Not that long ago, you couldn’t go into any store’s toy department and not see any Hanna Montana. From posters to dolls, she was one of Disney’s star talents and every little’s girl dream to be just like her. Like so many teen stars, Miley Cyrus has wanted to shred any resemblance of the “good girl” that she portrayed on the Disney Channel TV show and show us who she “really” is. While Disney has replaced Hanna with more current fare, many of Hanna’s fans have grown to appreciate the likes of her alter ego despite their parent’s wishes. If this is you, I’d like to suggest that you share Jamie Grace’s new CD with your daughter.

Like Cyrus, Grace is pretty and very talented and about the same age, but she has no desire to run away from her good girl image. “So many songs on the radio or storylines in TV shows and movies talk about and promote what the world is doing. Ever since I was 14 I’ve wanted to write a song about what I’m not doing and hopefully be able to encourage other people in “the waiting” as well,” she says talking about one of my favorite songs “White Boots” on her new album, Ready to Fly. “My mom came to my sister and I with this metaphor of white boots and purity. Honestly, it was a moment when your mom tells you something awesome but you’re slightly embarrassed that you didn’t think of it first so you try to play it cool? Ha!”

While other singers are singing about getting it on, “White Boots” is all about keeping it on. Check out these lyrics:

Standing face to face with the love I know is true
I’ll promise him forever from the day we say, “I do”
I’ve got my white boots! My white dress
And baby, I ain’t getting them dusty

All I need you to bring are the rings
And I know in time I’ll be ready
Cause I’ve been waiting, waiting, waiting,
Waiting, waiting, waiting on you
In my white boots!

On the song, “Just a Friend,” Grace sings about the dreaded “F” word that every teenager has to face when one has a crush on another, but the feeling isn’t mutual. She wrote the song with Manwell from Group 1 Crew, who also sings with her as well.

Why can’t you just see what I see?
When you say I’m just a friend, you tell me I’m just friend
I think I could make you happy
But you say I’m just a friend, you tell me I’m just a friend
So I’ll be that, Oh I’ll be that
I guess that’s that
But I don’t wanna be just that

“I wanted this song to be an encouragement to young people who may, in some sense, be where I am. I wanted to remind others, especially young girls, that yes, we may have these feelings but we don’t have to just immediately act on them right away. Essentially I wanted to say that we may all come to that place where we want a relationship to happen and be incredible from the start, but ultimately the only relationships that will truly thrive are those that are based on what we have in Christ. ‘Just a Friend’ is a reminder to all girls, guys and to me, to follow the Lord and everything else will fall into place.”

Grace’s music is fresh with a various musical styles throughout. It’s fun, uplifting and at times, worshipful. Grace wrote the song, “To Love You Back” with GabeReal and Dave Wyatt of the DiverseCity band about the wonder on how much God loves us. “From the moment God created us, He loved us, cherished us and made plans for us. Now that we’re here on earth, we finally have the privilege in getting to love Him back. I know that I’ll never be able to love God enough or even close to how
much He loves me, but it’s truly an honor that I finally get to love him back,” she says.

No, Jamie Grace won’t be rocking the wrecking ball soon, but she is someone your daughter can actually relate to. In addition to just being human, she has had to overcome such difficulties as Tourette Syndrome. In an interview with the Christian Post back in September, Jamie opened up about her health and her healthy perspective about it: “I do thank God, not specifically for Tourette’s, but I know that He has taught me a lot through this illness. So the irony of Tourette’s syndrome is that it’s based on something that we can’t control and everyone in life has something that they can’t control. So whether it’s Tourette’s, or family or school stuff, or something else medical, we’re all going to have something big in our lives that that we can’t control, but we can control to choose to go to the Father during those times and even though it’s hard and difficult, He does love us He does have a plan for us and He will make everything work out for His glory in the end.”

Bottom line: Jamie Grace’s music is fun to listen to and will inspire your daughter to be all that God wants her to be and isn’t that what we really want for our daughters?

Ready to Fly is produced by Gotee Records and distributed by Columbia Records