JJ Heller is making a big splash since the release of “Only Love Remains,” but we are not a bit surprised. She’s one to watch. And talk with.
JJ, one thing that quickly stands out immediately is the extraordinary partnership between you and your husband, Dave. Together you seem to operate as one, in your music and it sounds like in the business as well. To what do you attribute this amazing success?
God was so good to Dave and me when he allowed our paths to cross. Our personalities compliment each other so well, and we can honestly say that we're best friends. Dave and I feel so blessed to be able to work together and do what we love for a living. I'm not sure our schedule would work well for everybody (we spend virtually every hour of every day together), but we really enjoy our time with each other. We're both fairly easy-going, although I must confess that I do get grumpy when I'm hungry or when I don't get enough sleep. Dave is almost never grumpy, and I'm not sure why I got so lucky to have a husband like him!
My husband is the business-mind behind our small-time operation. He is our booking agent, road manager, tour-bus (aka our Honda Element) driver, web-tech, accountant, guitar player, and a whole bunch of other roles that I can't think of right now. Because he does such a good job taking care of our business, I'm free to be creative. A lot of independent artists (like us) don't have time to write new songs because they're busy trying to book gigs. I have the luxury of writing whenever I feel inspired.
I know you're planning the big Nashville move now, probably in the midst of it as we speak. What are your hopes in making this move?
One of our deepest desires in making the move to Nashville is to get plugged in to a group of friends that we can simply live life with. We have been praying that God would bring people into our lives in Tennessee that we could be friends with (yes, it sounds simple, but it is something that is very important to us.) We've been here in Nashville for about a week and a half, and we've seen our prayers answered already.
We're also hoping that we can start playing in the South and the East. So far we've spent most of our time playing in Arizona, California, and the Northwest. We're looking forward to sharing our songs with new audiences out here in the eastern part of the country!
JJ, I love the honesty of your music, as I mentioned in the review.(See Suite review here). And I know that your live performances really move the hearts of your audience. Why do you think people respond so forcefully to this quality of yours?
In our experience, we've found that audiences respond to honesty. When Dave was a little boy, he saw Steve and Annie Chapman in concert. The couple made such a great impression on him that he asked his parents if they could invite the Chapmans over for dinner after the show. Not that Dave and I want a barrage of dinner invitations, but we do want people to relate to us in a real, personal sort of way. We never want to get so caught up in the performance that we start acting, instead of just sharing our hearts.
The author Donald Miller says that people won't listen to what you say unless they know that you care about them. Whenever we sing, we try to earn the audience's trust by being vulnerable and honest with them and not pretending to be anything we're not. For some reason, God has chosen Dave and me to communicate a message to His children, and we are honored by that responsibility, and consider it a privilege.
What is your favorite type of venue and why?
Ooooh...tough question. We recently played at a center for women with eating disorders (called Remuda Ranch), and we had such an amazing time. I've found that my music connects really well with women (especially those who have been wounded). It's been amazing to see how God has used music to bring healing and restoration to broken lives.
We also love playing at Christian College chapel services. Generally speaking though, it's more about the people than the venue... if they're listening, then we're happy to be there!
Suite doesn't usually attempt fortune-telling, but mark our words: JJ Heller and her wonderful band will be around for a while! And that's a good thing.
