EURweb |
SPOTLIGHT ON MARTHA MUNIZZI: Singer goes to great lengths for family solidarity
A two time Stellar award winner and Dove award nominee, Munizzi, selling more than 400,000 units, has experienced abounding career success. Simultaneously, she has achieved what countless celebrity moms desire t the act of balancing being in popular demand while fulfilling the demands of motherhood.
“Today we have braces to put on and the grocery store,” she tells me.
With three kids (Danielle, Nicole and Nathan) listening to their iPods, Munizzi treks across the country spreading the gospel through song. For the last year she has been home-schooling them while traveling.
Her children were central to the penning one of her most reverent, well received songs. The artist explains: “ With ‘Because of Who You Are’ I was worshipping the Lord around the house when my kids were little. I would be sitting around the tub and singing. One day I asked ‘Who is good?’ And the words came to me. . . “
With her hubby of eighteen years and Manager Danny by her side, her priorities are undeniable: God and family. And her secret to keeping a close-knit family is “. . .whatever it takes to ease the pressure of ministry, that’s what we do. We priorities the importance of what’s most important—family. . .they [the children] understand the importance of what I do.”
As a worship leader at Joel Olsteen’s Lakewood Church in Houston, TX she shared her anointing with a diverse audience. Martha has a passion to exceed cultural bounds and ministers to people all over the world with her beautifully written, cross-over songs. Named one of the top five Gospel Artists by Billboard (2004), the mark of her appeal to African Americans was affirmed with a historic Stellar Award win for Best New Artist (2005).
The superfluous singer was groomed for what she does at an early age. Along with her twin sister Mary Alessi (who also sings and is a minister) she traveled with their mother (a singer and pianist) and father (who was a pastor) ministering in song around the country.
As parents today Dan and Martha face the reality that there are too many distractions that deviate from Bible based norms. The Munizzi’s have the daunting task of raising their children at a time when the traditional family is falling apart. Moreover, youth egocentricism dominates television programming and advertisements. To curb the influence of popular culture on their offspring, their parenting style is old-fashioned and hands on but not too strict: “We stay very involved. They have the iPods. My son loves his Gameboy. My thirteen year-old opened up her first MySpace because her cousins are on it.”
Yet, the hardworking couple tempers their lenience with caution: “We monitor everything they do. I don’t believe my children have a private life. We might as well teach them as we go because we can’t catch everything. So, I ask questions and try not to flip out.”
She admits that her oldest daughter’s transition to teenager “snuck up” on her, but at the same time is confident that Danielle has a peer-pressure-proof foundation, “I don’t have to worry about her in the backseat with some boy. She knows how to say ‘No.’”
For Martha Munizzi like any ordinary mom, her work is never done and in the words of the title of her most celebrated recording, “the best is yet to come.” Having made an appearance in “The Gospel” acting is in her prevue. She is nearing completion on a screenplay loosely based on her life and says acting will be the next manner in which she delivers more positive messages.
The double disc “No Limits Live” CD is her first Integrity Gospel recording. The DVD ease leased on August 8.
.jpg)
