5 Questions for Trin-i-tee 5:7 on 'Angel and Chanelle'

Platinum-selling gospel artists Trin-i-tee 5:7 might be down one member, but they’re far from down and out. The former trio, which now consists of just Angel and Chanelle, is gearing up for their latest inspirational album, “Angel and Chanelle.” Continuing to use transparency as a way to encourage, the ladies confess, “Whatever experiences you are going through, we are too. We’re not exempt.”

Let the church say amen to that!

ESSENCE.COM: Contemporary gospel artists have been criticized for their secular sound. How do you balance contemporary sound and a gospel message?
TRIN-I-TEE 5:7: I don’t think that we’ve ever tried to do that. It’s just that our musical influences are vast. We grew up listening to many different types of music. What comes out in our music is our influences and the things we grew up on.

ESSENCE.COM: The group has been a trio since the first album, but now it’s just you two. Why didn’t you decide to replace Adrian?
TRIN-I-TEE 5:7: The three of us got together and had a round-table meeting. As a lot of people know, Adrian was a professional makeup artist before becoming a part of Trin-i-tee 5:7 so she’s pursuing her passion again and starting her makeup line. We’re supportive of her. but we wanted to move forward as Trin-i-tee 5:7. The two of us have been in the group since its inception.

ESSENCE.COM: What can we expect from the new album?
TRIN-I-TEE 5:7: You can expect to hear songs that reflect where we are in our lives right now. And you’ll get that same Trin-i-tee sound that is Angel and Chanelle. We don’t write about the same thing over and over. We know that ‘God is good and He woke us up this morning and started us on our way.’ And we’re grateful for that, but we want to write about things that we deal with on a daily basis. Things like your heart being broken and God putting it back piece by piece.

ESSENCE.COM: As Christians and New Orleans natives, how did you make sense of Katrina and the aftermath?
TRIN-I-TEE 5:7: That was one of the most extreme things that both of our families had experienced. It changed our priorities and perceptions of the world and life in general. The small things became important to us, and family is even more important to us now. For example, the walls in our house were filled with plaques, records and pictures of us with famous people. But after the storm, all the awards were gone from the wall. Plaques were turned upside down. You literally see that none of this stuff lasts. What lasts is family. Our family and relationship with God precedes everything else in our lives.

ESSENCE.COM: A lot of gospel artist are very transparent. Why is that important?
TRIN-I-TEE 5:7: Transparency is one of the most important things in gospel music and in ministry overall. I don’t think you can reach a person if they don’t feel like you’ve been through something similar. I think people feel your heart in music and ministry and the only way to get your heart to speak to someone is to be honest with your struggle and testimony.