Critically acclaimed singer and songwriter Jenny Simmons, who helmed the Dove Award-nominated band Addison Road, unveils her debut solo album The Becoming, on Feb. 5, 2013. The album was preceded by the lead radio single, "Heaven Waits for Me."

 

Partnering with her long-time record label, Fair Trade Services, and the masterful production skills of Paul Moak (Mat Kearney, Third Day) and Seth Mosley (Newsboys), Simmons penned The Becoming in the wake of Addison Road deciding to amicably disband. After years of touring and giving Christian music fans powerful songs such as "Hope Now," "What Do I Know of Holy," "All That Matters" and "This Little Light of Mine," the decade-old band is stepping off the stage.

 

"As a band, we have collectively decided to put a definite end to Addison Road," she states. Simmons, who started the band with her then-fiancee, Ryan (now husband of 10 years), at Baylor University in 2000 says it's the best break-up she's ever been a part of. "I hate break-ups, but this was as beautiful as a split can be! The guys were tired of living out of buses and leaving their families behind. In our case it was taking a toll on our marriage to raise our daughter on the road, work together, and then try and be married at the end of the day. After our 2010 tour with Tenth Avenue North and Matt Maher, it became clear to each of us that God was releasing us from Addison Road and ushering each of us as individuals into new seasons."

 

The Texas-based band debuted with their self-titled record in 2008 that garnered the band their first Dove nomination for Best New Artist, was featured as an iTunes® Discovery Download and garnered a No. 1 single with "All That Matters." They released their critically acclaimed sophomore album, Stories, in 2010, which featured the hit single "Fight Another Day." 

 

"I believe in every single word and note on the album," Simmons explains in regard to The Becoming. "I believe this project is exactly what I am supposed to say to the world, and I'm so excited to share it with everyone." Since her emergence on the music scene, Simmons' vocal abilities have impressed critics and fans alike, lending an honest and authentic voice to lyrics that hit listeners with disarming relevance.  I had the great opportunity to interview Jenny about "Heaven Waits For Me."

 

Please tell me the background story behind writing the song.
 

It was the very first song I wrote for the album, not knowing I was going to record an album. I co-wrote the song with some very good friends out in Los Angeles. It's such a life-giving song, and it came out of one of the most broken times of my entire life. The last two years of Addison Road we went bankrupt, lost everything we owned and it was just a disaster. When the guys quit, I was really happy for them, because it was like a million years of life came back to them. Then I woke up one day and just didn't know what I was going to do with my life. I didn't have a band, or a record deal, and everything I had done and known since early college was gone. My husband got another job. I went from living on a tour bus to being a stay at home mom.

It was a brutal season. From there, I had to finish some Addison Road shows by contract with these other guys filling in and afterwards I would just cry. It was so much work and it was so different. I finished that season and didn't feel like I had anything to offer. I really felt lost and have never felt that lost before. During that time, some friends met up with me on the road, and we decided to get together and we ended up writing this song. The words of this song were the first thing that came out of me, in about ten minutes. I wondered where that came from since the song is so hopeful and I was this bitter, exhausted girl. I was in this season of despair, and although Ryan Gregg wrote most of the songs for Addison Road, this song was such a gift because there are these moments where God speaks things over you whether you feel it or not. Whether your circumstances dictate or not.

Deuteronomy 30:19: "This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live."
 

How can listeners apply that message when they listen to the song?
 

When I look back at this song, I see God reminding me through these lyrics that I've done amazing things, I've held my daughter and I've done everything I've ever wanted and yet I was living in this state of self pity. For me personally, it was a wake up call to open my eyes and realize everything I had to be grateful for. On a personal level, this song was given to me as a gift from God. I have the promise of Heaven and redemption and I've also lived well here and to remember to not lose sight of that. There's only so much stuff you can lose, and I've lost it all. We're still happy, and we're a family. At the end of a season like that, the important message is to remember to choose life and cling to Jesus. We can have life that's abundant and doesn't run dry.

 

 

Jenny and the band have been living a season of struggle. Jenny has learned to put all of her hope and trust in Christ and to let herself be part of God's story and let Him reflect His glory through her, despite her circumstances.

 

I get goose bumps when I listen to her new album The Becoming and God's promise is being lived out by Jenny Simmons. I can't get enough of the musical hooks, Jenny's vulnerable and sincere vocals and the extremely poignant lyrics. 

 

We are all a work in progress. Have faith and let God "work all things together for good." Spend time with God and let Him redeem and restore you. We are not at the end of our story, God's still writing our stories of redemption. God wants us to know that He's faithful to complete what's He's started in all of us who've put all of our hope and trust in Jesus for our salvation. 

 

I can perfectly relate to every word Jenny gorgeously wrote and sings in this song. I've been married for eighteen years and we have three beautiful daughters and a safe and lovely home. The tendency as a believer is to focus on the blessings we've received from God and this song is a gut check of my faithfulness. If all of those things were removed from me, would I still understand that I'm blessed and cling to God for my security and hope? In America, there is a tendency to look to God for prosperity and think if they are faithful, they'll receive gifts. That's true, but they may not look like the American dream. 

 

This song is a prayer of  thankfulness to God for what He's given us. As believers, putting all of our hope and trust in Jesus as our Savior brings the gift of eternal life. Remember the truth of Deuteronomy 30:19:  "Now choose life, so that you and your children may live." You can sing along with Jenny and know for a fact, "No matter how I leave this place, I know I'll see my Savior's face." 

 

(You can listen to the song here.)