This isn’t the Partridge Family, but BarlowGirl sure smacks of family values. It isn’t the Go-Go’s either, but this chick band can write songs and rock with the best of them. And while there are some similarities, these girls show a lot less bellybutton than Josie and the Pussycats. For as much as BarlowGirl is about rock that showcases their sisterly harmonies and diverse musical talents, this band is about a message—the message that it’s okay to be different, because no matter who you are, you have perfect value in God’s eyes.

It’s hard to believe that the word conform is even in the vocabulary of Becca, Alyssa, and Lauren Barlow. Certainly a Christian rock band made up of three sisters from Elgin, Illinois, isn’t typical. But as BarlowGirl will tell you, they’re not your average girls. You might already know that. In fact, you might already know BarlowGirl. These radical rockers have already been introduced to the world by band Superchic[k], a group who was so impressed by the girls’ outlook on purity that they penned “Barlow Girls” about them a few years back, a tune that became a huge hit and signature song for Superchic[k]. But although the Barlows’ self-titled debut, BarlowGirl, hits stores in February 2004 from Fervent Records, they have already spent years fine-tuning their rock sound, and living out their message.

Obviously, the trio from BarlowGirl shares a lot of history—around 18 years, in fact, which is the age of the youngest member and drummer, Lauren. Alyssa, the middle sister at age 21 on bass and keyboards, and Becca, guitarist and oldest of the trio at 24, round out the band. With all three of the Barlows taking a hand in songwriting, BarlowGirl finds these sisters reflecting on the issues of their generation. Drawing songs from their own journals and journeys, the songs accurately portray the ongoing struggles of the girls and their friends—self-image, loneliness, and trusting God. Over and over you’ll hear the girls say phrases like “God was dealing with us” or “God was teaching us” when they talk about their songs. Being real is important to BarlowGirl, letting people know they are all going through the same things together—no one is on this journey alone. “Everybody is going through the same stuff,” says Alyssa. “That’s why we love that God has allowed us to use music as a platform to get our ministry out. We have an opportunity to say that we’re real, we struggle with these things, we fell here, but God has lifted us up. We have never written a song that said ‘We learned this, here you go.’ We’re still going through this. Our songs still help us!”

Songs like “Mirror” show the girls’ ongoing struggle with being happy in God’s image and not the world’s. “Superstar” also reflects that struggle—being content to be a star in God’s eyes as opposed to a superstar in a reality-show world full of people seeking their 15 minutes of fame. “To be a superstar is the top in our culture right now,” says Alyssa. “Even every t-shirt says ‘superstar’ or something like that these days,” agrees Becca. “God took us to that place where he took those dreams mostly away from us, especially Alyssa,” says Lauren. “And He asked, ‘Is it good enough that I think you’re amazing and that you’re a star in my eyes? Or do you crave that? Do you need that public attention? Is it good enough what I think about you?”

In fact, two of the songs on their debut, including “Surrender,” come from a time when God asked Alyssa to lay down the thing she most wanted—Broadway. “God put it on my heart that I needed to quit theater. I’d had these dreams of being on Broadway since I was a little girl, and so when God said, ‘Hey, what if you give them to me, and I might not give them back?’ it was like, ‘Are you joking?’ I went through a really hard time of hating God and thinking He was so mean.” And when Alyssa resisted God’s request, it seemed like it suddenly became more of a demand. “During that time—about three years ago--I fell down some stairs and ended up getting diagnosed with a disease called reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD). They told me I’d never walk normally again. I could eventually be in a wheelchair. Everything, in about 2 days, was taken away from me—my dreams of dance, of Broadway. Here’s this girl that has been a little church girl for most of my life and I was struggling with my faith and not knowing if I wanted to serve God at all.” But during her struggles and miraculous healing, Alyssa soon realized that His call on her was not to be an actress and play a role, but to be real for Him instead. She had to trust Him with everything. “He began to stir this passion inside of me that I didn’t know how I was going to get out-whether I’d be a missionary or what I would be. But I knew I had to speak that. I had to be real. I had a purpose.”

“Harder Than The First Time”, the debut single from BarlowGirl, touches on a subject that all Christians can relate to at one time or another. “We really felt like God put it on our hearts to write about how so often we take Him for granted. We don’t really see all that He’s done for us. It’s just become so common to be with Him. We saw in our own lives that we were just becoming very comfortable with God—which, it’s good to be comfortable in a relationship, but also always wanting more of God and not just remaining on that same level,” says Lauren.

Being real also means that in “Average Girl,” BarlowGirl sings about their view on dating. The Barlows have decided not to date around in a recreational sense, but rather wait on God and His timing, trusting He will bring their future spouses along. It was this concept that struck fellow band Superchic[k] when they penned their hit, “Barlow Girls”, about the girls, and the same concept that has resonated with both girls and guys all over the country. “Our generation is in this microwave mentality,” says Becca. “We need it now. There’s no room for waiting. But we believe in this waiting time, God has so many things that we need to learn from and grow in. I think so often this time is wasted by jumping from guy to guy to guy to try and satisfy the needs that we have, when we really need to find out what those needs are, and how God can fill them.” So you see, they really aren’t your average girls, no matter which way you look at it, although they wouldn’t do badly as role models for a generation.

BarlowGirl—three young women from the midwest, who are close to their family, who stand firm in their beliefs, and who are open enough to say they aren’t perfect and share their struggles transparently in order to grow. “This record has been birthed out of the last three years, and the journey of everything we’ve done our whole lives. It’s amazing to see what God has done with it and how He has built a ministry out of it,” says Lauren. “He’s using three normal girls from Elgin, IL, who have nothing to offer apart from Christ. We were all ready to go do our own thing, and He called us and turned us around and said, ‘I have something for you to tell the world’.”

Watch out, world. Here comes BarlowGirl.

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