In 2000, at just 15 years old, Lampa skyrocketed onto the pop scene amassing an unprecedented nine Top 10 singles (four at #1) while touring heavily and making high profile appearances on The Tonight Show, The View, Entertainment Tonight, E! and Extra, as well as gracing the pages of Teen People, CCM Magazine and many more. In 2002, Lampa received an additional boost from a slot on the platinum-selling official motion picture soundtrack for the hit film A Walk To Remember.

Lampa toured heavily, including North American runs with Destiny’s Child, Boyz II Men, Nickel Creek, Stacie Orrico, Amy Grant and Vince Gill, among others. In 2006, Lampa explored acting with a supporting role in the film Hidden Secrets, opposite John Schneider (Dukes of Hazzard, Smallville) and released the greatest hits disc, Blessed: The Best of Rachael Lampa. But at the height of her career, she seemingly disappeared from sight.

“I found myself starting to wrap my identity in my music instead of in Christ,” explains Lampa. “If something didn’t go well career wise, then I started to link that to who I was and what I was doing wrong. Being off the merry-go-round helped me invest in relationships and build a sense of community that I was starting to loose.”

Lampa continued to write and quietly reemerged in late 2009 with an independently released Christmas EP, and in 2010, she joined Jordin Sparks on tour as a background vocalist on her tours with the Jonas Brothers and Britney Spears. After time on the road, she headed back into the studio for the self-released album Human (featuring guest guitars and vocals from multi-platinum Grammy Award winner Jonny Lang).

“I kept the team really small and purposefully boxed people out because I was scared to jump back into the world of labels and expectations,” says Lampa. “I did that project for existing fans - I really only promoted it on Facebook and Twitter. I also got married shortly thereafter and that helped me to really get in touch with who I am: a daughter, a sister, a wife and a child of God who happens to love singing and music in general. At that moment, I realized I was ready to let people be part of that again.”

When Lampa was ready to get back into the studio for a proper project, she partnered with management company Black Fuel Music (home to Word/Warner’s Group 1 Crew, Arrow Records artist Shonlock and Tooth & Nail/EMI’s Hyland and Ryan Stevenson) and settled on Universal Music Group for the release of her upcoming project.

“My new team is nothing but supportive of my vision and they’re working to make sure my new music reaches as many people as possible,” she says. “They get what I’m doing and I get it now as well. I understand the privilege and the power of making music and I’m enjoying every minute of it this time around. Expressing myself doesn’t just make me feel free in my music, but also free in my faith and life in general, it’s all an intertwined journey.”

While her recent indie releases experimented with a more acoustic sound, All We Need includes plenty of the pop sensibility for which Lampa first rose to fame. Wrapped around tasteful traces of R&B, soul and rock, listeners are sure to draw comparisons to soulful artists ranging from Stevie Wonder and Lauryn Hill to Alicia Keys, Adele and Natasha Bedingfield.

The album’s lead single “Remedy” talks about taking in a steady diet of Jesus, family and friends as the ultimate medicine for life’s mounting anxieties, while “Savior’s Face” is equally provocative from a spiritual perspective as it speaks of laying one’s shortcomings before the cross. Other highlights include “100,” co-written with her husband, Brendan McCarthy, and longtime friend and fellow artist Ginny Owens, and the ballad “Feel” which explores the emotional differences between guys and girls.

“This record is really just a reflection of my life and where I’ve been since you last heard from me,” Lampa says. “Lyrically, there’s a thread of simplifying life instead of cluttering it. I’m one of those people who used to try pleasing too many people, only being able to give everyone 10% instead of 100%. Now my goal is to be an amazing friend to a few people instead of a lesser friend to a lot of people. There’s a lot about letting the people I love know that I love them and talking about the things I believe.”

Now in her 20’s, Lampa isn’t mapping out any crafty world domination strategy, but simply a desire to live each day to the fullest as she promotes the project on the road. “I try not to think too hard about the long road ahead, I just want to enjoy the ride this time. I’m just ready to take it all in, live in the present and hope it all leads to fun opportunities and life experiences.”

For more information, visit www.rachaellampa.com.

For more info on Rachael Lampa, visit the JFH Artists Database.

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