The mainstream music charts have been dominated by female secular artists who make the subject matter of their songs as edgy as possible to draw in listeners. Unfortunately, as a father of three young daughters who love dance-pop style music, there haven't been many edifying songs I can offer as wholesome alternatives to those artists. I can't enough of the catchy songs on 1 Girl Nation's self-titled debut album. 

 

Electronic pop music has made a big mark on today's music scene, and 1 Girl Nation's Kayli, Lindsey, Carmen, Lauryn and Kelsey bring a vocal sincerity to these ultra-catchy pop songs, which could easily be featured alongside today's top-selling mainstream artists. Fans of female pop singers looking for a faith-based alternative will enjoy these catchy songs.

 

My daughters are 13, 9, and 7 years old, and this album is perfect for them. It has been one of my missions in sharing the biblical truth behind songs by Christians to help women who are bombarded with negative messages from the world regarding body image, identity, and confidence to know that their true identity is found in the Person of Jesus. We are all made in the image and likeness of God. I am just my daughters' earthly father. They ultimately belong to our Heavenly Father, God, and I want them to know their eternal destiny. I had the chance to speak with Kayli Robinson about their catchy song "While We're Young."

 

There are five of us in the band, and we were really privileged to have a huge hand in determining the direction and messages of the album. Out of the 10 songs, we were involved in writing six of them. We were super stoked to have a part in that process. We got really close with our producer and writer of this song, Jason Ingram. He did a fabulous job on the song. He really honed in on the message of our band, which is being young, living for Christ, completely selling out for Jesus.

The song is about knowing who you are and having that speak louder than words in living your life for Christ. Not looking back to your youth with any regrets. The song says, "'Cause we don't wanna waste even one of these days." We're going to stand up for Christ every day. We're not perfect. We're five not-perfect people. It's different when you hand over your life to God, and know that God has you every step of the way, even when you mess up.

1 Peter 2:9 (NKJV): "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light."
 

1 Corinthians 8:6 (The Voice): "For us, there is one God, the Father who is the ultimate source of all things and the goal of our lives. And there is one Lord—Jesus the Anointed, the Liberating King; through Him all things were created, and by Him we are redeemed." 
 

Philippians 4:13 (The Voice): "I can be content in any and every situation through the Anointed One who is my power and strength."

 

What's the takeaway message for listeners about the song and album? 
 

There are a lot of songs out there in mainstream music today that are about living it up and partying while you're young. We wanted to take a spin on that and say let's live for Jesus while we're young. It's a fun song that you can listen to with your whole family, and girls can have a sleep over and dance around to the song. Our record tends to sound very Top 40 and relevant. It could almost sound like a mainstream album.

What sets us apart is that it sounds current musically, but includes very bold Christian messages. We say "Christ," we say "Jesus," we say "Lord," and He's the Lord of our lives. We don't water down our messages. We want it to be young, and fun. That's what it is, but every song is blatantly Christ-centered. Everywhere we go, we want to proclaim that we need God. We are broken people, we're not perfect people and we need Jesus. That's what this song and the whole record is about. All of us have dreamt of making an album and a music video all of our lives. To see those dreams come true has been humbling, and we feel incredibly blessed.

 

I wrote in my journal when I was about 5 years old that I wanted to make CDs and tell people about Jesus. It's so cool to see God put that desire in a little child's heart, and I just feel and know that I was called to do what I'm doing. I want to tell girls that they are valued and they are worth more than the world tells them. They are treasured and beautifully and wonderfully made. I spent time in college telling young kids about abstinence and making healthy choices. This goes hand in hand for me to tell people about Christ and about their value and get to sing with them and share the love of Christ.

 

 

Christian music artists Britt Nicole, Group 1 Crew and Press Play also released dance-style pop albums and overall this album has several songs that also fit that category, along with some standout ballads. This album is loaded with positive grace-filled messages of hope. 

 

The upbeat and heavily produced musical arrangements on this album perfectly accentuate these great songs. 1 Girl Nation features strong vocals, relevant and biblical messages and this is a solid debut album from a talented young band. Don't miss out on the most upbeat and fun album of the year.

 

"While We're Young" has catchy dance beats, and in the song, 1 Girl Nation wants to remind us that while standing up for your faith isn't always easy, we are told in the Bible to be full of joy: here, now, while we're young. 

 

I love the idea of our youth singing out: "We're going to save ourselves the heartache, we're not looking back on what we wish we'd done, we're going to risk it all for one thing, and live for Jesus while we're young." 

 

Lord, we're so grateful to serve You, and for allowing these godly women's dreams to come true and for them to sing about Your goodness and to proclaim how great You are. The truth of the Christian walk is to make sure Your name is glorified and You are high and lifted up. As people experience the music and ministry of 1 Girl Nation, I pray that they know the truth of their identities that they were made in Your image and likeness, Holy Father. Amen.

 

(Here's the music video.)