About Regina: As the child of a musician, Regina Reid-Clermont has been singing since her elementary school years.  She has become active as a studio vocalist and arranger for other artists. To hear her featured music, click here!  She shared with us her musical history, thoughts about life, & God via this email interview.

When did you first start singing (playing, writing)?

I remember it clearly. My first solo was when I was 8 years old at First Seventh Adventist Church in Washington, D.C. Of course my brother played for me, even back then! My dad coached me for the AYS program in the fellowship hall. I sang “My Jesus I Love Thee.” I didn’t start songwriting until after college.

Your family is known for being blessed with musical talent.  What's one of your favorite memories of growing up in such a musically inclined family?!

My father’s group, “The Brothers of Washington, D.C.” is a legacy that framed my musicianship. We were going to concerts and rehearsals for as long as I can remember, and making friendships with other “Brothers Kids” that have endured to this day. My dad exposed us to artists and styles of music that gave us a roaring headstart in our ability to understand and hear. I remember being no more than eight or ten years old, and Reggie and I literally had our ears pressed against the speakers trying to digest “The Master Plan” by the Breath of Life Quartet or ANYTHING by the Singers Unlimited, stuff that many folks can’t get into even now. As I got older, my dad would let me transcribe his arrangements while he played them at the piano.

How did you become an independent artist?

It’s funny. My father had been a musician all of my life and had recorded five albums with his group by the time I graduated high school, but I never dreamed of being “an artist.” Lauri Preston and I were both asked to be in a group back in 1994. Her uncle had been in my dad’s group back in the day, so that was our connection when we met to be in this group. The group never took off, but we got together to sing a couple of times. In fact, the first time we ever sang together was at CPC. She had been invited to come and asked if I wanted to sing with her. We never decided to be an official group. We just sang whenever people asked us to come. After singing all over the city one church at a time for five years, and being consistently asked when we were going to record an album, we decided to do it. We have been together now for 12+ years.

What are some of the advantages of being an independent artist?

I enjoy being free to do what I want on my own terms. The music I’ve recorded doesn’t fit into a tidy box assignment, as many independent artists find. The music industry in general is so formulaic in what it offers. True creative expression from the uniqueness of one’s soul is so often abandoned for the watered down formula that sells to the masses. I look forward to always being able to sing and write from my heart and never having to slickly package myself for mass consumption.

Do you get nervous before you minister?

YES! People never believe me when I say this, but I experience great anxiety before public ministry. I am a perfect balance of my parents: my father’s gregariousness gives me the genes to stand on stage and pull it off, but the Mommy in me would rather not be up front. I do it just because God asks me to.

Where do you see Christian music headed in the years to come?

Christian music is being derailed by the artists’ pride. Lucifer was the first ever egomaniac, and he was Heaven’s chief musician. Being given the gift of music demands the sacrifice and practice of humility. So many gospel and Christian artists are so caught up in the celebrity of being famous that their music, though it be Christian, is just a safe platform for their own exaltation. The debate on the content and style of gospel music is being well argued – secular artists on gospel records, “holy hip hop,” and so many other issues that deal with the integrity of the music itself. But the music rises and falls on the integrity of the people who sing it. You look at the covers of gospel CDs today and these artists are looking the same as the R&B set. Music has a powerful effect on the artist and the listener, and it is a privilege to be entrusted with such a powerful gift, but fewer and fewer artists are willing to let God stay out front and instead take the spotlight themselves. The truth in song will eventually become impotent as artists seek fame for themselves on the back of gospel music.   

How are you learning to balance family life with your career?

Balance? WHAT’S THAT? Honestly, my career, such as it was, has taken a hit since before I even got married. Lauri and I had started recording a second project, but then I started dating my husband who was living in Michigan, so I was both distracted and out of town! It’s difficult, I have to say. Part of my music ministry was as a music ministry leader at church (here at CPC for five years). That kind of service is challenging to do now because my husband has a ministry with children that is not based out of a single church. Can’t be at two places at one time! But I think I’ll get back in the swing of things once we get more settled in and adjusted to life in Maryland together. For now, I do what I can when I can. CPC still gives me opportunities to serve. Last year we did the “Women at the Well” musical I wrote, which has since gone on a bit of a tour!

What Christian artist would you most like to sing a duet with (or perform with)?
 
My brother toured with CeCe Winans for several years, and ever since then I’ve wanted to sing back-up on a concert tour with her. Or for Oleta Adams if she ever did a gospel tour.

What is your inspiration for writing a new song?

I don’t write as a matter of habit. Not songs, anyway. One of my first songs was inspired by a sermon Pastor Wright preached about how much God believes in us. More recently, my brother and I collaborate as songwriters. We co-wrote most of the original songs for “The Reid Project,” and seemed to find a working pattern. He initiates the song with a music track that comes to him from wherever his inspiration is derived, then he tells me the general idea he had in mind. Sometimes it’s just a word or two. Then I write the lyrics from there. How it turns out depends on who its for. One of my favorite artists to write for is Nathelene McMillan-Moore. She has such a range and such honesty, I know I can write without limitations and she will take it places few others will go.

Tell us about a special moment you and God shared.

The year 2006 was a very special year of transition back home after moving with my husband to Michigan. One of my most special moments with God was the faithwalk we took as I was looking for both a new job and a new home. He had opened the door to the perfect home for us – everything I’d asked for. AND He was opening the door to a new job that would be a great career opportunity for me. The only thing was, I wasn’t hearing fast enough about the job, and we had to make a decision about the house. I had to choose to trust that what He had for me was for me. We decided to move before confirming that I’d gotten the job, but God already had it worked out. We ended up moving into our new place on a Sunday, and I started my new job the next day.

What are some of your future goals?

I hope to finish that second project this year and help some other artists move their ministry forward. More rewarding than my own music is seeding into the ministries of my good friends who are so immensely talented. I love working in the studio and have found that doing background vocals is my niche. So I’d like to work with some more artists in the booth this year. 

When you get to Heaven, what new thing(s) do you look forward to doing musically?

I want to be able to play the piano! Here on earth my few years of lessons don’t get me very far, but in Heaven I want to have a jam session with my dad, my brother and my husband, who all play. My real dream is to have my mom on drums.
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Note:  To learn more about Regina's CD, click here!