“Music is balm for the soul that God uses to heal wounds of hearts. He knows just what chord and lyric to use so that the very wound you have is healed.”
This is Christina Tarlev’s belief and the reason why the Eastern European Christian singer decided to embark on the creation of her debut album “In the Name of Love”. God put a strong desire in her heart to sing and to reach people’s hearts through the songs that He has inspired her to write. Christina says: “My greatest desire is that, the Lord’s power will transcend through the songs of this album. The Lord will heal wounded hearts, will bring a smile to sad faces, will bring hope to the hopeless and increase even more the joy of those who are happy.”
“In The Name of Love” is Christina’s stunning self-written debut album. Those who know Christina would remark that she is rather reserved and even sometimes mysterious, but the lyrics of the album reveal a deep transparency and an endearing honesty about her personal life experiences. The album is compiled of songs written at different stages of her life so the finished product has transformed into a treasured personal diary with every song becoming an entry. Christina says “I don’t usually go around telling people very much about my feelings and personal life, about my fears and disappointments, but when it comes to music, that which I could never have shared in everyday life, comes out and flows so easily when I put it into song.”
Christina has been singing “since I can remember”. Born to a musician father, her life has always been surrounded by music. Passionate about music from a young age she chose to pursue violin, singing, Classical piano and music studies. She wrote her first song at the age of 11 and as a child Christina and her best friend would compose and perform music at any occasion possible! All songs and lyrics of Christina’s debut album were written by her. The album shows not just her insightful and emotive lyric writing ability but also her music writing talent. These pop-rock songs are powerful, inspiring and memorable, remaining joyously in one’s mind for days afterward. You are also touched by her young, bright and infectious personality but it is Christina’s unique, incisive and commanding voice however that will truly uplift you.
The album opens with the outstanding pop-rock song “Maybe”. Christina says: “I wanted to write a song about someone who was seeking God. I had this clear image of a man who is seeking the true way but is fighting confusion and doubts in his mind. He is battling an emotional war inside him. He feels the call of the Savior but is questioning if Jesus is indeed the true way and is surrounded by doubt”. “There was a time in my life when I made this choice as well. I felt God’s call for me to give my life and soul unto Him, but my mind and heart were filled with doubts and, for a long time “maybe” was the cry of my heart, until I chose to receive God and come to Him simply the way I was, with the knowledge that He would accept and love me”.
“Thank You” is a moving pop ballad that touches hearts with the deep message it brings. Christina says: “There used to come to our congregation a man who suffered from alcoholism. One day I sat at the piano and felt the desire to write a song inspired by the sad and confused state that he was in. Now, when the song is played, I feel very strongly, that this song is a dedication to all the people who have dealt with addictions in their past and a proclamation of liberation for those who still struggle with addictions in their life and are on their way to becoming completely free.”
“Hallelujah” is a powerful song with a powerful message. The whole music arrangement, the strings and the choir are in harmony with the song’s message. It makes you meditate on the Lord’s Majesty and think about the great sacrifice the Holy Lamb made at Golgotha for the whole of humanity. The title of Christina’s debut album is inspired by the last verse of this song: “The sacrifice was made for us all in the Name of Love”. Christina says “As I wrote this song, I imagined the angels amongst the beings of the Earth, singing Hallelujah to the Holy Lamb and worshipping His Holy Name, while standing at His throne of glory.”
“When I pray” is a dialogue with God about prayer. We often look at prayer as a complicated thing to do and at times, even consider it a not very entertaining thing to do. The song speaks of how the Lord longs for communion with us. He waits for us to tell Him how we feel, to tell about our joy, our happiness, as well as our sorrow, fears and disappointments and that we should long for communion with Him as well. Christina says: “We often make excuses to not pray, we try different ways of reaching God instead: We may listen to Christian songs, we may surround ourselves with good Christian information and think this is enough for us to have a deep relationship with Him, but there is no real alternative to prayer. Prayer is the only way to Gods heart and to achieve closeness with Him. Nothing else can take its place and nothing else can be as powerful and profound.”
“I am so overjoyed to be able to share these songs with you. I’ve had to wait for the release of this album for quite a long time, and at times I became discouraged or frustrated, but the wait is finally over and it was really worth the endeavor! God has deeply impacted my life through music. I have experienced comfort, healing, encouragement and His love through the music of so many Christian artists that inspire me and my greatest hope and wish is that my music will have the same impact on you as well!”
