ZOEgirl was one of a kind, and not just because they made pop music with substance, but because they were brought together by God. How else could 3 girls from completely different parts of the country be united for the same purpose?
In 1999, Alisa Girard contacted one of her family friends, Norman Miller, to discuss embarking on a solo career in music. Miller heard Alisa’s demo, loved it, but told her of another plan he had in mind: a Christian pop group with all female members. The target audience? Young girls. At first, Alisa was surprised, but felt at peace with the idea and she was inducted as the group’s first member.
Miller later saw a young woman named Kristin Swinford performing with a trip-hop group called, Fleau. He loved her talent and asked if she would consider joining this new group. Kristin was hesitant at first, but after much prayer, she consented. She and Alisa got together and felt an immediate connection. They were both excited to see where the Lord would take them on this new journey.
However, Alisa and Kristin were struggling to find a third and final member. They held auditions, looked at some headshots and knew that none of the participants could fill the position. Kristin lamented over the problem with a friend, who introduced her to a man who would just might be able to help.
The man-whom Kristin had never met prior to this meeting-gave her the phone number of a girl he knew named Chrissy Conway. Chrissy recently got saved and had been part of a group that had broken up not to long ago. Reluctantly, Kristin took the number, thinking she would end up throwing it out. But she didn’t.
Meanwhile, Chrissy Conway was about to make a deal with a secular record company in pursuit of becoming the next Britney Spears, while feeling convicted that this was not what God wanted for her life. She prayed asked God to show her a sign about what to do with the rest of her life. The very next day, Kristin called.
The three girls met each other and were certain that God had brought them all together for an important purpose. They named themselves “ZOEgirl” because it would be their mission to bring “ZOE”-which in Greek means “life”-to a generation of young girls who were influenced by the secular media, and pulled away from Christ. Early on, their producers suggested that they write songs about issues that teenagers faced, and by having one-on-one conversations with their fans, they created music that spoke directly to the souls of the many young girls who bought their albums.
Today, ZOEgirl’s influence can be heard in the music of Britt Nicole, Rachael Lampa, Kerrie Roberts and many other female artists whose ministry is targeted at young girls.
