NASHVILLE, Tenn. (October 2007) –Dove Award-winning producer-songwriter Don Koch will produce the next album for The Sonflowerz, the popular Christian duo that was named the Best Over-All Vocal Group at last summer’s GMA Music in the Rockies competition.
Sisters Elissa and Becca Leander of Colorado Springs, Colo., expect to begin recording their new project in Nashville and Denver in late October. The CD will feature about a dozen new songs penned by Elissa with other writers such as Koch and Brian White. The first single from the album will be released in February 2008. The album, which is set for release in March, will be distributed through the distribution channels of Indie Extreme, the independent label management firm that administers Sonflower Records.
“Co-writing with Don Koch for this project has been fantastic, and we’re very excited about working with him in the studio.” Elissa Leander said. “The songs are beautiful. The combination of Don’s talents and experience, and our musical growth over the last few years, take our music to a new level.”
The Sonflowerz are experiencing their most successful year. In August, the act won first place in the Vocal Duo competition and later were judged Best Over-All Vocal Group at the 33rd annual GMA Music in the Rockies. A week later, their latest radio single, Move Me, from their second independent release, climbed to number four on the European Christian Music Chart, above other songs by major label acts such as Stephen Curtis Chapman, Kutless, and Audio Adrenaline.
The new CD will feature lead vocals and acoustic guitar by Elissa, bass and background vocals by Becca, and instrumentation by some of Nashville’s top session players. The Leander sisters, who are half British, plan to tour the United Kingdom for the fifth time next year.
“During our travels in the U.S. and U.K., and we’ve come in contact with a lot of young people who are hurting,” Becca said. “More than ever, people are searching to fill a void. We want the songs on this new record to point the way to Jesus.”
The Sonflowerz was born in 1998 after Elissa began writing songs in Colorado Springs. Reluctant to perform in front of audiences at first, she was encouraged by her youth pastor to form a band with her sister, Becca, and members of their church youth group. The following year, the group was performing at various venues across Colorado. The act’s first album, You Remain, and single, Crazy Love, were released in 2002. Their sophomore effort, Alive in You, was released in 2005. The band became a duo in 2006, touring the U.S. and the United Kingdom and seeing their single, Move Me, receive international airplay.
“My greatest joy for this next CD is that I am given the opportunity once again to write and sing about the impression God has made on my life,” Elissa added. “These songs convey the gratitude of being loved by God and the desire to share that love with the world.”
Since the early ‘90s, Don Koch has produced records for every major Christian record label with total sales in excess of 8 million. He has won Dove Awards for Inspirational Record of the Year two years in a row. The songwriter-producer has worked with Christian acts such as Bob Carlisle, Larnelle Harris, Angelo & Veronica, Fred Hammond, Phillips Craig and Dean, 4-Him, Cindy Morgan, Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, Charles Billingsley, and Greg Long. His songs have been recorded by artists such as Brian Littrell (The Backstreet Boys), Donnie Osmond, Michael Crawford, Avalon, Phillips Craig and Dean, Jump 5, Craig Morgan, Charles Billingsley, and Allen Asbury. He has won Dove awards for Song of the Year (once) and Inspirational Song of the Year (three times). He also has had 38 number one songs in the CCM market.
“When I first met The Sonflowerz, I was taken back by how transparent their hearts are,” Koch said. “I could easily see Christ in them. Their passion for family, for ministry, and their love for singing come shining through. But there is more. They are really talented. It is an honor and privilege to be working with them. It’s going to be amazing to watch how God uses these two sisters from Colorado Springs.”
Indie Extreme, a Houston-based independent record label management firm, provides Sonflower Records with label administration services such as marketing support, distribution, administration, e-commerce, bookkeeping and inventory management. The company also provides the label with consulting on artist and business development as a part of the complete overall resources available to each member.
“It’s an honor working with The Sonflowerz,” said Indie Extreme CEO Kathy Douglas. “Elissa and Becca have incredible talent, and we are looking forward to being a part of the success of their new album next year.”
For more information about The Sonflowerz, visit http://www.Sonflowerz.com or http://www.MyCCM.org/sonflowerz, or send an e-mail to becca@sonflowerz.com.
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