Q: Congratulations on the release of your newest album! What inspired you to write it?

Thanks so much! Truthfully, my husband (C-Aye Purcell) and I are always writing music, we can’t help ourselves! We get to a certain point where we are eager to solidify the music in a format that can be easily shared with our community, and that is when we discipline ourselves to get in the studio and record. With this particular album, YV Ministry Vol. 2, it is our hope that it inspires anyone who listens to draw closer to God in a personal relationship. The mission of YV (which stands for Yielded Vessels) is to use music to help people connect spiritually and build community.

Q: Can you talk about how the collaboration worked between you and your writing/performance partner, who also happens to be your husband? How do you work together?

I feel so incredibly blessed that C-Aye and I are a wonderful complement to each other. The initial writing of a new song may come about in different ways—he and I write together sometimes, but we also write on our own or with other creative partners (shout-out to one of my best friends and writing partners, the supremely talented Jamie Beutel!). But when it comes to getting our songs produced and engineered, C-Aye’s talents definitely take over. He is a whiz in the studio and is so passionate and meticulous with the cultivation of recorded sound. I’m more of the performer. I come alive on stage and am the one always on a search for our next gig!

Q: What was the biggest challenge you faced as you were writing and recording?

Time is typically the biggest challenge. As an artist, it is easy to spend hours, days, weeks, and more on your work. But of course, there are always other activities to balance in life. It’s also challenging to assess an actual end point to finish and release the work.

Q: You’re also the Vice President of the Recording Academy. Are you gearing up for the Grammys next month?

Yes! I’m grateful the GRAMMYs come so soon after the holidays because I’m prone to the post-Christmas blues. But getting ready for the GRAMMYs perks me right up again!

Q: What are the difficulties of coordinating such an intensive and well-watched live awards ceremony like that? And what is your favorite part of the evening?

The GRAMMYs are associated with a level of excellence that my colleagues and I take very seriously. And that encompasses everything from the submission and voting processes all the way through the execution of the show. If you can believe it, the GRAMMY process re-starts each Spring when members can submit proposals for category changes. It then flows into the Summer with our Online Entry Process, then onto our voting rounds in the Fall, and then culminates with the show everyone watches in February. It’s a year-round and thorough endeavor! And that’s not even including all the other work we do in support of the music community throughout the year. It is always busy for us, but very rewarding.

My favorite part is actually earlier, when GRAMMY day kicks off with the Premiere Ceremony. Most GRAMMYs are given out before the televised show, and I get to celebrate so many of our members across a multitude of genres and crafts who may not be celebrities but who are wildly talented.

Q: You’ve mentioned previously that your background in arts administration prepared you well for this role with the Recording Academy, and before that you studied Economics at Harvard. How did your time at Harvard shape your career trajectory?

While I was in school, I didn’t realize what a powerful role my extracurricular activities would play in shaping my career. I’m grateful that the balance of those activities with my academic pursuits uniquely prepared me for the path ahead. I chose Economics because I wanted to study business, but what I didn’t know was what exactly I wanted to “sell.” The more involved I was in music and the arts on campus, the more I understood that I wanted the arts to play a prominent role in the rest of my life in some way, shape, or form. To be a successful arts administrator you must have a deep empathy for artists and the artistic process, but then intertwine that with the discipline, drive, and thick skin it takes to package, market, and sell the final product.

Q: I know you’ve just completed a huge and exciting project— is there anything you’re already looking ahead to in 2025? Whether with the Recording Academy or as an independent artist?

With respect to YV Ministry, we’re looking forward to creating more opportunities for adults and children to experience the joy of creating and sharing music, and how that can bring you in closer relationship to God. The underlying mission of YV is to use music to help people connect spiritually to God and to build community with each other. That’s what music has done for me and C-Aye, and it is our goal to pay it forward.

And on the Recording Academy front, I’m eager to work with my colleagues to steward some exciting changes in the Membership Department that we believe will unlock a greater sense of belonging and community for our members. For me, it all comes down to community. When the lights and the cameras turn off what we all truly have that is real is each other.

Q: What qualities do you think are essential for effective leadership in the music industry today? And what advice would you give to young women aspiring to leadership roles in the music industry?

I think two essential qualities for leadership in any industry would be empathy and deep listening. Most of us fall victim to a sense of scarcity, as if there is not enough time or space for all of us to be heard or share our ideas. But even though it may sound like a paradox, the more we slow down and take time to listen to each other, I find that more time and space open up for everyone. Women tend to have the higher levels of emotional intelligence that allow us to exercise those skills naturally, so what I would say to young women aspiring to leadership roles is to trust yourselves. You don’t have to turn into something you’re not to be successful.

Q: How do you see the Recording Academy evolving to better support artists and music professionals across diverse genres and regions?

The Recording Academy is in an exciting era of transformation as we work to build a stronger sense of community for all members and expand our mission worldwide. As the “borders” of music rapidly come down, it’s important to us at the Academy that our work reflects that, and that we warmly embrace the global music community.

Q: What does being named to the 2024 Billboard Women in Music list mean to you, and how does it reflect your journey in the music industry?

It was an incredible honor to be recognized by Billboard this past year. It meant so much because it felt like an acknowledgement that I’m on the right track with the work I’ve been doing. In my role you become accustomed to celebrating the achievements of others, so I often had to take a moment during that ceremony to remember that I was, in fact, being celebrated! This past year has been incredible overall as we surpassed our goal of adding 2500 new voting women to our ranks by 2025 early, and also diversified our membership along many other fronts. I’m inspired to continue our transformational work!

Q: Where can we listen to your new album?

You can find “YV Ministry, Vol 2” on all streaming platforms and either visit yvministry.com or follow us @yvministry on IG, Facebook, and TikTok for news on upcoming shows and all YV updates!