Hey guys! It’s me, Ele. :) That is what I used to call myself when I was a toddler and my parents still fondly call me Me-Ele. Others have called me Ellie Belly, Smelly Ellie and Elly May. Why do people think that is so cute??? :-/ Well, I am supposed to tell you about myself, so I guess I will start at the very beginning. My parents had been married for sixteen years and had almost given up on their prayer that they would be parents. Then wow....I make a grand entrance! People also gave them nicknames like... Abraham and Sarah... Our home has always been filled with music. Anything from Broadway to Inspirational...and yes, even Rock & Roll. I guess you could say that it is in my blood. My Dad was in musical theatre, performed live shows with Disney, and has been a Worship Pastor for many years. My Mom told me that when I was 18 months old I sat still for the entire length of the movie, Annie. I was mesmerized with the singing and dancing. Then I went around the house singing “tomahwah, tomahwah, I wuv you tomahwah.” Between watching Annie do her thing and Shirley Temple sing about her Animal Crackers, I was hooked on song and dance forever. When I was four years old, I sang my first solo “God Bless America” at a Fourth of July celebration. I really connected with that audience. During the closing song, my Dad was sharing a microphone with me and another singer. I gently took the microphone from his hand and sang out with all my heart on “Amazing Grace”....I felt that I had found my place in this world. While my other friends were cheering and playing ball, I opted for dance classes, piano, and acting classes. I was passionate about music and the theatre. When I was eight years old, my rendition of “I Love To Laugh” caught the attention of NYC talent manager Mari Lyn Henry and I was sent to audition for the role of Jane Banks for the original cast of Disney’s Broadway production of Mary Poppins. Out of dozens and dozens of girls, and back to back trips to New York, I made it to the final round of call backs before being cut. I was disappointed but thought that God knew I was not ready for this. Back in Atlanta, I became a member of Kids on Broadway and was cast as Tallulah Bankhead in my first production. When auditions for the role of Jane Banks came around the following year, I was too tall to even audition. Over the next two years, I was cast in musicals with several different Atlanta theatres. I even played a Munchkin in The Wiz. haha :) Then suddenly I stopped getting roles. I had always been tall for my age and then almost overnight, I grew several inches taller than my friends. I was too tall to play the parts for my age, but too chubby cheeked and child-like to play the parts that matched my height. I became very discouraged that something was wrong with me and I would never be able to do what I loved. The reason I’m telling you all this is because you don’t have to be perfect for God to use you. It doesn’t matter if you are tall or short or anything else that you may think is wrong with yourself. The ability to be cast in a role means you have to look a certain way...but that is not how it is with God. He can use you for anything. And no matter what “role” He casts you in, it’s always going to be the one that He made especially for you. I had always liked to entertain and be a ham. My Mom called me her little Lucille Ball. I actually thought that if I became a Christian, I would have to give up being funny. I think that probably a lot of people think that way about God. But I soon learned that all things fun come from God. He wants us to laugh and have a good time. Jesus saved me when I was six, but it wasn’t until age 11 that I fully gave my whole life to Him. He spoke to me during a youth event and told me that I did not have to fit in a perfect mold for Him to use me. He put a burning desire in my heart to share His Word through song. With this new direction in my life, I began to write with a passion. The title track of my album,“Your Girl”, was written especially for those of us that think we have to be perfect, look perfect and have all the perfect things of this world. But God loves us just the way we are. So, with my notebook of song lyrics, I began to work with my vocal/piano coach, Bill Newberry, to put those lyrics to music. We made some demos of these songs on his iPod right in his piano studio. I thought I have to get a seasoned songwriter in the industry to listen to these. I dream BIG! With my Mom’s permission, I sent an email to my all time favorite Dove Award winning singer/songwriter, Cindy Morgan. To my great surprise, Cindy graciously responded and the rest is history. Cindy listened and liked my songs. She then introduced me to the best producer (Stephen Leiweke), songwriters and musicians in Nashville. I spent part of the spring and most of the summer in Nashville collaborating and recording my debut album, YOUR GIRL. It is a collection of songs that speak personally to me and I hope will be an encouragement to others. The album is a blend of blue-eyed soul and a fusion of R&B, pop and rock that are fun and energetic. I can’t wait to share these songs with you. Well, thanks for taking the time to read this. I hope you know me a little better now. And I can’t close this without giving a shout out to the One who makes all things possible. Thank you God for loving me, saving me and having a wonderful plan for my life that I could never have imagined. Thank you for blessing me with the mind-blowing responsibility of sharing Your Word through song. I do it all for Your glory! I will always be Your girl! With all my heart, Ele