There’s something to be said of an artist that can create a body of work that embodies not only who they were as a person and what shaped their life for what they would do and who they would become, but also captures the essence of the Lord in such a magnitude that one feels Him in the artist’s presence and music.
Gospel Goodies had the honor to sit down with Maranda Curtis – whose EP, The Maranda Experience Volume I, does just that – before her live recording (presented by Reach Gospel Radio) on December 8 at Faith City Family Church (FCFC) in Newark, DE where we discussed faith, worship and new tunes she’d be singing that night as an extension of her first release.
Curtis’ music does not just reach you, it pulsates through your body and causes you to feel the bass of it in your heartbeat. When asked what inspired her to create The Maranda Experience Volume I in 2015 and release it in 2017, she explained that she wanted the EP to represent who she was, who she is, and how she has grown in God since she began singing; vol. 2 will incorporate more of growth.
The southern singer comes from a family of seven children, in which she is the middle child. She described how, “Out of all of my siblings, I stood out like a sore thumb. It was because I started singing at church over and over again, and that was even before I had a relationship with God.” This, coupled with her mother’s candor, would lead Maranda on a journey for self that she would not even be aware she was taking until she reached her destination in God.
Although she initially came off as shy upon first speaking with her, Maranda Curtis is a very eclectic woman with a fiery yet humble personality. Before going out on stage, Curtis and her team including Dana Sorey, Justin Savage, Pudge Tribbett, Morgan Turner, Anthony DeCarlo, Sean Walters and more joined hands in a circle to pray for the performance ahead of them and give thanks to the Lord, concluding their prayer with “be free.”
Gospel singer Jay Todd opened up the live recording with prayer, FCFC Pastor Steve Hare shared a few inspiring words, and Timothy Reddick gave a powerful performance that would set the tone of the night when Maranda Curtis took to the stage.
Curtis wowed the audience with her powerhouse vocals, keeping them glued to their feet in worship as she sang song after song. At one point during the concert, a little boy who couldn’t have been any more than 5-years-old got up from his mother‘s lap to stand and dance as Maranda sang. You could tell that the energy in the room was vibrant and everyone was having a great time.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BcgfhHSgtMa/?taken-by=marandacurtis
If you haven’t been to a Maranda Curtis show, then you should definitely add her to your list of artists to see live. There’s something that cannot easily be expressed in words about the Maranda Curtis experience.
Stay tuned for vol. 2!
