Andrew & Alaina Mack are a brother and sister Gospel music duo based in Berlin, Germany, after relocating from the USA in 2004. As they release their new album 'Sunlit', Louder Than The Music chatted with them both to find out more about their music and the inspiration behind the songs.
For those who haven't heard of you before, can you tell us a bit about yourselves and how you got involved in making music?
Alaina: My brother Andrew and I have been making music together since before I can remember. It's one of the greatest gifts of my life - to... Read MoreAndrew & Alaina Mack are a brother and sister Gospel music duo based in Berlin, Germany, after relocating from the USA in 2004. As they release their new album 'Sunlit', Louder Than The Music chatted with them both to find out more about their music and the inspiration behind the songs.
For those who haven't heard of you before, can you tell us a bit about yourselves and how you got involved in making music?
Alaina: My brother Andrew and I have been making music together since before I can remember. It's one of the greatest gifts of my life - to not only write songs but produce, perform, direct, and create art of all kinds with my brother. We are on a mission to see the Church of Jesus Christ rise up and experience its greatest days on the earth.
Tell us about your new album "SUNLIT" and what the inspiration behind it was?
Andrew: After having written the songs for the album, we realized that a lot of the lyrics used language having to do with weather and the sun. The Bible says that Jesus is the “light of the world”. The word SUNLIT is a very beautiful word in and of itself, typographically and phonetically. During the promotion of the album, we began using the phrase “I’m sunlit” - which we used as a three-syllable Haiku (Japanese poetry). I would summarize the meaning of “SUNLIT” like this: when we are filled with the light of God, there is no more darkness, we are Sun-lit, God’s children, illuminated inside and out by God’s light - forever bright, never fading away.
Which is your favorite track on the album and why?
Alaina: My favorite track, besides "Weatherman" of course, is the song Andrew sings called "Space Extravaganza". The sound is so unique, so epic, with a powerful message. I love how our lyrics act as a conversation between a friend, who speaks in love the true meaning of life and where to find it. For me, finishing the song with full blast harmonies is the cherry on top.
Andrew: I really love the song called “Treelight”. The music and melody are so beautiful, and I absolutely love the video we produced for this song.
What message would you like people to take from your music?
Alaina: The Good News of Jesus Christ is why we do what we do. It's the reason our music comes alive and is worth sharing. It's the heart and soul of everything we create. It's the power behind our work. Whoever you are, reading this right now, we care about you and love you, so please enjoy this music and allow the Holy Spirit to encourage you as you listen.
How would you describe your style of music and what are your influences?
Andrew: We gather inspiration from so many places. When you look at the beauty of God’s creation and especially the pinnacle of His creation, humanity, there is so much to be inspired by. I think there is a difference between inspiration and imitation. We are continually inspired by many different artists and their work, but at the end of the day, we have to remain true to our gifting and calling in God, and I believe that allows us to be impactful and effective and never second-rate.
If you could work with any songwriter, who would it be and why?
Alaina: My brother and I recently watched a documentary about a bunch of songwriters who came together in South Korea for a week of pure songwriting. I think it would be very exciting to meet with a group of people I’ve never met before to create something new together. I’d also love to meet and collaborate with Alice Cooper.
How would you define success in your career as an artist?
Andrew: Success for me is finishing what was started. The number of likes, views and audience size and all of that, is not as important as knowing within yourself you completed a project. So often we get excited for the beginning of something but never finish, or talk about something for years and never finish. Seeing a project through from start to finish, every aspect, not just the audio being posted online, over a few months time is already a great success in my mind.
What is your favorite album of all time?
Andrew and Alaina: We have to name two: “City of Gold” by Phil Baggaley, David Clifton and Ian Blythe and “Dancing with the Lion” by Andreas Vollenweider.
You're stuck on an island, it's hot, you only have enough battery life left to listen to one song on your phone. What track is it?
Alaina: Without hesitation, I would say "Unstoppable" by Andrew & Alaina Mack.
Andrew: I would have to say “We Are Bulletproof” by BTS.
What does the next year hold for you?
Andrew: We are already working on our next projects as well as producing some other artists we work with. We are excited to continue making music and using it to expand the Kingdom of God in Berlin and beyond.
Andrew & Alaina Mack are to release their latest project 'CYBERPUNK' on September 23, 2022. The action-packed album with its electro-punk musical elements, bombastic visuals and animations spotlight the creative ingenuity of this…
