Bri Babineaux discusses new project, role as a Worship Leader & navigating through this world health crisis.

As Gospel music (like all genres) make room for new platforms, new ministries, new marketing ideas and (most importantly) new voices, get ready for big personalities like Bri Babineaux to break new ground and gain an unprecedented following among people-of-faith.

Possessing equal portions of artistry, allure and social media savvy, Bri is Generation Y’s logical pick for music-in-ministry. Born in Hawaii and raised in Louisiana, Babineaux holds an almost universal appeal, with limitless cross-cultural and generational opportunities, under the supervision of the Savior. These clear qualities would account for her tremendous followings on social media and her growing demand on her artistry.

Christopher Heron: I’d love to know who are today’s artists and albums you enjoy for its production, writing or worship value?

Christopher Heron: Your last album, , was a breakthrough album. It literally catapulted your brand and popularity to the next level. Do you believe that the growth of your ministry was on the strength of songs like Jacob’s Song or did it have more to do with your social media presence?

Bri Babineaux: To be honest, I think people gravitated to what they saw on social media, me just sitting in the living room singing with my family and friends. I think that really impacted people. Even now, I get tons of messages, responding to me with a phone camera, singing cover songs from other artists. They love that.

Christopher Heron: You’re the Assistant Worship Director at Spirit of Faith Christian Center. How important is that week-to-week experience of leading worship, in terms of nurturing your worship style and connecting with worship music?

Bri Babineaux: I love being a part of Spirit of Faith Christian Center. The thing that I love and that’s different about Spirit of Faith is that we literally give 110% in everything we do. I get to see how to do things on a higher level and be excellent at it. We never do small things. Everything that we do is always as if we’re doing a production. That’s stayed with me, even as an artist.

I come from smaller churches, so now being at a megachurch has been a big experience for me. I had to mature in certain ways. At first, I thought that I wouldn’t be able to do my job properly but I’m just so thankful that I have a great mentor in Tim Bowman, Jr. to help me. He’s worked things out for me and helped me to advance to the next level in ministry and artistry.

Bri Babineaux: This will probably be my favorite album. I say that because I was all-hands-in with The Encounter. I was able to express what I wanted and what God had put up on my heart. On my first album, I received a lot of direction but with this album, I really had a lot to say, what I wanted to hear, what I wanted translated to music and what I wanted the body of Christ to receive.

I’m super excited because I was a part of the process. From choosing songs, to selecting singers, to picking the producer…everybody who was a part of the album. That was awesome because I never experienced the process before. One of the things I’m also happy about is that I either wrote, co-wrote or arranged all the songs. I’m super excited I was able to be a partner on this album.

Bri Babineaux: I met Dante Bowe in 2018. He’s an integral part of this album. He literally played a part on every song. He’s like a brother to me. I told him I appreciate him for taking time out of his schedule to be a part of the project. With Psalmist Raine, I’ve always admired her and her ministry. When we wrote the song We Want More, I just knew she had to be a part of the song just to add a different flavor and help me usher in the presence of God. She took the song to a whole other level.

And then there’s Todd Dulaney, who’s like another brother to me, I didn’t write that song (Baptize Us Again). But when I heard the song (by Timothy Reddick), it sounded like something that Todd would sing on his own project. I went to my producer, who produces all of Todd’s music, and had a conversation with him and told him how I wanted Todd to be on that song. He reached out to (Todd) and we were able to have him (on the recording). I’m truly excited to have three great psalmists and writers involved.

Christopher Heron: Finally, the economic impact of this health crisis is tremendous, particularly on artists. Their ability to tour, their ability to perform live in front of audiences is devastating. From your point of view, what do you see as the outlook for Christian artists for the next three to six months and what advice would you offer artists?

Bri Babineaux: The advice that I would give any artist is to stay focused and prayerful. I think in this time and season, God has put us in a space where He’s halted us to get back in touch with Him and with what really matters for us to be in His presence. We should use this moment to be with our families, to stay prayerful, to write songs. I believe songs are being birthed in this season. Just stay prayerful and vigilant to know that this too shall pass, because we’re only here for a season but we do have a greater work and He wants us to get back to our first love which is Him. That would be the advice that I have for everyone.

I don’t know what the future holds. This is all crazy. I’ve been currently battling with illnesses of my own, so I just want to stay positive and hope for the best. Because I know God wouldn’t bring us this far to leave us. I’m praying for the best.  I think the body of Christ will come out bigger and stronger than ever before. People always need music.

(The dazzling Bri Babineaux is a social media maven with over a million followers across her multiple media platforms. Bri’s remake of Tonex’s Make Me Over on YouTube was a viral outbreak, attracting enormous attention and launching the moniker #brination. Babineaux is living proof to the legacy of ministry. Both of Bri’s parents are pastors at Life Changing Ministries in Lafayette, LA. Although Babineaux appears to be the epitome of Louisiana Creole, she was born in Hawaii before relocating to Lafayette. Bri has found true and lasting love with her husband, Keeslon Fontenot.)