print: David Stephens (Destiny Praise) - Interview (July 2008) | BlackGospel.com, Your Gospel Music Ministry Source!

Interview with David Stephens
March 2008, BlackGospel.com by Christopher Heron

A new band of spiritual warriors are on the loose. Destiny Praise is their name and they’re taking the kingdom of God by force in 2008 with a modern musical message that’s determined, destined and driven to minister to contemporary Christians. Destiny Praise hails from Atlanta, Georgia but consider their home New Jerusalem. The new album is entitled, Driven but the album could easily have been dubbed Purposed, Anointed and Appointed by God.

Born out of Destiny Metropolitan Worship Church and blessed by God, this talented troupe of young ministers is making a move to drive souls towards righteousness and holiness, despite iniquity, adversity and uncertainty. BlackGospel.com spoke with one of Destiny Praise’s psalmists – David Stephens - about the journey Destiny Praise is on, a journey that’s destined to bring total praise, Atlanta –style, to a new generation of believers.

Christopher Heron: Let’s begin with the evolution of Destiny Praise. I understand DP to be an extension of the church’s music ministry. I’m referring to Destiny Metropolitan Worship church. Please share with us the evolution of Destiny Praise, from a group in the church to an exciting young Christian group of artists from the Atlanta area. How did this group go from a shared love for music and God to an exciting Gospel recording group?

David Stephens: Well it was always a vision of our Pastor Dr. Bryan E. Crute and his wife Lanette to actually export the Destiny Praise experience to the world. What we experience on a normal basis on Sunday morning, they wanted the world to actually see it, the music the energy. One day we just kind of decided to start writing some songs and I said, “Let’s put something on wax.”

So we started recording and, as we recorded we thought, “Wait a minute. We need to actually put out a CD and maybe start a record label.” We are going to do this through the praise with our church because we want it to be authentic; we want it to be real, we want it to be God centered. It started around 2001 when we put out the first CD.

We kept on recording and in 2003 we auditioned for more singers and the group revamped. To produce another album, we just decided ok, well let’s really take this thing as far as we can go. God really blessed us with a distribution deal recently and actually called that dream to come to pass.

CH: What are some of the qualities and characteristics of Destiny’s Praise that they’ve gained by being born out of Destiny Metropolitan church and what are the rich rewards of being a part this particular church family?

DS: I would say especially when I first meet Dr. Crute and his wife they always had a passion for the lost, for purity, and a passion for holiness. They really desire the presence of God to be tangible and evident in people’s lives. That’s really what translates Destiny Praise. They’re very interested in people. They are not judgmental but they’re definitely interested in addressing issues that affect people because there is hope for everybody.

We have so many different people that come through Destiny Praise and we relate to everyone on so many levels. In fact, there are different members of the group who have gone through so many things. It is by the grace of God and the power of God that we are able to stand, continue and do what we do. That’s what we are taught here at Destiny Metropolitan Worship church. Everyone has a purpose, everyone has a destiny. We try to communicate that message through our music that, no matter what you have gone through, no matter what your facing, God has a purpose and a destiny for you. He desires to accomplish His will through your life and that’s the vision we try to communicate through our music.

CH: Atlanta is a very culturally rich center, especially when it comes to music. Whether you’re from the secular or faith circle, music is a very strong expression in Atlanta. What are some of the blessings Destiny Praise gains by calling Atlanta its home?

DS: We love the ATL! Atlanta’s awesome! They’re so many churches here. Atlanta has a very rich heritage in Gospel music. We’re a classic church. We love Gospel music, we also love urban jazz expression and soul music so it’s kind of a blend in the sound of Destiny Praise. You can hear it in our music…the different beats, the strong baselines. We’ve gained so much from our community and also from our personal experiences. Different things that each member has gone through, different backgrounds we have in music, as well, all culminates into this very interesting music project and ministry.

CH: Driven is the title of the album. It’s also a testimony to Destiny Praise’s perseverance. I understand that this album had to jump through many hoops and persevere many obstacles to get to this point. What kept this album from getting to the shelves for so long and what are some of the valuable lessons Destiny Praise has learned along this process about recording and releasing an album, whether it’s lessons about business or character?

DS: I think that first and foremost primarily God had his own time and that’s what we really depend. My pastor is a very cautious man and he wanted to make sure when the time was right, that’s when God would display us. We just believed that God did it in his own time. We were faithful to what we were doing, of course. We believe God was telling us to go ahead, write and record. But it just so happens that this is God’s time for the group, Destiny Praise, and we’re grateful for that. We are really hoping what is communicated on the album really speaks to what you were said about our perseverance and how you can make it through adversity, no matter what. To be honest with you, a lot of the songs reflect that sentiment, especially the song Driven

It’s about being Driven to please God and do what ever He may desire you to do no matter what the problem, even when pitfalls come, and not to give up on your dreams. When you wake up in the morning, have it in your heart that you are set on pleasing God, set you mind on doing His will. That’s what it’s all about and what really kept us going. To be honest with you, if it wasn’t our time, we still would be doing what we’re doing. We would be singing and praising behind closed doors because we love God for what He’s doing in our lives. So, it’s a privilege to be able to do it on a national level.

CH: Let’s discuss the album for a moment. Driven seems to be an album aimed at ministering to contemporary Christians. Tell me the thinking and theme behind the title Driven which infers a message of being Christ centered and in the process experiencing prosperity. That is the image I get from the title and the cover of the cd? I’ll let you best define the message behind the album, behind the music and behind the title of the album.

DS: Well I have to start by saying that when we started out the process of making the album, we collectively pulled all of our stories together and experiences together and developed these songs. As I‘ve mentioned before, we wanted the album to be very authentic, we wanted it to be a project that people can relate to. I think you should always sing about something you have experience with. You mentioned something about prosperity. I think when you’re doing the will of God and you’re doing what God wants you to do, God is going to bring prosperity to your life. It may not look how you want it to look, but God is going to prosper you because he desires that His will be done.

God is going to use us to accomplish His will and if resources are added to your life so be it. Prosperity is beyond that. It’s the love that’s added to your life, the joy that’s added your life. God adds to our live as we accomplish His will. We’re just driven. We just want to do His will. I’m sure the rest of Destiny Praise would say the same thing.

CH: What is the hope and desire Destiny Praise holds, as they are introduced to your music ministry?

DS: We are praying that people will see that we’re real people just like them, driving in our cars every day, going to work or at home with real issues but we serve a real God. He can deal with anything in our lives no matter how great the problem is, no matter how small it is, God can step in and He can address any situation. As I was saying before, God has a purpose and a plan for each and every one of us, no matter what you believe or where you are in your life. Right now, you need to know that God created you for a reason. There is something specific God wants you to do and we want you to be about the business of doing that plan for your life.

For more information, log on to www.destinystylerecords.com. You can contact Destiny Praise by phone at 770.200.1377 or Kishawnna Terry at booking@destinystylerecords.com.