Cecilia talks to Catholic music sensation, Cimorelli, about their latest release — a new worship medley.
CECILIA MUSIC: Hi, Katherine (Cimorelli)! Who are Cimorelli: how and where did you start?
Thanks for this interview! We are six sisters from Northern California. We grew up in a Catholic, homeschooled family of 11 kids (yes, we have 5 brothers!) in a small town with zero connections to the music industry. Our mom, a classical pianist, taught us to sing and play the piano when we were really young. We were discovered by a major record label (Island UK) and signed with them in 2010. We moved down to Los Angeles and basically felt like all our dreams came true! We spent 5 years in LA chasing that dream, and by the end of it we were exhausted and depressed. We were pretty much on the verge of quitting music. In 2015 we decided to leave our record label and move to Nashville and become independent artists. It was around this time that we also discovered that we wanted our music to have depth and a strong message.
We are very happy to present your brand new worship medley. Which Cimorelli had the idea for this beautiful medley?
Thank you so much! Actually it was something all of us wanted to do, but Christina was the one who pushed the project forward. Dani and I (Katherine) did the arrangement for the song.
Can you tell us more about the two songs you have combined? Your medley is so good it sounds like one song!
Thank you! We absolutely love both of these songs. Amy and I have sung worship music live at young adult events in Nashville and that was how we originally learned “What A Beautiful Name.” As for “I Can Only Imagine,” it’s a classic song we’ve all known and sung since childhood. It was so cool to combine the two — a classic with a more modern worship song!
“Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel?” is the most powerful passage in the medley. How would you describe the word “glory” to a modern audience?
Very simply put God is Love. To experience His love is an overwhelming, glorious feeling. You can see hints and glimpses of His love in so many things — the love between parents and children, the beauty of nature, forgiveness and kindness and humility. When you witness something that blows your mind with its’ goodness, that is a glorious feeling, and that is the presence of God!
You seemed to have answered John Paul II’s call to artists. “Society needs artists … Artists have their unique place. Obedient to their inspiration in creating works both worthwhile and beautiful, they … enrich the cultural heritage of each nation and of all humanity.” (JPII’s letter to artists) Do these words sound familiar?
Yes!! JPII is amazing. I am a big fan of his writing! We love this message and that is something we definitely strive for — to create art that is beautiful and meaningful in a world that can be very dark. We definitely push against the popular nihilist view of modern culture and try to communicate with our music, “Life is precious and meaningful. It is a gift to be celebrated, no matter how hard the challenges we encounter are. There is always hope, and there is so much beauty in every human being.”
Why is Christ relevant for our culture?
People are absolutely starving for purpose and meaning. Our culture has so many negative messages of consumerism, instant gratification, and emptiness. Modern media tells people that fame, money, social media followers and possessions will bring them true happiness. It is such a toxic message that is being given to people of all ages — a message that breeds insecurity, loneliness and isolation. God is the source of all hope, meaning and purpose in life. Having a strong sense of faith gives your life the ultimate meaning! Even with all of life’s ups and downs, having faith gives you a constant, unchanging sense of purpose. That is what my sisters and I have found — having God as our anchor gives our lives so much purpose, no matter how hard things get!
Do you have any exciting projects this summer?
YES! We just released a new EP called I Love You, Or Whatever. It has four fun, upbeat songs for summer, as well as three deeper, more reflective spoken word poems. We released it on our website on July 1 and it will be available on Spotify, iTunes, etc., on August 1!! We are so happy and excited to share it with people!
MINI BIO
Name: Cimorelli
Hometown: Sacramento, California
Current City: Nashville, Tennessee
Latest Album: Sad Girls Club
Website: cimorellimusic.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/cimorelliband
And today we celebrate...