CCM Article (June 1996)

Faces to Watch

JACI VELASQUEZ
SIXTEEN CANDLES

       Sweet 16 -- for many reaching this milestone, it’s a time for prom, dating and football games. But for Jacquelyn Davette Velasquez it means another year of adventurous travel. This travel, though, has nothing to do with class trips or spring break.
       With a Spanish flavor similar to Gloria Estefan and the vocal power of an up-and-coming Whitney Houston, Myrrh’s youngest artist is spending this season opening 4Him concerts and supporting the release of her new album Heavenly Place. Not the typical prom fare at all.
       The young, vocal prodigy gained her confidence on stage long before this tour. Jaci has recorded and performed since she was 10. She won an entertainment pageant at 11 and sang at the White House before she turned 13. She’s even recorded some independent albums with her family’s ministry, the roots of Jaci’s faith and musical talent. Her father has been singing and ministering in churches across the country for 36 years -- taking Jaci on the road at the ripe old age of nine.
       A very passionate person when it comes to certain issues, Jaci speaks honestly about sexual purity before marriage. Her convictions are evidenced in her song “I Promise,” which she wrote with her friend Johnny Ramirez, a youth minister in San Antonio, Texas: “Though I may be young/I see and understand/That at times like sheep we go astray/And things get out of hand.” The chorus continues, “So I promise to be true to You/To live my life in purity/As unto You/Waiting for the day/When I hear You say/Here is the one I have created/just for you.”
       “I’m [experiencing the pressure] right along with others and even though there’s a lot of temptations, [purity] still has to be the main goal. You cannot let all those temptations take a hold of you. We have enough pressures as it is with school and decisions about our future. We should be worrying about what we’re going to do next weekend, not ‘I can’t go do that because I have to save money to feed my kid.’ That’s just too much for us to handle right now.”
       So what’s it like to be a young new artist? “It’s glamorous for about five seconds, and then it’s not any more. You get on that bus, and people don’t see that. All they see is the two hours that you’re [on stage], and there’s a lot of hours that go into that.”
       Although developing a career as a responsible adult, Jaci thinks, dreams -- and often acts -- like a true teenager. Her youthful levels of energy and excitement for life are to be coveted. In the little free time that she has, she enjoys rock climbing, watching movies, roller skating and (rumor has it) she can out-shop just about anyone.
       As for the future, “I think I’d like to go into the Air Force. [The movie] Top Gun made me want to fly!” While there are no flying lessons on the horizon, the 16-year-old is content with where she’s at in life. “I love what I do. I don’t know what I would do besides this. I know there are things I’d like to do, like joining the Air Force, but I don’t know if I’d give this up for that. I like the work. Even when I’m working hard and I’m stressed, I still love it.”

               -- Linda Pfrommer