Is Again and Again by Dominic Balli Christian?
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Dominic Balli's music is often described as "CaliRockReggae," a laid-back popular infusion that forces listeners to sit back, relax and enjoy. But according to Balli, in that location'south a greater purpose to his songs than merely spreading a euphemistic love bulletin and putting out proficient vibes.
In this extensive interview with Balli, the independent artist talks almost a life-changing decision he made as a teenager, how God gave him his voice and a new prepare of ears, and how his unique sound and inspirational lyrics have opened some unexpected doors:
Chad Bonham: How did you develop your unique sound?
Dominic Balli: Every bit crazy as it sounds, I really think that God merely put the reggae thing in me. I tin can bespeak to a few things in my life that pushed me in that direction, merely equally I wait back now, I really feel like God has called me non merely to speak into the lives of believers only, fifty-fifty broader than that, to speak into the lives of people that are outside of the Church. The actually absurd thing about reggae music is that I can get away with saying spiritual things as a reggae influenced artist that I couldn't become away with maxim as a rock artist. Reggae has such spiritual roots and people almost await to hear spiritual things. Just to answer your question direct, no there wasn't anything in my upbringing that caused me to lean towards this. I literally heard a vocal called "Informer" by a guy named Snow when I was 8 years old and I fell in love with it. Afterward that, anytime I heard a song with a reggae vibe, it was just calling my name. When I started writing music, that'southward what came out. I realized recently why. Information technology was just the Lord putting that in my eye because He'due south used that to get me in forepart of people that I never would've gotten in forepart of before. I played at festivals with Jason Mraz, Ziggy Marley and Natasha Bedingfield. I got to open for Ziggy when he came to town. If I was just a rock creative person maxim the aforementioned things, I would never get to play in some of the clubs I've played or some of the festivals I've played at because they'd tell me to get back to playing for Christians.
Bonham: When did yous offset to run across God moving in your life?
Balli: I grew up going to church. My dad was a pastor. I knew that God had a plan for my life. I knew that Jesus was the just mode to Sky. Merely I loved sin. The Bible says that sin is pleasurable for a season and I loved it. I rebelled during my loftier school years really bad. I started messing effectually with drugs and having relationships with girls and partying. And I used to tell God, "Hey God, later college I'm going to serve You because I know that's what I want to do with my life. I know that's the all-time manner. I know that'due south why I was created. Just right now I desire to sin because I love it. I want to accept a lot of fun." When I was about sixteen years old, God was beckoning me and calling me. He was relentless with me and I finally just gave up. I got to a betoken in my life where I realized that everything I was trying to grasp for was leaving me empty. Information technology was totally unsatisfying. The simply thing that was going to satisfy me was a relationship with God. That'due south what I was created to have and I just finally surrendered when I was xvi years former.
Bonham: When did you get into music?
Balli: It's kind of a absurd story. I grew upward in a actually musical house where all of my brothers and sisters could sing, but I couldn't sing. Not only could I not sing, I couldn't hear pitch. I was totally tone deafened—legitimately, 1 hundred percent tone deafened. My mom was a singer and a music instructor and a piano player and she says I was ane hundred per centum, legitimately tone deafened. Nonetheless, I loved music. I tried to sing. My mom recorded a kid's album when I was 10 years erstwhile and I got to sing on the album. I learned later that they hid me in the mix because I was singing then bad. When I was 13 years old, I wanted to play guitar but I couldn't tell when it was out of tune. When I was 16 years quondam, I gave my life to Christ and He changed my life and I was born again and He healed my ears, dude. I came home and I saturday down and tried to sing and all of the sudden I could hear for the commencement time in my life. I could hear that I was off pitch. I could hear that my guitar was out of tune. I could teach myself how to sing the correct notes. At that moment, I knew why God gave me that. It wasn't for me. Information technology was for a purpose bigger than my own. And so when I was 18 years old, I felt like God said, "I desire to work through you lot. I want to use your music to speak to people in the earth."
Bonham: Why do you think your music is highly-seasoned to both the Christian and general market audiences?
