Jen G: I read that you actually keep a notebook by your pillow just in case inspiration strikes… Is that true?

Andrea Hamilton: Yes. I’ve woken up many times before my alarm goes off with a verse, a melody, or a whole song in my head. I don’t know how it happens, but I’m not arguing!

Jen G: How often do you wake up with a song or poem in your heart?

Andrea Hamilton: Maybe like once a month.

Jen G: In your blog, you posted a poem back in February that I believe is untitled, but the opening line is, “Tonight in my Cages.” It’s very powerful. Tell me what the line, “Break me, re-make me, jog my memory,” means.

Andrea Hamilton: “Tonight in my Cages” is the title, actually! It’s a poem about my tendency to get too focused on tasks and to-do lists. I wrote it when I was so stressed out and busy that my relationship with God was suffering, and that line is my way of repenting and saying, “Give me a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit within me!”

Jen G: Last summer you had a very successful tour in Singapore. What was the experience like for you—the people, the media, and the venues you visited?

Andrea Hamilton: Singapore was a blast. I loved all of the people I got to meet, and my road manager and I got to stay in a mansion for free for two of the weeks we were there. The media there was sadly Americanized, but the churches were ALIVE! I got to see God at work in the hearts of many people, and it convinced me that He’s up to something big in that part of the world. I told Him I’d prefer not to come back to jaded, self-sufficient, disbelieving, stale American Christianity, but He told me He’d prefer that I come back and be part of the change.

Jen G: Was there any memorable moment that just confirmed that God was totally in your being there at that time?

Andrea Hamilton: Yes. At one church, a man I had just met put his hand on his head and began praying for things in my life that he had no way of knowing about. It was spooky.

Jen G: Recently, you performed at Senora’s benefit concert. What was that all about, and why did you choose to be a part of it?

Andrea Hamilton: It’s a scholarship fundraiser that Rita Coolidge’s piano player started 13 years ago to promote studies in the arts. I was honored to go perform with many people more accomplished than I—people like Sam Harris, one of the original winners of Star Search (check him out on CBS’s The Class), Kevin Fisher (writer for Rascal Flatts), and comedian Henry Phillips. On top of that, Lauryn Hill’s backup singer sang with me on my song “It’ll Be Alright.”

Jen G: On your album Stronger Than I Seem, “Drop Everything and Run” is definitely one of my favorites. What inspired it?

Andrea Hamilton: I was writing it about my roommate, who had a major fear of commitment. But about halfway through writing it, I realized it’s about me.

Jen G: On your new EP Live at Safe Haven 2006, “It’ll Be Alright” is just one of those songs that I can’t seem to stop playing. It’s efficacious! It reminds me that faith is our remedy and that it’ll be alright because He is with us. Tell me of a past experience that helped shape that faith to go on. How has your relationship with Christ given you that push and the knowing that things will work out?

Andrea Hamilton: Thank you! I’m glad you like it. During my college years, my health hasn’t always been the greatest. I’ve really needed faith in certain moments of frustration and fear, especially when I started wondering if my health would ever be back to normal again. It helped to know that one day I would wake up and things would be alright—even if it’s on the day I see the light of Heaven! It’s a song about having patience through pain.

Jen G: When you performed at Safe Haven, did you know it was going to turn into an EP?

Andrea Hamilton: Yes—my friend brought the microphones, and we even restarted one song that didn’t get off to a great start!

Jen G: Was there anything about that concert that just caused your music to flow with a perfect balance?

Andrea Hamilton: I had the privilege of playing with Jason Lomheim and Mark Chipello, who play with Tyrone Wells (on Universal Records).

Jen G: Like a lot of artists, you write your own music, but in addition to that, you’re also a co-writer who has been working with award-winning writer Kevin Fisher for Rascal Flatts. What has it been like to work with someone who has been incredibly successful in his craft? How challenging has it been?

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