Spirit - as recorded in Acts. So, that's kind of what God is teaching me right now, just because I think I'm one of those people that, you know, wants to go right now, "Let's get on it, let's have it happen" ... and God's like, "No, you've got to wait for My perfect timing". So, that's what's really been a struggle lately - but also a blessing as I'm learning now. I think it's a good thing. Everyone needs to learn that at some point.

MQ: Do you have any advice for those wanting to get into music?

CV: I'd say - like I said earlier - wait on God's timing. Don't push it, but stay focused. Stay driven. Continue to give your gift to the Lord. Don't go running to the left or the right because God will meet you when you're ready. So, just stay focused...and stay encouraged. God can use you whether you're on the Billboard chart - number one - or whether you're singing in small churches. Stay focused. Stay encouraged.