Meet a talented independent recording artist with loads of inspiration!

CCM singer Ellie Holcomb, who is a wife and mom, is beginning to inspire the masses with her serene and uplifting tunes. Recently, BTSCelebs was given the opportunity to interview the newly crowned Dove award winner.

Read her answers to 9 questions on everyone’s’ mind below.

BTSCelebs: Who is Ellie Holcomb?

Ellie Holcomb: I’m a recovering perfectionist who has, by the grace of God, been set free by the love of Jesus.

According to your Bio, you have a Master’s degree in Education. Why did you choose to pursue a career in music?

I’m an accidental musician. I actually set out to avoid the music business all together, swearing I’d never marry a musician and pursuing a Master’s in Education. My husband initially convinced me to quit my job to join his band, and what we thought would be a year-long diversion turned into a decade of making music together and separately. When I tried to quit my husbands band to be a stay at home mom, God began opening up all sorts of doors to share the music I’d been writing on my own with the world. It’s a joy, and although I never thought I’d be doing this, I am grateful to get to remind myself and others of the promises of God by writing and playing music.

Did your dad, music producer Brown Bannister, encourage you to sign with a major label rather than take your chosen independent route? 

He encouraged me to listen to Jesus & to do what brought my heart peace. That sweet man has always encouraged me to do that, and I’m so grateful for that wisdom.

Which song on your debut album “As Sure As The Sun” is the closest to your heart? Why?

The title track, “As Sure As the Sun” is probably the closest to my heart.

When my husband and I started dreaming about having a family of our own, I wanted to write a song that would carry the truths that I hoped this little person I was dreaming about would know in the very depths of their being. As it turns out, they’re the promises that I need to remember most as well…the promise of God’s presence in the heights of our joy and in the depths of our suffering and the promise of God’s unending mercy (Hos. 6:3 & Lam.3:22-24). It’s the song that I now sing to our little girl every night before I put her to bed, and it’s the song that often rings true with me, even when I feel like a failure as a mom or a friend or a follower of Jesus.

Which song would you recommend to someone who has never heard your music before? Why?

Probably “As Sure As the Sun” or “The Broken Beautiful” because those are the songs of mine that I keep needing to hear the most often. They are the songs that remind me most of what I’ve seen to be true about Jesus.

Your album had rave reviews. How did it feel to be mentioned in Buzzfeed’s 2014’s Top 15 Standout Albums article? 

Elated/Humbled/Honored

You are about to embark on an American tour with Third Day.  What would you like to share about this upcoming tour? 

I’m so honored to be opening on for Third Day on this tour! I love the music that they make and what I’ve heard of this worship record that they’re releasing is just wonderful as well.

Regarding your audience in each state, who do you want to reach the most on this tour?

The weary. I discovered late in life that it was ok to NOT be ok, and that Jesus is very near to the broken hearted, and I spent a good portion of my life hiding the brokenness.  I always hope to reach people who are feeling hopeless and let them know that they are not alone in the struggle, and that because of who Jesus is and what He did on the cross, that we can bring all of our doubt, pain, ache, not-enoughness to Him, because He is always more than enough. That’s the truth I need to hear anyway, so I suppose I hope I speak to the people who struggle like me.

What are your plans for 2015?

I’m starting to write again, which is always life-giving to me, and I’ll be on tour this spring with Third Day and then Steven Curtis Chapman and Brandon Heath. When I’m home, I’ll be enjoying our family and community in Nashville.

Click Here to visit Ellie’s official website to learn more about recording artist Ellie Holcomb.

*BTSCelebs sends a special thanks to Merge PR and Ellie Holcomb for the interview and images.*