| BarlowGirl | |
|---|---|
BarlowGirl members from left to right: Lauren, Alyssa, and Rebecca. |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Genres | Christian rock, contemporary Christian music, alternative rock, rock music |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Labels | Fervent |
| Website | www.barlowgirl.com |
| Members | |
| Alyssa Barlow Becca Barlow Lauren Barlow |
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BarlowGirl is an American Christian rock–CCM all-female band from Chicago, Illinois. The band is composed of sisters Alyssa (lead vocals, bass, keyboard), Rebecca (backing vocals, guitar), and Lauren Barlow (co-lead vocals, drums).[1] The band has won several awards in their genre; their song "Never Alone" was the longest running No. 1 song in 2004 on Radio and Records Christian Hit Radio (CHR) and Christian Rock charts,[2] and was the "Song of the Year" on both charts. BarlowGirl became the best selling new Christian artist of 2004.[2]
Their song "I Need You to Love Me" was released at the end of 2005. The single broke the record on Christian Radio & Retail Weekly's (CRW) Christian CHR chart by holding the No. 1 spot for 13 consecutive weeks.[2][3] BarlowGirl was the second most played artist CHR artist of 2005 behind Sanctus Real.[2] It was the most played song on Christian Hit Radio in 2006.[4] BarlowGirl was voted the January 2006 winner in Yahoo!'s Who's Next after viewers were shown the video for the song. BarlowGirl is also among the 12 artists selected to be a part of the first volume of the Big Shiny Planet [UP] Bible Study released nationwide through LifeWay and Family Christian Stores on 2007.[5] The three sisters were youth ambassadors for the National Day of Prayer in 2007.
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The Barlow girls' father, Vince Barlow, created youth CDs at his church, Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois.[6] He was hired to perform at events all over the United States.[6] He brought his daughters as his backup band in the late 1990s.[2] BarlowGirl began writing songs and performing them at his performances. The trio stopped touring with their father when Becca and Alyssa began college, but they did perform at his nearby concerts. The trio had written around ten songs by 2002.[6]
The Barlow sisters were given a paid trip to the Gospel Music Association's Music in the Rockies seminar at Estes Park, Colorado, in mid-2002. The sisters were not informed that the seminar was a record industry event for unsigned artists, nor that it was a competition. They reached the finals of the event. Record companies became interested in the sisters after word of mouth spread about the seminar.[6]
The group's name became famous before the group released their first CD. The group Superchic[k] included a song titled "Barlow Girls" on their initial release, Karaoke Superstars, as a tribute to the actual Barlow sisters and their stand for purity, and effectively introduced the sisters to the music world.[2][7]
The sisters were signed to Fervent Records on October 14, 2003.[8]
BarlowGirl released their first studio album BarlowGirl on February 24, 2004.[8] The album included the longest running No. 1 song in 2004 on R&R's CHR and CRW's Rock charts, "Never Alone" was named Song of the Year on each of these charts. The CD had sold over 250,000 units by April 2005, and featured the singles "Never Alone" and "Mirror". These No. 1 songs earned the trio four 2005 Gospel Music Association (GMA) awards (formerly the Dove Award) nominations, including the Best New Artist award, Best Rock Song, and Rock Album. The trio was the best-selling new Christian artist of 2004. BarlowGirl received a 2006 GMA award nomination for Rock/Contemporary Song of the Year for "Mirror". "Never Alone" was also featured on the WOW Hits 2005 CD.
The CD also featured a hidden track titled "Image", which listeners could only find by loading the CD into their computers. To date, it's the second-only track where oldest sister and guitarist Becca sings a solo. She sings the middle part of each verse.
There is also a Family Christian exclusive version which contains the bonus track, "We Pray", which, among others, also features artists Mandisa, Jackson Waters, and Rebecca St. James.
Their second album, Another Journal Entry, was released on September 27, 2005.[8] The album debuted at No. 3 on Soundscan's Christian album chart, and had reached eighty-five on Billboard's Top 200 Current Albums chart by October 10, 2005. The trio was nominated for three additional 2006 GMA awards - "Group of the Year", "Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year", and "Rock Recorded Song of the Year" for "Let Go".
The first single from the album, "Let Go"', was a free download of the week from iTunes. Their next single from the album, "I Need You to Love Me", quickly climbed to No. 1 on the Weekend 22 countdown in April 2006. The single held on to the No. 1 position on the R&R Christian Hit Radio chart for 9 weeks, and the CRW Christian Hit Radio chart for a record 13 weeks.[3] The single was the most played song of 2006 on Christian Hit Radio as played on the Weekend 22.[4] The band filmed a music video for their hit song "Never Alone" for release on mainstream radio and music video television channels, but it did not chart on the mainstream charts.
The members of BarlowGirl were the youth ambassadors for the National Day of Prayer in 2007. They recorded the song "We Pray" (written by Clint Lagerberg and Otto Price) for the event, along with other artists such as Rebecca St. James. The song is available on the Family Christian exclusive version of their self-titled album.
Another Journal Entry was also released as Another Journal Entry: Special Edition which includes a radio mix of "Never Alone".
