Th… Read Full Bio ↴ZOEgirl was a very successful Christian pop rock band from 2000-2006.
The group was started with the three ladies: Alisa Noelle Girard, Chrissy Conway and Kristin Swinford. The three have each gotten married since then and go by the following names: Alisa Childers, Kristin Schweain, Chrissy Conway-Katina.
With more than 1 million albums sold worldwide and an impressive track record that heralds them as the fastest-selling debut artist in the 26-year history of Sparrow Records, ZOEgirl has managed to create a success story that continues to get bigger and bigger with the release of each new album. Performances at venues like New York's Madison Square Garden, The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Walt Disney World have helped ZOEgirl become one of the top female pop groups in Christian musica platform upon which Chrissy Conway, Alisa Girard and Kristin Swinford keep building brick by brick. ZOEgirl exploded onto the scene in 2000 with the group's self-titled debut (ZOEgirl), scoring four Top 5 radio hits. They followed with a sophomore album, Life, which continued to propel the girls' blossoming career. Those first two projects placed ZOEgirl in front of hundreds of thousands of fans on stage with artists such as Newsboys, Plus One, Avalon and Carman. Following the late 2003 release of their last album, Different Kind Of FREE, ZOEgirl hit the ground running as a featured artist on the 25-city Shoutfest tour before heading out on their first headlining tour in early 2004.
The FREE Experience tour, which also featured Superchick, Joy Williams and Focus on the Family speaker Susie Shellenberger, was a huge success with audiences across the country. The FREE Experience tour saw sell-out attendances in many markets during a year when the touring industry was taking a hard hit. Now, with Room To Breathe, their first new album in over a year, ZOEgirl is moving forward with some of the most compelling music of their career. Produced by Mark Heimermann, Double Dutch (Robert Marvin), Josiah Bell, Shawn Shankel, Tedd T and Dan Muckala, Room To Breathe encompasses ZOEgirl's growth as singers, songwriters, artists and women. "I think with each album we've been able to integrate more and more of who we are," Alisa says. "We've really seen a need and have been trying to fill that void for young girls to have a different option when it comes to pop music, and we've done it without trying to fit into any kind of mold or demographic. I think we've just really focused in on who our listeners are and what they want to hear." As every recording artist knows, longevity does not come easily in a fast-paced music industry that is constantly chasing the next big trend. But ZOEgirl's biggest accomplishment is their unending ability to connect with their fans around the world. "Our audience is constantly expanding," says Chrissy. "We've got younger girls, teenagers (including boys!), and parents coming to all of our shows and they are having a great time.
We've had some great conversations with them and we really love getting their feedback."
That feedback whether it comes through letters, after-show meetings or one-on-one time spent with young girls on recent mission trips translates into some of the real life moments Chrissy, Alisa and Kristin write about on their albums. Room To Breathe captures those poignant moments that come straight from the heart. Filled with soaring harmonies and brimming with a personal style that is quintessentially their own, the CD's tracks include the album's first radio single, About You, an up-tempo pop melody about learning to take the focus off yourself and make it all about God. Dead Serious, the track ZOEgirl calls the most fun song on the album, is a tribute to "all of those kids who really are standing up for what they believe, even though it's not always the most popular thing to do", Kristin explains. The album's title is pulled from a song called The Way You Love Me, written by Chrissy and songwriter Lynn Nichols. "This song talks about how it's so unfathomable to realize how much God loves us despite what we do every day", Chrissy explains. "We can't ever fully grasp how he could love us so much that he died for us. The lyrics say, You gave me room to breathe, a place to get away. I'm standing in your presence with a debt I can't repay".
