I just love mamas who make their own path, and Yancy is one of those moms.
A 24-year veteran of the Christian recording scene, Yancy has been "making Jesus loud" around the world with her unique brand of "Jesus, glitter, and rock and roll." This weekend the independent recording artist, homeschool mom of two, and Rutherford County resident won her first Dove Award from the Gospel Music Association for Children's Album of the Year for her 2020 album Ready Set Go.
Little Praise Party's Ready Set Go is the latest in Yancy's sparkling music universe featuring undeniably catchy lyrics stuffed with stories from the Bible, encouraging children (and their parents listening in) to follow God's calling on their lives, wherever it may lead. It was a project written out of Yancy's own step of faith and obedience to create at a time when resources were low.
"I had been wanting to make a new album [for the Little Praise Party series] but just kept procrastinating the task because I didn’t have all the money I needed to complete a full project," she says.
She says it was visiting Kentucky's "The Ark Encounter" (a destination park featuring a full-size replica of Noah's Ark as described in Genesis) that gave her the visual she needed to start writing.
"I went December of 2018 and immediately started realizing how crazy it was that Noah built the ark," she says. "It was huge. Seeing its size in real life just really made me understand with amazement that Noah was convinced he heard from God, so much so that he built the ark. No doubt people laughed, made fun of him and thought he was crazy. The whole drive home to Nashville, I kept thinking about the fact that we are here because Noah obeyed. The ripple effect of our obedience goes farther than we could ever imagine.”
"Going to the ark really helped me realize that God was asking me to make another Little Praise Party album," she adds. "I needed to stop making excuses and take action so I started walking it out. Honestly that’s what I did for the next fifteen months after that."
It turned out to be perfect timing. She was able to complete the project right before the Covid-19 shutdown.
"I realized it didn’t take money for me to finish my song ideas," she added. "I could go in the studio and record the songs while I raised money and got creative on how to pay for the videos, so I started making calls and plans. I finished the songs. I started recording them and began production on the videos. The crazy thing is all of that wrapped up March 2020 --the same month that the pandemic began. Some of my release plans shifted around, but this has been one of the biggest and most-fulfilling journeys I’ve ever taken. God showed me this past year that this project was my ark. It ended up being an ark of protection in my life in what was an especially hard year for artists that normally make a big part of their income travelling and doing concerts."
Ready Set Go includes eight songs including the title song, "I Love My Mom," "It's Not About the Weather" (a Christmas song), "He's Alive He's Alive" (for Easter), "Made in the Image," "As For Me," and "Hungry and Thirsty" (featuring Hillsong Kids' Funny Man Dan).
"I’m an independent artist so winning an award like this as an indie is a true miracle," Yancy says. "Obviously, my heart wanted to win but I had prepared my mind that it probably wouldn’t happen. I think I’m still a bit in shock that I really did win, but I am oh so grateful."
"I really wanted to win just to encourage other independent artists, songwriters and producers out there that what they do matters," she adds. "I hope my story will encourage many more creatives that they were made for this and inspire them to keep at it."