BarlowGirl's second album was re-released in August 2006 as Another Journal Entry: Expanded Edition. It features all 11 tracks from Another Journal Entry and five bonus tracks; three acoustic versions of previous songs ("On My Own", "I Need you to Love Me", "Porcelain Heart"), a radio edit version of "Never Alone" and one new song, "For The Beauty of the Earth", which was included on the soundtrack of the 2006 film The Nativity Story). Also included on the enhanced CD was their "Never Alone" music video. A "Fan Pack" was also released, with a bonus More Than Music book and sticker.
BarlowGirl again recorded with producer Otto Price for their third studio album How Can We Be Silent. The album was released on July 24, 2007. How Can We Be Silent debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Christian Chart, and No. 40 on Billboard's Top 200 album. It was the first album by an all-female rock band to reach the top 40 on the Billboard 200 since "Everything" by the Bangles in 1989. The CD was also released in a special edition format that comes with a DVD that features the music videos for their earlier hits "Never Alone" and "I Need You To Love Me", over 90 minutes of bonus footage, and personal interviews with the three band members. BarlowGirl partnered with longtime producer Otto Price.
The first single from the album, "Here's My Life", was released in June 2007. Their second single, "Million Voices", was released to rock radio a few weeks later. The third single, "I Believe In Love", was released on October 8, 2007.
BarlowGirl announced on their official online podcast that they were back in the studio recording a Christmas album during mid-2008. Home for Christmas was released on September 26, 2008 in the US and other countries. The song "Carol of the Bells/Sing We Now of Christmas" on the album became one of the top 20 most downloaded Christmas songs on iTunes holiday section at one point in 2008.[9]
BarlowGirl's most recent album, Love & War, was released on September 8, 2009. The song "Beautiful Ending" is on this album. BarlowGirl has now made a website to submit your beautiful ending.[10] "Beautiful Ending" is the album's lead single. It peaked at No. 28 Billboard magazine's Christian Songs chart in November 2009.[11] The second song "Stay With Me" was released in early 2010.
BarlowGirl is known as a Christian rock band. Their style includes three-part harmony mixed with rock guitars. Their songs range from ballads to guitar rock.
Rebecca "Becca" Elizabeth Marie Barlow (born November 24, 1979) sings background vocals and plays both electric and acoustic guitar for BarlowGirl. She was homeschooled from the seventh grade on.[12]
Becca has also recovered from an eating disorder, which she developed at around the age of 18. "Every time I looked in the mirror, I told myself 'My goodness, how fat. You look terrible today.' It never seemed to get any better, and I felt worse and worse," she writes.[13] Reading a magazine story about a woman's struggle with an eating disorder prompted Barlow to follow the same path. She ate very little and worked out "for two or three hours per day". Eventually she reached emotion exhaustion. "When I was nineteen, I found myself one day with my cheek pressed against the cold tile of the bathroom floor, with nothing left to give, no energy no hope: I was done trying. As I lay there, God touched my heart. He revealed to me that all my destructive efforts to shrink my body were not making me feel any better about myself [...] I was so completely grateful for His healing that I pledged on that spot to love and serve Him for the rest of my life."[13]
Alyssa Katherine Nicole Barlow (born January 4, 1982) is the bass guitarist and keyboardist for BarlowGirl.[14] She also splits lead vocals with her sister Lauren. Alyssa was homeschooled from the fourth grade on.[15]
When Alyssa was 17, she was diagnosed with Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD), following a sprained ankle. Barlow initially gave up when the doctors told her she would never walk normally again. She credits God for her ultimate recovery.[16]
Lauren Ashley Nicole Barlow (born July 29, 1985) is the drummer for BarlowGirl. She also splits lead vocals with her sister Alyssa. Lauren is the youngest of the three and is also known as Lo-Lo and Odie. Barlow was homeschooled from the first grade on.[15]
Barlow was chosen as the general editor for the book Inspired by Tozer, which is a book of different artists, authors, athletes, and pastors writings that were inspired by the author A.W. Tozer.
| Alyssa Barlow | Becca Barlow | Lauren Barlow |
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The band was quoted as saying, "We believe that God has one perfect man already chosen for us; therefore we have no need to worry ourselves in searching for him. When the time is right, we know God will bring us together. In the mean time, we are not hiding in a closet avoiding all males, we are still living our lives, just without the pressure of having to have a boyfriend."[17]
| Year | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | New Artist of the Year | Nominated |
| Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year ("Never Alone") | Nominated | |
| Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year ("Mirror") | Nominated | |
| Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year (BarlowGirl) | Nominated | |
| 2006 | Group of the Year | Nominated |
| Rock Recorded Song of the Year ("Let Go") | Nominated | |
| Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year ("Mirror") | Nominated | |
| Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year (Another Journal Entry) | Nominated | |
| 2007 | Group of the Year | Nominated |
| 2008 | Rock Recorded Song of the Year ("Million Voices") | Nominated |
| Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year (How Can We Be Silent) | Nominated | |
| 2009 | Christmas Album of the Year (Home for Christmas) | Nominated |
| 2010 | Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year (Love & War) | Nominated |
| Short Form Music Video of the Year ("Beautiful Ending") | Nominated |
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