One of the album's most honest and affecting songs is Scream, a lyric and music written by Alisa and inspired in part by some painfully revealing stories told by girls the group met on the road and while on a mission trip. "There are girls out there who admit to all kinds of self-destructive behaviors like eating disorders, drug abuse, drinking and cutting themselves out of a desperate need to numb the pain and cry out for help," Alisa shares. Does anybody know how I feel? Sometimes I'm numb; sometimes I'm overcome...Do I have to scream for you to hear me? Do I have to bleed for you to see me? Because I grieve and you're not listening to me. The song was a shower of emotions for Alisa, who was jointly inspired by hearing the deep hurts shared by the girls she'd met, and in honestly grieving her own personal pain and dealing with depression. "It took me two hours to write the whole song, and it was as if in that two hours I went through the pain of it and the healing of it. It was as if God just poured it out of me. It was so powerful." Having traveled on summer mission trips for the past two years, Chrissy, Alisa and Kristin have gained a renewed passion and vision to reach the world. As part of that effort, they have launched ZOEgirl Missions, a way to partner with their listeners in reaching out to areas in need. The first official ZOEgirl Missions trip took place last summer in Quito, Ecuador. Partnering with Big World Ventures, ZOEgirl took a missions group to visit retirement homes, play with children in orphanages, perform drama and music, and participate in various work and building projects for churches in Quito. This July, ZOEgirl is planning a second trip to Ecuador, partnering again with Big World Ventures, and taking various teams with specific gifts. Chrissy, Alisa and Kristin will bring with them construction teams, music and worship teams, and teams that will visit nursing homes and orphanages. They will spend time with the residents, nurturing and serving them with whatever they need, whether it's a haircut, a hug, or someone to sit with them and hold their hand. It's ZOEgirl's hope that they will touch those who experience so little human touch. "If we hadn't done these trips we wouldn't be the group we are now," says Alisa. "The girls who have gone on these trips have inspired more songs than they know." "These trips have really opened my eyes to the world,"
Chrissy adds. "It has given me a new appreciation for life and has taught me so much in the process." Glancing back, in the rear-view mirror of their career, it's the relationships they build, the lives they touch and the impact they make for Christ that fuels this trio of women more than anything else. "At the end of the day, in 20 years, I want to get a letter that says, I gave my heart to Jesus at a ZOEgirl concert,'" Alisa says. "To me, that's success. It's great to sell albums and win awards, but we aren't truly successful if we aren't leading people to heaven. That's eternal." Chrissy adds, "If we were remembered for anything else it wouldn't seem like we had fulfilled what we know God has called us to do."
ZOEgirl after 2006:
After Chrissy Conway's 2005 marriage to one of the Katinas, she now goes by Chrissy Conway-Katina.
When ZOEgirl announced their disbandment in 2006, Kristin took some time off but in spring of 2007, started working on solo material. Her tentative solo album was set to release on March 1, 2008 but in March 2008 announced that on her official MySpace that she will no longer release a solo album in favor of forming a new musical group ColmanBlue. As of May 2008, the group consists of Kelli Trontell and herself. Chrissy was interviewed by Amy Hagberg in April 2008: The hour long interview can be heard here.
Different Kind Of Free
ZOEgirl Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's a war deep in motion
Fighting hard to find
Some kind of peace of mind
Breathing in, breathing out
Missing life, living doubt
Searching for a cure
Bring it back to the beginning
To the first taste of shame
A fallen world in waiting
Only one could take the blame
Fast forward to the ending
One truth remains
There's a miracle waiting
For all who speak His name
Take my life, my liberty
It's all but a breath in the grand scheme of things
Oh, I have found eternity
It's a different kind of free
And they can't take it from me
Pleading the most worthy cause
For the innocence we lost
With his tears of blood
He started freedom's flood
As the world's opinions sway
My beliefs will not be changed
Nothing ever can take me from His hand
Bring it back to the beginning
To the first taste of shame
A fallen world in waiting
Only one could take the blame
Fast forward to the ending
One truth remains
There's a miracle waiting
For all who speak His name
Take my life, my liberty
It's all but a breath in the grand scheme of things
Oh, I have found eternity
It's a different kind of free
And they can't take it from me
Yeah, sure I remember
Matter fact it was just last September
She still calls it the fall to remember
Little Heather when it all came together
Said you remember the first time you met us?
