Erica Campbell continues to enjoy the fruit of her legendary career in gospel music. One half of Mary Mary, Campbell is set to star with Stephanie Mills in the upcoming Lifetime movie Pride: A Seven Deadly Sins Story. The movie premieres at 8 p.m. ET on April 8.
Ahead of the movie’s release, Campbell spoke to rolling out about the movie and her music career highlights.
What is the Pride movie all about?
It’s about pride, the dangers of pride and how it can affect a family. How it can almost destroy a family. I think that Stephanie and Thomas did an amazing job. I was glad to be a part of it. I think this is a very necessary film with the subject and topic, especially with the way our culture is today. A lot of pride and I think people need to recognize that pride does come before fall.
Do you feel like pride is one of the sins not discussed that often?
We discuss it, but I think people confuse confidence and pride.
You should be confident in yourself for sure. You should be proud of the work that you do, but when it becomes pride and pride becomes selfish, self-centered, angry and doesn’t consider anyone else and it’s all about you, that’s when it becomes dangerous. Then you allow the enemy’s hand to manipulate you as you leave people out and only focus on yourself. No one is in this world by themselves. No one does anything great by themselves. You need help in the hands of other people.
So this film will show how it affects family. Even when you’re trying to give your kids everything and do everything for your kids. If you don’t give them yourself if you don’t give them your love, your time and your correction, you do them a great disservice as a parent and you see that played out in this film.
What is your reaction when someone tells you they heard your song in the club?
I love it because everybody’s not going to church. So when they play it somewhere where they quote unquote, call it “darkness,” that’s where light works best. So I think it’s amazing playing it everywhere, touching people’s lives, changing people’s lives.
One of the greatest testimonies I got was from a girl listening to “God In Me” in the club. She thought the song was dope, so she bought the record. When she bought the record, she was like, “I don’t want to buy no gospel record.” She actually cursed when she said it, but she said she couldn’t stop listening. She says she kept listening to the record. She said “I felt my life change.” She’s in tears telling me the story, by the way, at a signing, I’m signing an autograph. She said, “I felt my life changing. Then when I went to church, and I gave my life to Jesus.” And she was like, “I’ve never been the same. So thank you.” She’s like, “Tell them please don’t ever stop playing gospel music in the clubs. It reaches people like me.” So it is a huge compliment. I think that’s when I’m most effective, when I’m reaching people in dark places.
