Mary Ozaraga Releases 'Project: Christmas' EP
Mary Ozaraga, a Singer Songwriter, Worship Leader and Architect from Cebu, Philippines, has released her 'Project: Christmas' EP. Available now on all streaming platforms, the EP features the singles 'Joy To The World', 'O Come, O Come Emmanuel' and 'King On The Hill'.
"Joy to the World is a nod to the famous Christmas hymn of the same title", explains Mary. "It’s a call to sing of the Joy that Jesus brings to the world the moment He came thousands of years ago. It’s a call to prepare our hearts to greet, welcome and worship our King, as we celebrate His coming to earth and as we await His coming back as the Risen King."
Discussing 'O Come, O Come Emmanuel', Mary continues, "It seemed a fitting song to depict the plea of the people in this time of the pandemic. It starts out as a soft prayer, that transitions into a loud, desperate plea to the Saviour to come to their people and a plea to the people to come to their Saviour. At these points of progressive transitions, which happens 2x in the song, the instruments, electrical guitars and vocals build up to climax and drops in the end, in an act of surrender."
"'King on the Hill' isn't your typical Christmas song", she adds. "It's a calling forth to not miss out on welcoming the promise foretold ages ago. He was born on a hill, stood and spoke life on a hill and was crucified on a hill. I hope the song gives us the reminder to be ready to welcome our King in the season we celebrate His birth and in all other seasons.
We've been waiting for this. May we not grow tired of waiting, with our lamps filled, with hearts open, with joyful expectation."
Like setting out into a new adventure, Mary is just beginning to set foot into sharing her music to world. With a passion for music all her life, she learned to play different instruments growing up. After playing for amateur bands as a drummer, God called her to play for His worship and praises shortly after she gave her life to Christ. Since then, she has been leading worship as instrumentalist and singer for her church, Olive Grove Christian Ministries, in Cebu City, Philippines.
She nurtured her songwriting during the lockdowns and released her first single, Come (Broken, Scarred), in January 2021. In April 2021, she released her second single, The Hour of the Son. Her third single, Hallelujah Instead, was released in September 2021. Even with varied musical influences, she continues to search for the music of her country's history with a hope to one day raise up worship with music that is now almost completely forgotten.
