[ CHRISTIAN POP ]
Hawaii is "a bit of heaven that God sent down so we can remember that He was here," Jaci Velasquez said.
Spurred by faith
'I'm going to have a second honeymoon," declares devotional pop sensation Jaci Velasquez over her cell phone, en route to the unsullied beaches of Oahu's North Shore with her new husband, Darren Potuck, of Christian rockers AM Drive. While it is not the first appearance in the isles for the 24-year-old songbird, it is her first as a wedded woman, and the romantic lure of the island's natural attractions proved impossible to ignore in the days leading up to tonight's show as headliner in a multi-act lineup at the Stan Sheriff Center.
"I'm here to just really enjoy Hawaii," she says. "I've never been here before where, like, I've had a significant other, because I've always just come with my mom. This is the first time to ever be here and be in love."
Jaci Velasquez
With Jody McBrayer of Avalon and special local guestsWhere: Stan Sheriff Center, University of Hawaii-Manoa campus
When: 7:30 p.m. today
Tickets: $15, $20 and $25
Call: 923-7664
As with a succession of fortuitous events throughout her life, the occasion confirms Velasquez's notion that a higher power exists. "Oh, gosh, it's Hawaii," she says with a laugh. "It's a bit of heaven that God sent down so we can remember that He was here."
It must be difficult not to believe in a benevolent and merciful entity when you lead a charmed life like Velasquez, who has generated three RIAA-certified platinum albums, reaped 16 No. 1 singles, and multiple Grammy nominations and Dove awards, all before her 25th birthday. Yet overwhelming success for a Christian singer can also be seen as a test from above.
"I think God does amazing things and wants to see how far you'll go to do what He has in His will for you," she attests. "For me, humility and knowing I need Him in spite of who I am is always a test for me. It's a daily thing and something that happens all the time."
With more than a decade of musical experience behind her, Velasquez has become a wizened music business veteran with a label of her own, Apostrophe Records, and designs on championing a growing stable of musicians to a wider audience. "My whole goal is getting this label going. That's really what I'm focused on right now," she affirms. "I just want artists to be able to achieve their dreams and to really let the world hear what they have to say. Being in a position to allow them to do that -- I can't imagine a better life."
Getting one's message out in an industry that doesn't share the same value system presents an interesting challenge to faith-based performers like Velasquez and her signees. Velasquez believes it also offers greater opportunity to earn respect from the secular world.
"The thing about it is, I'm in a business that's not so kind to morals or beliefs," she states. "People view Christianity as not the cool thing to believe in. But for me, having something to believe in is everything, and when people see that you're true to your beliefs and you're not going anywhere and you're not going to falter, they go, 'OK, we just wanted to see if you were into it and that you're really true and stick to your beliefs, because that's what we have respect for.' That's just human nature."
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