ZOEgirl
 It came as no surprise to many that ZOEgirl walked away with the Newcomer of the Year Award at the 2002 Dove Awards – theGospel Music Association’s version of the Grammy Awards.
When Crissy Conway, Alisa Girard and Kristin Swinford were first brought together to record their self-titled debut album in 2000, the trio formed a bond that solidified a focus and a vision for ZOEgirl. The new album showcases that vision with songs that they each wrote or co-wrote, with material being inspired from personal growth and real life experiences.
The music generation today has spawned many young girls who are caught up in the quest for the best figure, the best hairstyle, the prettiest face and the coolest clothes. Naturally, the media bombards this age group with TV commercial advertising hype, print ads in newspapers and magazines, music videos, CD covers and other avenues.
 There may be thousands of young girls out there today immulating Britney Spears, wearing provocative jeans cut down past their navels and shaking their booties to the latest pop culture beat, but, according to experts, it’s not realistic for any young girl to feel she has a body makeup consistent with what has been manufactured and packaged as “the contemporary culture’s unrealistic ideal.”
Debra Atkins, writing in Contemporary Christian Magazine, reported recently that one large nation-wide survey of adolescent girls found that almost 40 percent of fifth through eighth grade girls had already dieted. Another survey reported that most young girls dieted to look better, not necessarily to improve their health. (It’s also a known fact that many teens today carry their dieting fads to dangerous extremes, developing eating disorders like Anorexia, nervosa and bulimia).
Listen to the Sparrow CD “Life” just recently released by ZOEgirl, and you will hear these issues addressed. Yes, the music is hip, fun, inspirational and commercially equivalent to anything vocally or instrumentally similar in the pop scene secular marketplace. In this sophomore ZOEgirl effort, however, it’s the lyrical content that sends a message loud and clear.
 The three girls know exactly what they want to say (and why they feel compelled to say it. The record label is not dictating what they say, they are reflecting on what they see and observe in today’s society). “We feel like we have an incredible responsibility to speak the truth to these girls and even guys we’ve had a chance to meet after our shows,” commented 22-year-old Crissy Conway. She said that the trio had met so many young girls who don’t really think they’re worth anything, and a lot of their core problems have to do with self esteem.
Not to sound superior, despite the fact that they are bonafide role models to young fans and music lovers everywhere, 26-year-old Alisa Girard explained that the ZOEgirl girls have had to deal with most of these same issues, too. That’s why she believes it’s important to talk to their audience about this in their lyrics.
Some musical performers and recording artists today – even those in secular fields – are reluctant to become known in the industry as “role models.” ZOEgirl, however, is proud to wear the label, because they realize who their audience is, and that it’s an impressionable one. This is not industry hype trickling down through press releases, but rather evidenced in letters and emails they receive each week and the bright young faces they see at each concert.
In a unique rarity, ZOEgirl had the opportunity to come face to face with some of these teens last summer when the group participated in a mission trip to Caracass, Venezuela. They traveled with 300 young girls headed there to help build up the community and minister through action. While in Venezuela, they split up into teams and helped dig out homes that had been buried in mudslides, took part in street ministry teams and served in an orphanage.
ZOEgirl will no doubt continue to have an impact musically, too, with more audiences as they become better known with TV and radio appearances and personal tours. (This Spring, they’ll tour with the hot all-boys group, Plus One).
To some rising young stars, maybe, all this attention would be somewhat overwhelming, with young fans purchasing their albums, buying their posters and putting them on the walls in their rooms, buying their outfits, checking out their website (www.zoegirlonline.com), etc.
 Being a role model today certainly isn’t easy. But, ZOEgirl is taking it all in stride. Already in the spotlight, they know, too, that if they don’t respond and meet the demands of today’s fans as a role model, somebody else will. And, they’re not about to let that happen.
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