By Mark E. Waterbury

MM: I imagine your musical inspirations come from higher above.

DH: Absolutely. It definitely comes from God, but also from everyday ordinary circumstances. Just riding in the car, hearing the birds, seeing how the wind blows in the trees...I've done a lot of traveling and always have been inspired by what I have seen and the people in different cultures I have met. So as far as divine inspiration from a higher power is concerned I see that in everyday life. I never saw myself as stuck in one genre or having to insert the name Jesus all the time because I feel that God is doing so much that I get inspired just waking up in the morning.

MM: Does that approach to your music make it more accessible to a wider audience, especially the younger audience?

DH: I think the younger generation is really looking for different aspects of the Truth, because now we have so many things changing. To influence young people, you have to be a little hip, a little trendy and have a certain style to the music. If I was only concerned with ministering within the confines of the church, that would be a pretty simple thing to do. This way is more innovative and reaches out to more people because I don't have to quote scriptures; I can paraphrase them and paint colorful analogies with the same principles that are in the scriptures, and that reaches out to younger people.

MM: The styles you use also seem more modern, with R&B and hip-hop which would have been taboo years ago in religious music.

DH: As Christian music grows, it is moving beyond what we all knew it to be. Christian music is incorporating more and more modern styles and in that way it almost has to be accepted. Otherwise we become like a dinosaur and are not as effective on reaching people in the world in general. Not everyone is going to walk into a church, so we are putting hope in a place where everyone can reach it.

MM: You self-released your first CD. Did you have to go about marketing that CD differently than if you were recording music from the more commercially accepted genres?

DH: The marketing is actually closely tied to what you would do with commercial genres. You have to hit radio, magazines, television, videos, all the same outlets for promotion. Christian music is just starting to get to the point where music videos are more regularly seen. You do have to be a bit different and a bit edgy with your marketing and stretching into all the avenues available to you. With my CD, we saw a lot of on-line sales and we are expecting that to continue. I am also advertising in movie theaters in my area, so all of the mediums are really coming together. If you are really trying to reach a particular group and you know of a venue that people are frequenting whether it is a church or a theater or a music store, you just have to get it out to the people in whatever way you can. You are short changing yourself if you do not go as far as you can just because it may not be an established marketing medium. You just have to find your own particular niche and really make sure you get that particular image out to the people, whether they like what you are presenting or not.

MM: How did you get hooked up with Mekko Records who released your new CD "Jesuguru?"

DH: I had received an e-mail with some info about them. It was very professional and nicely put together, and then I went to their web site and got some data and researched them. I then went back to them and basically started the dialogue by telling them who I was, what I had done and what I wanted to do. In just a couple days, they were kind enough to accept me as an artist trying to work with me to get my goals accomplished. It has been awesome. They have done everything they said they would do, and are very professional and personable about everything. They make sure that we are able to put across the image that I want in a very time efficient and cost efficient manor. I still have the control that I wanted to have to paint the picture in detail as to how I see it, but they are very diligent from a business perspective and they try to add a personal touch to it, which is what I was looking for.

MM: Do you also have to be more innovative with your avenues for live performing?

DH: I'm not opposed to performing in bars or clubs, I think it would be very interesting to play in places that are not traditional. I'm sure that there are people that need to be reached there. I am an edgy person and I like doing things differently and being innovative. I would also love to have a full stage show like Janet Jackson and others have so I can get into venues that may be a little uncommon for Christian music. I have performed in amusement parks before, and that is not something I would have thought of initially, but the opportunity came and I took it. I've performed at theaters, churches and coffee house, small venues and large. I'm pretty open to the whole performance thing and I think that there is going to be a certain niche for me that comes out of this, especially if I am able to set up my show the way I would like to have it set up. I love performing live no matter what the setting is.

MM: What level of success do you feel you have reached, and how much further would you like to see it go?

DH: Just like an iceberg I have only shown the tip. I do feel I have to have a marriage of both personal and public success. Since I have started as a more independent artist I have been able to lay out a road map of what I think is achievable for me. I've been able to do little things with my first project, most of which I did on my own with no manager or anything. Now I have more of a team so there is a greater success level from the first record to the new one "Jesuguru." To me, success is more about when I go to bed at night I can think about what I have been able to accomplish in a day, a week, a year. Monetary success is not the most important aspect. To me, money is more of a by-product of something done well. When people can see what you have done and appreciate it, that automatically lifts your success level no matter what field you are in.