She cried when it rained and blamed the weather
But inside she strained with suicide letters
The kind of cold you couldn't warm with a sweater
Hardly lasted past December
Said she was headed down to defeat
That's the last you'd seen, and never had dreamed
That's the same little Heather It's who you saw last week
In an instant you couldn't have missed her gleam
As she listened She looked like a distant queen
With a difference there for all to see
She found a different, a different kind of free
Take my life, my liberty
It's all but a breath in the grand scheme of things
Oh, I have found eternity
It's a different kind of free
And they can't take it from me
Take my life, my liberty
It's all but a breath in the grand scheme of things
Oh, I have found eternity
It's a different kind of free
And they can't take it from me
Take my life, my liberty
It's all but a breath in the grand scheme of things
Oh, I have found eternity
It's a different kind of free
And they can't take it from me
It's so much different
It's a different kind of free
And it's here for you and me
It's a different kind of free
And it's here to set you free
It's a different kind of free
The song "Different Kind of Free" by ZOEgirl is a powerful reflection on the human experience of brokenness and the search for true freedom. The lyrics paint a picture of a world in turmoil - broken hearts, broken homes, and a war deep in motion. Despite the chaos, the singer expresses a deep longing for peace and a cure for doubt. They recognize that the world is fallen, tainted by the first taste of shame, but also express a belief in a different kind of freedom that comes from knowing God.
The song progresses from a look back to the beginning of the world's brokenness to a recognition that "one truth remains" - that there is a miracle waiting for all who speak His name. In the midst of this recognition, the singer offers up their life and liberty to God, acknowledging that these things are but a breath in the grand scheme of things. The final verse of the song brings the focus onto a specific person, "little Heather," whose story serves as a powerful representation of the transformation that can take place when one finds a different kind of freedom. Heather went from feeling helpless and defeated to experiencing a gleam of hope and a newfound sense of purpose.
Overall, the song is a moving reminder that true freedom is not found in material possessions or status, but in a relationship with God. The lyrics invite the listener to let go of their doubts and brokenness, and to embrace a different kind of freedom that can only come from knowing and surrendering to the Divine.
Line by Line Meaning
Broken hearts, broken homes
The line speaks about the brokenness of people's lives with broken homes and broken hearts, which speaks to the emotional turmoil and instability that some individuals go through.
There's a war deep in motion
The line could be interpreted as the internal emotional war that may occur within someone battling with feeling broken and the desire to find some kind of inner peace.
Fighting hard to find
This line could speak to the struggle of trying to overcome internal strife to find some form of personal happiness or tranquility.
Some kind of peace of mind
This line is about the need for individuals to find inner peace and contentment despite their circumstances.
Breathing in, breathing out
This line is about the universal human experience of living, which requires the simple act of inhaling and exhaling to stay alive.
Missing life, living doubt
The line hints at the emptiness someone may experience when they feel lost and riddled with doubt, yet still feel the pull to keep living or existing in some capacity, despite those feelings.
Searching for a cure
This line is about the human search for something, whether it be peace, purpose, or happiness, to assuage the weaknesses, hurts, and brokenness that we experience in life.
Some kind of open door
The line speaks about the need to find a place of acceptance or opportunity in life, which speaks to the quest of many to find their niche, to find people or opportunities that could help alleviate their struggles.
Bring it back to the beginning
This line could mean the need to revisit the foundation of one's life or faith to ensure they're on the right track, searching for a path to healing, peace, and growth.
To the first taste of shame
The line refers to a reminder of the first time that we realized we were flawed or that we had messed up, which signaled the beginning of feeling shame or embarrassment.
A fallen world in waiting
The line implies that the world is filled with struggles and lots of things working against us, whether through natural disasters, disease, poverty, and death - and it's our responsibility to fix them or take responsibility for ourselves, regardless of these external pressures.
Only one could take the blame
This line could relate to beliefs, where only one can bear the weight of the blame or sin of the world, offering followers purpose and a sense of liberation, in that they are not responsible for fixing everything wrong in the world.
Fast forward to the ending
This line means to anticipate the future when troubles all end and happiness reigns, regardless of how difficult or awful one's experience may currently be in life.
One truth remains
This line suggests that there is one underlying, albeit unknown or misunderstood, truth about life, regardless of how things may appear on the surface, which can offer a sense of hope to individuals who feel lost or broken.