Balli: It's all most who yous write for. Jeremy Army camp writes for Christians. That'due south awesome. He does a great thing for the church. I don't write for Christians. I write for people. I write so that if a Christian hears my music, they're going to be encouraged because I'm writing from the Christian worldview. I'm quoting scriptures. But I'm going to exercise information technology in such a way that the unchurched person who has no church context and doesn't care about it won't think, "This isn't for me." I feel like those are the people that I want to build relationships with. Those are the people that Jesus would've hung out with if He lived hither correct now. I want some 20-year former college child who's a pot head to love my music. I want to write in a mode so that it gets into his life because he loves the audio of it and information technology's positive in his mind. Then when he listens to it a little fleck deeper, he'south similar, "Wow! What's he saying right now?" Past then, he's already sold on the music and he loves the music and he'due south singing the lyrics. By the time he get what it'south actually saying, information technology'due south like I've earned his respect. We've kind of already built a relationship. Information technology'due south not some preacher preaching at him. It's a friend he'southward been listening to for six months talking to him as a friend. That's how I write. I'm not writing for but Christians and I'm non writing for simply non-Christians. I'm not trying to write for Christian radio. I call up all of us would agree that a lot of Christian radio sounds the same. A lot of music that comes out of Nashville kind of has a fiddling flake of the aforementioned vibe. Because I don't live in Nashville, I surround myself with a culture and an influence that's outside that bubble. So when the church hears it, it's refreshing, and when the world hears information technology, it sounds like something they want to listen to.
Bonham: What accept been some of the moments yous've about enjoyed throughout the course of your musical journey?
Balli: I showtime got asked to open for Ziggy right at the get-go, about five years agone. That was crazy, dude. I played Bob Marley's "Redemption Song" at that show. It was just me and an acoustic guitar and twelve hundred Ziggy Marley fans singing every lyric. It was a trip. As well, with Sonny (Sandoval) on this tape, I've always been a huge fan and really looked upward to P.O.D. When I met Sonny almost a year ago, he gave me his jail cell telephone number considering we just kind of hit it off and I was like, "Dude, are you lot kidding me?" Another big moment was when nosotros went to Brazil in 2009 and played 7 sold out dorsum-to-back shows that I was headlining. In that location were all these Brazilians that don't speak English singing every lyric of my songs. There were ii k of them just going crazy at every testify. The national news channels were in that location doing interviews with me. Information technology was ridiculous.
Bonham: Does the story most your vocalization serve as a daily reminder of who is in control of your life and your career?
Balli: Oh absolutely, dude. I take no dubiety in my mind. I'thou pretty positive that if I started singing songs that were for my fame, the God would probably make me tone deafened over again. I know why He gave me that vocalization. I know why He gave me my ears. I know why He led me hither. It is a daily reminder, even to the betoken where I'thousand still insecure well-nigh my voice considering I was tone deaf for more half of my life. I grew up with people telling me I couldn't sing on pitch and I had a horrible voice and to shut up and stop singing. Not my parents, but just people effectually me—friends. Sometimes I'll open my vocalization to sing and I'll think, "I hope I hitting the right notes." I practise music for a living and I still feel like that, just it'due south good because information technology keeps me apprehensive, it keeps my anxiety grounded, it keeps me trusting in God. He gives the states gifts not for ourselves, non so nosotros can be happy, not and so nosotros can savor them, but ultimately it'due south then nosotros can achieve His purpose. The Bible says that God uses the foolish things and the base things of the world to accomplish His work. He apparently uses the tone deafened of the globe to practise something too.
Bonham: Your song "American Dream" is out at an interesting fourth dimension in our nation's history. What inspired that song and how do you hope it challenges listeners?
Balli: I recollect (the theme) has e'er been common, just a few years ago when the stock market crashed and and then many people's American dream fell apart, we began to vocalisation it considering all the sudden what we'd been living for and what we'd been working for was pulled out from nether u.s.a.. We realized, "Oh my gosh. The American dream really isn't the American dream." On the embrace of Psychology mag two months ago, it said "Take Nosotros Been Robbed Past The American Dream?" This song was written almost a twelvemonth and a half agone when I started experiencing the American dream. I owned a domicile. Information technology was make new and information technology was cute. I was making more money than I'd ever made. I was more than comfortable than I'd always been. I'd gotten more success than I'd ever planned on getting. I was living that American dream and the comfort of that lifestyle. I wasn't even chasing it. I wasn't trying to get information technology. All of the sudden I just had it because the more success you get in this country, that'south just the natural progression. "I can afford to buy a business firm now. I should purchase a house" or "Oh, I tin afford a new motorcar. I should buy a new car." What happened to me was that the comfort of that lifestyle began to eat away at me similar a cancer almost. Information technology began to rob me of my joy and my faith. It kind of robbed me of my purpose. When the stock market place crash, a lot of people realized that the American dream was not all information technology was croaky up to be. They'd been living for this thing and it was kind of a façade. It wasn't real. We thought it was existent and that information technology would bring the states contentment simply information technology hasn't and it doesn't. Then many of u.s. realized that what'southward really important in life is loving God and loving one some other.
To go on upwardly with the latest from Dominic Balli, visit his official website past clicking Hither.
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Source: https://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/wholenotes/2011/09/a-conversation-with-reggae-influenced-artist-dominic-balli.html
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