Biography
When you first meet Andrew and Hannah Brown, they seem like everyday, fun-loving twenty-somethings. Quickly, you learn that they are dedicated, young parents of a 2 ½ year old daughter and talented owners of a small graphic design firm. And, after you’ve sat and talked with the pair for a bit longer, you hear – and see – their true hearts… Worship.
“We were all created with the desire to worship,” explains Andrew. “But a lot of times that desire is misplaced – we worship ‘things’ like money, sports or celebrities. And, sadly, when we do that, we’re not living out what we were created for.”
Hannah continues, “If you look at nature… trees, flowers, mountains – even tiny blades of grass… they grow upward; they grow toward the heavens. Everything was made to worship. Even if people stop, creation will still praise Him, the mountains will still cry out.”
Let’s go back to the beginning of their story…
Hailing from Michigan, Andrew was raised in a musical family and started playing bass when he was 12 years old. He was a member of several bands throughout high school, but after graduation felt the pull toward worship. Always eager to learn, and mainly self-taught, Andrew picked up the acoustic guitar and practiced non-stop until he had it mastered. From there, he learned the craft of production and recording and then moved on to the art of songwriting. He continued to hone his talents serving as the worship leader at Family Life Vineyard, the church his father pastored.
At the same time, Hannah, living in California, was also getting her feet wet in the music pond. Her father was a jazz pianist and encouraged Hannah musically at a very young age. She started singing when she was four, picked up the guitar at 16 and was soon leading the youth praise band at church. At 18 she was offered a record deal with a small indie label in North Carolina and released her first solo project.
Following the direction of a friend to check out a popular music site, the featured artist on the front page caught Andrew’s eye – a beautiful young woman who had a guitar just like his and the voice of an angel. He reached out to her and, well, that brings us back to today…
After a quick stint in a rock band early in their marriage, Andrew and Hannah soon realized that worship was their calling.
“We started out just writing songs for our own personal worship time, with no real intent to use them for anything more than that,” says Andrew. “Songs just kept flowing and soon we had 10 or 12 songs we thought were really good. We were leading worship for my dad’s church at the time, so we decided to use one of the songs in our set and got an amazing response.”
The couple was soon receiving requests for a recorded version of the song, so they pooled their resources and headed into the studio. The result is Sound of Your Voice, an album not intended to entertain, but to carry the listener into the presence of God.
Hannah explains, “The world doesn’t need more worship ‘entertainers’ – they need someone to provide a backdrop to leading them to God’s presence. It’s our desire to take the focus off the two of us as people and use the music God has given us to help others worship as they were created to.”
Feeling a bit ethereal as one song weaves into another, the main theme of the album is the magnificence of God’s creation.
~ galaxies in place for us to see stars and moon / they luminate Your glory / a passion for You is burnt within our soul ~ {“To The One”}
~ from the distant shores to the top of the peaks / creation sings in harmony / every rock every tree sings a symphony / romancing You in this love-story ~ {“Scattered Light”}
~ You are God who reigns over the universe / all of the stars shine bright for You /
open the skies rain down all of Your glory will surround / You are God who reigns on High ~ {“God Who Reigns”}
~ You broke the darkness with Your light / You gave us wings so we can fly / You set my feet on solid ground / You gave us air so we can breathe for You for You ~ {“Vivid & Brilliant”}
“We didn’t intend for the entire record to form itself around this theme. We didn’t actually realize it until the album was finished,” says Andrew. “I have always loved to be outside; I feel God really speaks and reveals himself to me through his beautiful landscapes and intricate animals. Like scripture states – ‘out of our mouth pours the state of our heart’ – I see God in every rain drop and every hair on my daughter’s head. His creativity is unmatched!”
“I feel that God blessed us with these songs and it seems only right to give them away to the body of Christ in order to be ministered to, without asking anything in return, because they aren’t ours to begin with,” explains Hannah. We want people to be able to worship with us whether in person or on their iPods.”
As they were recording, the pair went back through each song, making them more user-friendly so worship leaders in the local church can easily incorporate them into the service and the audience can quickly pick them up and sing along.
Currently, a “Sound of Your Voice” media bundle is posted on the band’s website and available for download. The two are a bit surprised by the response it has received.
Hannah explains: “By creating this worship packet, it allows worship leaders to have all the resources needed right at their fingertips. We’ve even included a custom media background to use on their overhead screens. Each digital packet contains the mp3, chart, lyrics, media background, text file and a note about how the song was originated. People have told us they are inspired by ‘Sound of Your Voice’ and are very excited that they can download the packets right on the website.”
Andrew and Hannah Brown are your normal, everyday, hockey-loving twenty-somethings who have been given a gift and a calling. Separately, they are talented musicians with a desire to play and sing. Together, they are an inspired couple with a fervor and calling to help others live out what we are truly created for… Worship.
~ At the sound of your voice mountains move, nations rise. Hosanna to the King Glory to the Giver of Life ~
{“Sound of Your Voice”}
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