For as long as she can remember, New Orleans native Abigail Duhon was immersed in practically all facets of the arts. She started dancing at 2, wrote her first song at 6, took up singing lessons and piano playing by 9 and was a full-fledged recording artist with a nationally distributed project under her belt by 11. Some call her a prodigy, others atrue total package talent, though if you ask the now 13-year-old entertainer or her highly supportive parents, they’d chalk it up exclusively to following her God given callingand applying those gifts towards expanding the kingdom in virtually any artistic way “I want to reach my age group with the message of Christ,” says the incredibly mature performer, who nonetheless remains remarkably relatable to her peer group. “I want people to see that Christian music can be just as awesome as any secular song and the beats can be just as good as Justin Bieber, but with a message behind them. I talk about finding identity in Christ, to be confident of who we are in Him and how you can worship God even with just a few words.”Those very sentiments were first found throughout her first project He’s Listening as a mere tween on the youth-oriented K5 Records, but with age and experience, continues to manifest itself on her brand new Right Now release. Not only does that dance floor-friendly disc mark her iShine Records unveiling (blending beats akin to Britt Nicole, Katy Perry or Pink), but it also coincidences with her debut on the record label’s iShine Knect television program and iShine Live! Tour.

In fact, acting is nothing new for this relative newcomer either, who’s thus far popped up in three Pure Flix films and is set to appear in her first theatrical release God’s Not Dead alongside Kevin Sorbo and members of the Duck Dynasty cast in spring 2014.

The movie was inspired by the blockbuster Newsboys’ album of the same name, whose members already count themselves as Abigail fans after she opened one of their massive shows in the Crescent City. Although the switch hitter’s star is shining brightly these days, life hasn’t always been smooth sailing for Abigail. The most major setback came when the Duhon family lost practically everything they owned in Hurricane Katrina, including their house at the time, a new one that was in the process of being built, four of their father’s five car dealerships, and perhaps most heart-wrenching, tons of photos and mementos. After apartment hopping for what felt like ages, God proved faithful to all His promises by fully restoring the family’s business, plus a new residence for Abigail, her siblings and their “I remember the day we were evacuating, which was filled with packing as much stuff as we could fit in our car not knowing if we’d ever be able to come back,” she recalls of the absolutely harrowing experience, especially for a then 6-year-old. “I was really attached to that house and all the memories, but we never did wind up getting to go back. As we moved from temporary place to place, I saw time and time again how God guided us through and provided for every one of our needs. It was out of that experience that I wrote my very first song ‘Because Of You’ and it was the first sign of God showing me.

However, there was still one more season with a figurative storm to weather just prior to recording her first project a few years later. Even though she’d been brought up in a Christian home and accepted the Lord personally the second she was old enough to understand, she encountered a severe self-esteem battle when she turned 10.

“We were coming home from a family vacation and I had a sinking feeling in my stomach, like the one you get when you know summer’s over, but one this one was much stronger,” she recounts. “It started out like a guilty feeling, even though I didn’t do anything specifically wrong, and by the time we got home I was shaking and scared! I was being tormented with these awful thoughts that weren’t from God, that I was worth nothing, useless and not good enough to be alive. It went on for over a year,but my mom would constantly share Scriptures with me and my family was constantly supportive and praying for me. It was one of the toughest years of my life, but at the end, I wasn’t afraid anymore and grew all the more closer with God. Without Him, I don’t know where I would be. He’s my best friend and He gives me strength and peace each A mere scan of a few tracks throughout Right Now, and the messages cultivated from her entire personal faith journey thus far more than speak for themselves. “Lalalalala” is the lead single and video from the collection, serving up an action-packed performance of praise through dancing and singing that truly demonstrates tremendous dexterity. “Friend Request” continues along those lines from the perspective of sending a social networking friend request to God, who as Abigail so eloquently relates “will always accept you, never cause you to relive the past and always be there for you.” The title track “Right Now” further reinforces the artist’s underlying mission to boldly live out her faith, while encouraging an entire generation to make the most of every moment.“One of my main goals is to call teens into action, to change this generation and to stand out for good,” she sums up. “That’s all different than what the world tells them as the ‘new normal,’ but I want to let people my age know that they can be confident in Christ and make a major difference.”