Singing Praises: Trinity Church Worship Leader to Perform in Shine FM Music Contest

Think about Katy Perry and fireworks may come to mind.

But not many know she began her singing career belting it out in a church choir at age 15. Many crossover Christian performers join the secular world of music with bigger dreams in mind. Not so for Andrew "Drew" Denlinger. The 27-year-old loved his rock 'n roll style long before he became the contemporary worship leader at in .

"My band, Sixspeed, is just straight up rock 'n roll," he said. "We don't like to get stuck to one specific sub-genre but we definitely are a rock band."

Sixspeed is also not exclusively a "Christian band," Drew insists.

"Though I claim Christ, this music is for all people, not simply the church," he said.

Drew recently learned he's among 20 finalists who made the Shine.FM cut to perform for a chance to win "Chicago's Shine Factor" — the title comes with a $10,000 music scholarship and the chance to open up for the Christian band, Newboys on April 1. Drew said he will perform an original song he wrote independently of Sixspeed.

"... Initially, I didn't make the cut so I was bummed ... " he said. "They realized they needed to pick 4 more guys and I got the phone call. I was definitely excited. As a musician, breaks and opportunities don't come around every day, so this is God making this moment happen."

It hasn't always been that way for Drew, he said, but a stint with a drug addiction left him seeking a relationship with Christ.

"My youth can only be described as un-anchored," he said, in a written statement. "It's as if I existed in a vast ocean with only a single piece of driftwood keeping me afloat. Simply put, I had nothing grounding me. It's not like I had a poor childhood. I have loving parents who dedicated themselves to God and their family with only the best intentions. They read the bible to me. We prayed together as a family. There is absolutely no reason to place blame on my folks for the years I felt consumed by my addictions, the substances I began to experiment with in my early teens, the lies that seemed to fall out of my mouth and the overall duality of my life in general."

Because of the growing number of congregations that need to take his music out of the sanctuary, Drew is working on a worship CD. It will be comprised in part of music he's written for the "REVEAL" service held on Saturday nights at Trinity Lutheran—a service he's been performing at for the last three years.

"I hope (the songs) can be used to encourage people when life doesn't seem to have much hope, and help us refocus when we lose sight of the one who truly loves us," he said. "The plan is to release it independently this fall with online distribution through iTunes and other distributors."

Drew will be singing for the Shine.FM title at 7 p.m. Friday, March 2, at the College Church of the Nazarene in Bourbonnais. He and the 19 others will be judged by a panel and crowd votes. Others interested in his music can catch a performance by his rock band, Sixspeed, at the Elbo Room in Chicago on March 31.

"I love playing out in clubs with Sixspeed, creating art and being able to share it with people in that way but I also love leading people in the worship of God. Both areas are moving forward and gaining momentum. I'm just along for the ride."

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