['그날까지(UTD)' 아침엽서(80)] 한인 '유튜브 스타' Jayesslee 워싱턴 DC 무료 콘서트
E-nterview with Youtube Star “Jayesslee”
Q) Could you introduce yourself briefly?
A) Hi, we are Janice and Sonia Lee aka “Jayesslee”. We grew up and live in Sydney, Australia but both of our parents are from Korea. We are identical twins, born 10 minutes apart. We love listening to jazz music on rainy days, watching movies and eating cheeseburgers.
Q) You are Christians. How did you encounter Jesus personally?
A) Our first encounter with Jesus was at a church camp in high school. With our mum battling cancer for 7 years, it was difficult for us to understand the goodness of God for most of our lives. However, it was the way that God radically changed our mum through her sickness that sparked a curiosity to know who Jesus really was. In year 9, God met us during a time of prayer at a church camp and we’ve had a relationship with Him ever since.
Q) Could you tell us about the most impressive fan around the world?
A) The most impressive fan(s) would have to be a couple who flew 5 hours from New Jersey to LA to watch us perform at our debut concert in 2010. We got to meet them over lunch and found out that they were engaged at the time. We later sang at their wedding in New York. Hollywood should write a movie about this. This is our shout out to you Sylvia and Andrew!
Q) Could you tell us about the most impressive tour?
A) This is a hard question but if we had to choose, we would have to say our show in hometown Sydney. It was a performance that we will never forget as our closest friends and family heard us play live for the first time. We were on stage with youtube celebrities such as KevJumba, RyanHiga and Andrew Garcia. Our family came backstage after the show with hugs and tears. It’s a great feeling to know that you’ve made someone proud.
Q) How was the tour in China?
A) The show in China was incredible. Never in our lives did we think that one day we would go to China and perform on national television. The highlight of that trip was when the producers allowed us to sing “Amazing Grace” live on set. We were able to worship on national television in China. What an unforgettable experience.
Q) Can you tell us more about your faith in Jesus Christ?
A) Jesus is the most important person in our lives. What is important to Him, is important to us. Sometimes it gets tough trying to live out our faith without offending people, especially through our music and our videos on youtube. We find ourselves questioning what we can and cannot say. However at the end of the day we make no compromise when it comes to choosing Jesus over our fear of man. After all, he chose us when we were still sinners.
Q) Being famous could make you put into danger spiritually, how do you overcome it?
A) We have seen the dangers of being away from the church and becoming too busy. At times, we have performances lined up for 4 weeks in a row; that is one month away from church! Although we do have church amongst ourselves while we are away, the physical community of church is vital. This is why we have decided to make it a priority to be back and serve at our home church when we can. It is not enough for us to attend church. We need to be involved in community whether it be through serving in a ministry or joining a cell group.
Q) You sing secular songs on Youtube. Some Christians could say negative things about it. How would you respond to that?
A) Our heart and vision is to share the love of God to people all over the world and we use music as a medium to do this. To become influential musicians we first need to find common ground with our listeners. We are very intentional about the songs that we choose to sing; we will not choose a song with explicit content. However, more and more we are discovering that there is a fine line between what we consider secular and Christian music. This is because we have seen cases where God would soften the heart of a non-believer through a secular song, leading them to message us and ask questions about Jesus. By singing only Christian songs, our influence is limited to listeners who are Christians. As much as we love to empower fellow believers, our aim is to relate to our non-believing audience as well. We sing every song as worship to God.
Q) What are your future visions God has planted?
A) Our future vision is unknown. We are not even sure how long we will be doing music, although we would love to do it for as long as we can. Our hope is to share our story and songs with as many people as possible. We envision holding concerts at stadiums, where people would come to experience more than just a performance but an encounter with God. We’d like to leave an impact upon this generation that keeps them talking about the goodness of God, like the legacy that our mum has left behind.
Q) What church do you go to? Can you tell us about your church life?
A) We go to New Life Community Church where we have attended since we were young. It is quickly becoming a multicultural church from being a prominently Korean congregation. The demographics of our church is diverse; from young university students to families with children. We have 2 services on Sunday and prayer meetings every Friday night where many people have special encounters with God. When we are back at home and not touring, we serve in the praise and worship team. Our church loves to worship. We praise like we’re having a party.
Q) You were born in Australia, but you speak Korean fluently.
A) We were born in Australia but our parents were very adamant about sending us to Korean school every Saturday. Giving up our Saturdays was frustrating at the time but now we’re thankful to be able to communicate comfortably with our parents and grandparents. Also, being fans of k-pop and Korean dramas in high school helped us to pick it up.
Q) Could you introduce your parents?
A) We have fantastic parents. Our mum was a beautiful woman both inside and out. She was selfless and humble. Her life represented Christ and she was a huge influence upon our faith. After her 7 year battle with cancer, she went to be with the Lord. Our dad is our hero. For years, he gave up his job and hobbies to be next to our mum. He nursed her and did his best to fulfil his role as a husband and a dad. Today he is remarried and we now live with our dad, step mum and step brother. They are both amazing people and we are so thankful and blessed to be a family.
Q) How much do you know about North Koreans’ persecution against Christians?
A) North Korea is a nation that God is highlighting to our church. We have had numerous mission groups visit our church with presentations of the persecution in that nation. We have watched documentaries and read testimonial books written by people who have escaped the country after being interrogated for years. Time and time again, we have been challenged by their faith. There is no doubt that God is stirring a revival in that nation and we pray for it to be soon.
Q) What do you expect from the upcoming event?
A) We are anticipating how God will move through this event because when believers come together in faith, prayers are answered and nothing is impossible. We hope for prayer warriors to rise up for the nation of North Korea and missionaries to be called. We hope to release freedom through our worship and testimony.
Q) What are your prayer requests?
A) Our prayer requests are for greater boldness in our faith, and an ever increasing intimacy with Jesus. Also for protection over our team as the enemy does not like what we are doing with our music. We hope and pray that one day, we will see a transformation in the music industry where there will be no more corruption but people making music to make God famous.
