Adia has a personality and a sound that stand out. Having grown up in Illinois and now living in Alabama, she’s one of the new faces of gospel music and she’s carving out a place for herself in the genre by recording music that’s as personal as it is uplifting. Her debut, Behind Enemy Lines, hits iTunes on July 29.
“I knew that I was going to be involved in music since I was a kid,” she explains. “My parents always did churches and workshops and all kinds of things — just music all the time. I was in the studio with my dad late nights. I always knew I’d have a career in music. But I did not think I was going to be doing Christian music.
“I was trying to pursue a mainstream music at first,” she continues. “I would get to a certain place and things just wouldn’t work out. And I truly believe that was because it was not [meant] for me.
“A lot of gospel music is very preachy,” she says. “I can appreciate that. I’m from the church, so I don’t discredit that type of music. But my approach is more of a lifestyle. How are you living? Lifestyle is more relatable and relevant to this generation. I’m not a ‘churchy’ person, [though] I grew up in the church.
“I want people to understand and grasp my story,” explains Adia. “I wrote this album with my producer, Fred “Blaze” Cooper. He and I wrote this album together. And he knows me. He was able to write lyrics that were very personal in my life. It was important for me to have a project that I can relate to, because I can’t preach or teach through experiences I haven’t been through. I haven’t lived it. But this is my journey and you can listen to my journey and know that I’ve been there, too.”
Adia describes Blaze as her musical brother and Behind Enemy Lines highlights their potent chemistry. “Blood couldn’t make us any closer,” she says. “The recording process was organic. He knows me almost better than anybody else outside of my parents and closest friends.
“God is shaping me and I’m growing,” Adia declares. “I believe I’m going to look back at this time and say ‘Wow, I couldn’t believe where I am now.’ I’m loving it the most right now.”
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