LDS Music

Wondering How to Find Good Dance Music?

2009-04-20T14:59:00.000-07:00

by Camille Murri

Just look in places that you never thought to look before.

Music is used by cultures all around the world to convey emotion. When those emotions take you away from the Spirit and from spiritual growth, then that's when things get sticky. I love all kinds of music. However, sometimes the songs I listen to don't make me feel like a Daughter of God, instead more like a slave to the whims of men. While I do enjoy busting a move to Lil' Wayne or Justin Timberlake, that kind of music is not what people with high standards should be listening to all the time.

My particular brand of music is music that most people wouldn't think of listening to but can be the funnest of them all, for example, the songs that were written for the Be Thou an Example youth conference. Those were so fun and I love to listen to them all the time. They are especially fun if you liked High School Musical. I thought that the Example conference was like a Mormon HSM. But that's just me. Other songs I have found by the wayside that most people don't really know are Scripture Mastery songs! Before you judge me and think I am just some seminary Mormon freak, hear me out. I really like music that I can sing to and make up dance moves for. I just find that the SM songs are so fun and even I was surprised at how much I like them. I have all four years of SM songs on my MP3 player and all kinds of other songs like that.

If Scripture Mastery or Mormon HSM is not your flavor, just look in places that you never thought to look before. That is the way to find stuff that you lost: looking in places you never thought to look in.

Camille Murri is a high school senior. She spends most of her time doing homework and listening to music.

I Was On the Ledge

2009-04-20T14:27:00.000-07:00

Writer's Name Withheld
I have a small problem with keeping my priorities straight. I put the world in front of the Lord and the church. Starting at age 11, I wasn’t on the right path. In fact, I was more on the rocky ledge, grasping for a hand hold on to, so I wouldn’t fall to the bottom. I have a great family, and I had great friends, but my environment wasn’t too great. I became involved in things that I shouldn’t have, and now it has scarred my life.

I loved the music I listened to everyday. It had a great beat, catchy lyrics, and I thought, at the time, that it related to me. It didn’t, but I wanted it to. I wanted the song to be about me. Thinking back, I was so involved in the world, that the scriptures should have been my song. The trials that the men and women of the scriptures went through, I could relate to.

Are you listening to music you know you shouldn't be? Read my story about how poor music choices almost killed me.

I would sit in my room, on my bed, and listen to the worldly music, blasting it into my ears, memorizing the words, crying. The song made me cry, I thought that it was because it touched my heart, that there were other people going through the same things I was. I cried because deep down, my heart was being torn, it was trying to tell me to turn it off, throw it away and walk away from it. I didn’t want to, it was my security blanket. I didn’t want to talk to the Lord, how ashamed he would be. I didn’t think about it. I went to church, I went to YW, but I was never fully there. It was like a ghost, the real me was somewhere trying to get my attention. I didn’t want to listen. The music didn’t allow me to. The loud screams and noise coming from the speakers pushed the spirit away. My room was always very cold, or very hot, never just right. I would always either sleep with three blankets, or sleep without one. The spirit was gone, I thought. He has other people that need his help. I was alone.

As a girl, I naturally liked guys, but the boys in my classes, at school or church didn’t really interest me. I liked the guys with piercings, and tattoos, and hair that covered their eyes. They wore tights pants that probably cut the circulation off for their toes. I liked it; I thought that it was so hot! I tried to make myself look like that. I straightened my beautiful curly hair, gave myself bangs, wore eyeliner, and I wore more black than I should, even in the summer.

This went on for about two years. It was the same day over and over again. I would fight with my sisters and my mom. I would pray, but only for dinner, and sometimes the family prayer, if I wasn’t “asleep”.

My family moved, to another city, not that far away, but it was hard. My mom threw away all of my CD’s. I was so mad; I thought that I would never forgive her. My new house was much smaller and I didn’t have my own room. I was, in my opinion, depressed. I didn’t smile, I didn’t laugh as much. I kind of just walked around, lifeless. I had gotten more music of the same variety, and was listening to it more than before. I was fighting with my family more and yelling more. I would leave my house and take a walk for about an hour, when I would get really mad. I made my sister cry; she was only in 5th grade. When I would walk, I would sing the songs in my head, the lyrics providing some comfort, I would think, “There are other people out there, they feel the same way. My family just doesn’t understand.” I would come back and fall asleep on my bed.

