| ZOEgirl | |
|---|---|
ZOEgirl at the Jump5 tour in spring 2005. From left to right: Chrissy, Alisa, and Kristin. |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | United States |
| Genres | Pop rock |
| Years active | 2000–2006 |
| Labels | Sparrow Records |
| Past members | |
| Chrissy Conway-Katina Alisa Childers Kristin Swinford-Schweain |
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ZOEgirl was a Christian pop rock band. It was formed of singers Chrissy Conway-Katina, Alisa Childers and Kristin Swinford-Schweain. In 2002, ZOEgirl received a GMA Dove Award for New Artist of the Year. Before disbanding, the band released three more studio albums, as well as a remix album and a limited edition single.[1] More recently, they reunited for a two-hour interview on The Brian Mason Show.[2]
Contents |
The name ZOEgirl comes from the greek word zoe, which, in the New Testament, means life. Through their music, ZOEgirl talks about life in Christ.[3]
Norman Miller, an artist manager for groups such as Avalon, said one day: "I see a need for a girls pop group." He knew Alisa Childers since 1977, when she was two years old, and "decided to build the [girl] group around her." Together with Lynn Nichols, a writer and executive producer, they approached Kristin (Swinford) Schweain, who was then part of a jazz group. Nichols said: "She [Alisa] had a real writing sensitivity. Then we heard Kristin sing and play the piano. She had a pure pop voice, and it was a really interesting mix with Alisa’s more gritty style. Then we said, ‘Let’s just see what unfolds.’" Schweain felt that it was a difficult decision for her to choose between her jazz group and this new opportunity in a girl group: "I felt like I was betraying them [her previous group], but at the same time I felt a pull to ZOEgirl and felt led to meet Alisa." She ultimately decided to join the girl group.
They wanted a third member, so Kristin remembered that her friend had "a friend in Atlanta who was playing in a band and working with some musicians." Nichols recalls: "It sounded kind of flaky, but I told Kristin to give her a call." This girl from Atlanta was Chrissy (Conway) Katina, who "was on the verge of signing a major record deal." Katina said: "My lawyer thought I was crazy for wanting to join a Christian group. He told me I’d never make any money." Regardless, she chose to become the third member of the group, which has yet to be named.[4]
The girl group signed to Sparrow Records but needed a name. Their original name was simply "ZOE", all in capital letters, their favourite from a list of possible names they have made. However, there was already a trademark for this name, so they added the suffix "girl" in minuscule letters to form the name "ZOEgirl."[4]
ZOEgirl's first, self-titled release was released on August 15, 2000. While most of the songs talk about their relationship with God, "Give Me One Reason" is about refusing to choose someone else over God, and "Stop Right There" is written to Satan about not being his property, and instead walk towards Jesus.
"I Believe" and "Living For You" both obtained the #4 position on the Adult Contemporary chart, while "Anything Is Possible" obtained the #8 position on the Contemporary Hits chart.
The album itself peaked at position #8 on the Billboard Heatseeker's Chart and sold over 350 000 copies by the end of 2003.[4]
The release of Life on November 20, 2001 was better acclaimed than the self-titled album. Christian Music Today said that it "may well be the best Christian teen pop album released to date".[5]
The single "With All Of My Heart" obtained the #1 position for 3 weeks on the CHR Charts, and featured in the top 5 on AC radio charts.
Over 120 000 copies of this album were sold during the first six weeks of its release, and nearly 370 000 copies were sold by the end of 2003.[4]
After a drastic musical change from bubblegum pop to pop rock, Different Kind of FREE was released. This is the most critically acclaimed album from ZOEgirl, mainly due to its lead single "You Get Me" and the Radio Disney single "Feel Alright". Another factor leading to this album's success is the music video filmed for "You Get Me".
ZOEgirl released their final album, Room to Breathe, on January 1, 2005. The album peaked at position 108 for the Billboard 200, and at position #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart,[6] making this the most successful ZOEgirl album ever.
However, the single "About You" was not as successful as "You Get Me"; it peaked at position #5 on both the Hot Christian Songs and AC chart.[7] "Scream" was on the AC charts only for a week, where it peaked at position #40.[8] On the CHR charts, it reached position 25.
On September 2006, by means of their now-defunct ZOEgirl fan club site, the group announced that they would quit recording music as a group so that members could tend to their personal objectives.
In 2008, Chrissy formed a new group, COLMANblue, with Kelli Trontell. On September 3, 2008, the group announced that a third member would be part of the band, without mentioning her name. Three days later, it was confirmed that Kristin Schweain was the third member.[10]
They participated in a "Hope 4 Samoa" concert on October 8, 2009.[11] They sang on The Katinas Friends and Family cruise to Mexico in 2010[12] before disbanding, probably because Kristin Schweain was expecting a child. On September 22, Kristin gave birth to her first son, Callum Ryan Moses Schweain.[13]
After more than four years of inactivity and separation, ZOEgirl reunited on February 27, 2011 for an interview on The Brian Mason Show. The group made no plans to create music together, but says that it is still possible.[2]
Remixes of two other ZOEgirl songs can be found on the Life single
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Plus One |
GMA's New Artist of the Year 2002 |
Succeeded by Paul Colman Trio |
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