Mary Mary quite contrary These sisters are not your typical R&B stars by Teresa Lockhart   The Skyreach Centre in Edmonton will open its doors to "Heaven" on April 5-7 as Mary Mary, along with other featured guests, headline this year's YC 2002.   Erica and Tina Atkins, who make up the award-winning duo Mary Mary, promise more than just great music at this year's conference. Though they're sure to delight their audience with their urban contemporary mixture of hip-hop and Christian gospel, it's the message behind their music that inspires the twenty-something sisters to reach out to people of all ages.   "We hope to encourage souls, to win people to Christ, to encourage and uplift people to believe in God [so that] they can love and accept themselves as they are," Erica explains.   Perhaps one of the reasons why Erica and Tina feel so strongly about telling others about Jesus is because they deeply appreciate how their parents, gospel singers themselves, raised them, their five other sisters and one brother in a Christian home, showing them the unconditional love of Christ. Both Erica and Tina were encouraged to get involved in church, especially the choir.   As the Atkins siblings honed their singing talents, they received an opportunity to sing on the popular Bobby Jones Gospel program on BET (Black Entertainment Television).   Afterwards, Erica and Tina were recruited for the cast of the Michael Matthews traveling gospel show Mama I'm Sorry and earned parts in a second Matthews play, Sneaky.   Convinced that music was God's direction for their lives, they individually sought out opportunities as back-up vocalists for several major recording artists: Erica for Brian McKnight, Brandy, Terry Ellis, and Ray-J; and Tina for Kenny Lattimore and Eric Benet, as well as for the pilot for a Kirk Franklin TV show.   However, both Erica and Tina were uncomfortable singing some of the secular songs, so they began to write their own. They eventually landed their own publishing contracts, and their songs "Dance," and "Let Go, Let God," are featured on the Dr. Doolittle and The Prince of Egypt soundtracks.   Their first Mary Mary album, Thankful, released in 2000, contained the huge mainstream R&B hit "Shackles (Praise You)." The album received numerous accolades, including a Grammy Award, two Dove Awards, four Stellar Awards, plus several other recognitions.   As Erica and Tina take their music to the world, they strive to promote an image that's all about "living morally right with integrity." For example, even before they became known as Mary Mary, Tina says they were careful about how they represented themselves, never dressing in a demeaning manner.   However, now that they're frequently in the public eye and representing the message of Jesus' love, they know their appearance has to be becoming.   "We're current and trendy in terms of hair and fashion and all that kind of stuff, but we're never baring our bodies and trying to send off a sexy vibe. We just want to be fashionably correct," states Tina.   "In terms of how we represent just being people, I think our mother raised us quite well. We don't want to misrepresent her, our family, Jesus, or ourselves."   Erica and Tina are also careful about which direction their career takes them. They have even turned down career opportunities that would place them in the mainstream in a big way.   "It's not that we have a problem with types of music other than gospel, but we have an image to uphold; we have a lifestyle to uphold," Tina says, adding that it's better for them to stay away from anything that could negatively affect their music's message or make listeners question their sincerity as Christians.   "For us, gospel is the only way. It's the story of our lives. It's what we live to do. We enjoy it with all of our hearts, and there's no other music we could sing and give [to it] what we give to gospel."   In keeping with this year's theme of Heaven, YC 2002 participants may feel as though they're experiencing a little bit of heaven on earth as they listen to the musical talents of Mary Mary and the other artists appearing at this year's conference.   However, Tina stresses that the luxuries and pleasant times we might covet here on earth can't compare to what Jesus has planned for us in Heaven. "You can look forward to having peace and harmony, walking streets of gold, and experiencing Jesus face to face. That's more important than anything," Tina says.   "We just have to make a conscious effort to live our lives to please God. When you realize all the blessings God has given us, the least we can do is give Him a little praise, a little glory, and a little honour."   As for now, Mary Mary continues to honour God with their music. Their next project, Incredible, will release this summer, and while the songs promise to be fresh, their mission remains the same - to point people to Heaven. [LLN-Online] [Adopt-a-Block] [Newsbriefs][Event Calendar] [Lifestyles] [Juke Box] [Cover to Cover] [Movieguide][Casting the Net] [Viewpoints] [General Info] [Rates & Sizes][Marketplace/Classifieds] [Volunteer Ops] [Writing Guidelines] [Contact Us] [Subscribe][Archives][Good News] [About Us][Links]