Nicol Sponberg

Nicol Sponberg
a.k.a. Nicole Smith, Nicol Smith

THE RESURRECTION OF NICOL SPONBERG
She's the vocal muscle in modern praise trio Selah, the husky-voiced female in a group known for acoustic hymns and light pop. That Nicol (Smith) Sponberg has issued an R&B-heavy, dance-inflected solo record may come as a surprise to Selah fans, but those infatuated with her unique voice are glad she's finally putting those pipes to good use. Resurrection is Sponberg's second solo release (her self-titled solo debut came and went like a puff of smoke). Barnes & Noble.com's Lisa Zhito interviewed Sponberg about her newest Resurrection.

Barnes & Noble.com: You originally started out as a solo singer, didn't you?

Nicol Sponberg: I was a soloist before Selah. I signed as a soloist in '95, and then the Selah thing happened. At first I went into that kicking and screaming -- you know, it was doing hymns with my brother. I feel totally different about it now, but at the time I thought, This is so uncool! This is so not what I want to be doing!

B&N.com: So why do a solo project now? In fact, aren't all three Selah members doing solo projects now?

NS: Yes, well, actually I started working on this one two years ago. And then Allan [Hall] had signed a solo deal as well, and then Todd [Smith] did his in the last year. It just so happened we all ended up with projects at the same time.

B&N.com: So what's behind the title, Resurrection?

NS: Well, my first solo CD was such a disappointment, it totally tanked. It was kind of devastating, you know? So I put that whole solo thing on the back burner and decided, Okay, I guess Selah is what God wants for me to do. But it seems that it's just like God to take something that you think is over and done with, when nobody else sees any life in it, and resurrect it. And also one of the songs is called "Resurrection," so we thought that was a good fit for the title of the album.

B&N.com: You co-wrote five of the songs on Resurrection. Are you more a lyricist or a musical person when you write?

NS: Definitely it's the music, but actually I didn't write the music on this album. The music tracks [producer/co-writer] Mark [Heimermann] already had done. So I co-wrote lyrics. And they're a challenge for me. Coming up with a thought and then getting it to rhyme without it sounding like total cheese? I'm not like Cindy Morgan, you know -- she's a writer. For me, it's total work, total struggle. She and I would write together, and in ten minutes she'd have 90 percent of the song done and I'm still on the title!

B&N.com: So why do it?

NS: I don't necessarily feel like I have to do something I wrote, but there's a gnawing feeling in me that I need to be writing. If you can write something, you don't feel like you're acting if you're getting to sing from your own personal experiences. I couldn't stand it if I was forced to sing a song I couldn't at least personally identify with.

B&N.com: The sound is quite a departure from Selah, it's more dance/pop and R&B oriented. What were you going for?

NS: I call it a European pop kind of sound, in the Annie Lennox definition of European pop. I wanted to do that because at the time I wasn't married and I really wanted to go to Europe. Over there you don't have the discrimination, that this is Christian music and this is pop music, it's all played on the radio, not like here. So I was shooting for an opportunity to go over there.

B&N.com: So what's married life like?

NS: Married life is great, but it's challenging. It's, like, more about myself than I ever wanted to know! We're both like Italians, very strong, very passionate people, which when used for good can be great, when used against each other .. not so great!

B&N.com: How did you meet?

NS: We met at a week-long conference at Moody Bible Institute called Founder's Week where Selah was performing. I had gotten to a point in my life, you know, I was 32 years old and I didn't know if marriage was ever going to happen. A girlfriend and I had gotten to a point where we said okay, we're going to go to Europe, travel, do all the things that married people can't do. Three weeks later I met Greg! He called and we'd talk on the phone for five hours, and not get bored, not run out of things to say. I just had never met anyone like him. And we got married nine and a half weeks later!

B&N.com: That's a short courtship!

NS: Uh-huh! Sometimes we don't know what we were thinking! And then I moved to Chicago. Met, married, and moved within four months. So this past year has been a lot of change. But fortunately I married someone who has a lot of wisdom. It's still challenging -- when you're in your 30s and get married it's a lot different than when you're in your 20s, I think. It's a different story.

August, 2004