At one point, I had tried to end my life. It was the single most horrible decision I have made in my life. I took my baby brothers belt, and tried. I couldn’t. I didn’t know what I was doing.

The next Sunday, the lesson in class was about the importance of choosing good media. That day, I broke all of my music, and threw them away. I took a pair of scriptures out, and put them on my pillow. I laid them out every morning. I still wasn’t praying, but I knew that I was making progress.

I was laughing, smiling, I was happy. I had a talk with my stake president about my incident, and I was so glad to get it off my chest. The thought still pops up sometimes, when I am stressed, but I block it out. I think about the prophets; they had such a hard life, no one listened, the people would mock them and hurt them. They imprisoned them, they even killed them, but God was always there. He was always ready to come in and help the prophets.

The music had tricked my mind into believing that I am nothing, that no one out there is going to help me, they don’t want to. The words poisoned my heart; I caused the people that I love pain. The music I was so in love with, the loud annoying noise that I would listen to everyday, a million times a day; that was the devil, talking to me, coaxing me into his hole. I finally realized what was going on, when I was on the ledge, the outer rim of his black hole.

My family is the most wonderful support system I have ever had. My mom is a convert, and my dad has been a member his whole life, they both served a full time mission; they have seen the effect of not having the spirit there to lead and guide you.

I still have a problem with leaning towards my past, falling the rut that I spent time in. But then I think of David Archuleta; the Mormon American Idol runner up. I have his new CD and I listen to it all at the time. He has the spirit with him, you can tell. I also listen to classical music, and Josh Groban. I have Jericho Road and Sons of Provo on my computer, and I listen to them in the car all the time.

Having fun beats and catchy lyrics are how the adversary leads the youth of the church in. I have fun rocking out to Jericho Road and singing along with Josh Groban; I don’t need any more than that.

A Brand New Year

2009-02-17T23:43:00.001-08:00

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LDS Pop Star from Finland to make International Debut

2009-02-16T12:00:00.001-08:00

Her life and songs testify to her conversion to the Gospel

Jonna Pirinen's conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ showed a remarkable transformation to the people in her native Finland, where she is a successful pop star known simply as "Jonna."

Today Jonna is broadening her audience, having relocated to the United States to write her first English-language album. She hopes that the experience will provide new opportunities to share her faith and collaborate with those of similar values.

"In the beginning, I was known as a racy, rebellious teen who danced around in a bikini and sang about my family troubles. Since my conversion, I dress modestly and sing about how much I love my family, and that we can be together forever."

In 2003, Jonna (pronounced "Yo-Nah") participated in a Finnish reality TV series called "Popstars." In this talent search, Jonna won a place in a group with three other female vocalists. After some conflict, Jonna parted ways with the band and signed as a solo artist with Sony BMG. Under this label, Jonna enjoyed success with three popular albums and several successful singles and music videos.

Jonna's conversion to the church was something she kept private at first. "When the rumors were out that I was planning on joining the Mormon church, the media started harassing me about it and because it was all too new to me, I didn't know what to say but 'no comment.' We turned down a lot of interviews, but it didn't keep them from publishing the stories. The LDS church is so small in Finland, that people often see it as a strange, suspicious cult. And the parents of my Finnish fans may have approved of me less after my conversion than before!"

"I originally took the discussions because I thought the Elders were nice, cute boys. They provided service at the day care where I worked between the filming of 'Popstars' and the release of my album. I thought I would save them from Mormonism!"

Jonna investigated the church for one year before deciding to be baptized. "It started with me changing my life. I was done with the lifestyle I was living and finally ready to try out the standards that the Elders had been teaching me about. From there I opened my heart and gained a testimony of the Book of Mormon and the prophets."

Earlier this year, Jonna's mother passed away after struggling with alcoholism for many years.

"I'm dedicating my new album to my mother. This album is about me sharing songs with her because we do have a lot in common and I have been writing songs about topics that she could very well relate to. Women will especially be able to relate to it, because I will have songs about knowing your worth and drawing boundaries in relationships; about finding yourself and growing as an individual."

As Jonna completes writing the songs for the album, she is seeking producers, managers, and agents with whom to collaborate. This time, rather than working with a major label she hopes to find sponsors who will help her release her album internationally as an independent artist.

"I know that because I have been faithful and willing to do what's right, my Heavenly Father will continue to bless me and I will be able to use the talents that he has given me for a great purpose!"

More information about Jonna can be found on her website http://www.jonna.fi.