There's a miracle waiting
The line refers to the idea that there is always something good to look forward to, whether it be a sense of purpose, a new opportunity, or a chance at healing, and that it's just a matter of recognizing it when it arrives.
For all who speak His name
This line speaks about the potential connection to a higher power, which can offer solace, guidance, or relief to people struggling to find their way or purpose in life.
Take my life, my liberty
This line could be about giving up one's personal wants and desires to follow a higher power or something greater than themselves, offering a way to feel peace or purpose.
It's all but a breath in the grand scheme of things
This line speaks to the fleeting nature of life and how our individual struggles are really just tiny specks in the grand scheme of the world, which can offer perspective and a way to find humility.
Oh, I have found eternity
This line speaks about the idea that through belief in a higher power, eternal life can be secured beyond our transient life on earth. Therefore, any struggle we experience during our short time here is worth enduring for that eternal outcome.
And they can't take it from me
This line suggests that even if things don't go well, or our lives are taken by someone else, there is a sense of peace and hope that endures because of the belief in something greater.
Yeah, sure I remember
The beginning of this verse reflects on the memory of a past event that still resonates with the artist.
Matter fact it was just last September
This line clarifies the artist's recollection of the memory shared in the previous line and places it in a specific time to emphasize its proximity to the present moment.
She still calls it the fall to remember
This line suggests that the memory shared in the previous lines was significant in some way, which is marked by the person's continued use of a memorable nickname for it.
Little Heather when it all came together
This line serves as an introduction of a character named Heather, who will apparently play an essential role in the story being recounted through the song.
Said you remember the first time you met us?
This line is a question from Heather asking the person narrating the story if they remember when they all first met, implying that the relationship or interaction between them was impactful in some way.
She cried when it rained and blamed the weather
This line speaks of Heather's tendency to become emotional, especially when things are not going well or when she's feeling down or troubled. It might also suggest her propensity to look for external reasons for her internal troubles.
But inside she strained with suicide letters
This line suggests Heather had some internal problems that might not have been immediately evident to her friends, alluding to her feelings of self-harm or suicidal ideation.
The kind of cold you couldn't warm with a sweater
This line refers to an emotional or mental coldness that can't be easily remedied by outside influences, just as a warm sweater might not make a difference to someone in a cold and dark place.
Hardly lasted past December
This line means Heather's emotional state or problems didn't extend beyond December, implying that something happened to mark that period as a turning point or an ending for her problems.
Said she was headed down to defeat
This line suggests that Heather had given up or had no hope of overcoming the problems she was experiencing in life.
That's the last you'd seen, and never had dreamed
This line implies that after the last time they saw Heather, her friends never imagined her situation would take a positive turn, suggesting they had given up hope.
That's the same little Heather It's who you saw last week
This line reveals that the artist has recently interacted with Heather, implying that something has changed for the better.
In an instant you couldn't have missed her gleam
This line suggests that when the artist saw Heather, there was a significant transformation in her attitude or demeanor, which was apparent through the 'gleam' in her eyes.
As she listened She looked like a distant queen
This line seems to suggest that Heather has found a sense of inner power, whereby she exudes a regal presence, seemingly having overcome some personal struggles.
With a difference there for all to see
This line speaks to the visible transformation in Heather's life for everyone to see, highlighting a newfound sense of joy or contentment with her situation.
She found a different, a different kind of free
This line could mean that Heather has found internal freedom from her former negative patterns of thinking or problems that plagued her before, finding a transformational sense of purpose or meaning in life.
It's so much different
This line speaks to the significant, almost indescribable, difference in Heather's life from before.
And it's here for you and me
This line suggests that the same kind of transformational experience that Heather has gone through is possible for everyone, and it's available and waiting for anyone to grasp it.
And it's here to set you free
This line speaks to the potential freedom and liberation one can experience if they find the hope and peace they need through a transformational experience, much like Heather did.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP
Written by: ALISA CHILDERS, CHRISSY CONWAY, KRISTIN ELISABETH SWINFORD, LYNN NICHOLS, LYNN A. NICHOLS, MATHEW KEARNEY, ROBERT MARVIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind