Fireflight Singer On the New Album, Parenting and More!

15 years is a long time to commit to anything — especially keeping a band together. It is no surprise to me, however, that the talented, determined band Fireflight has kept the motor running.

And 2015 is proof.

They have a new album, INNOVA, that will be released on 5/5/15. This date is significant: it marks the fifth album for the band — and, as already mentioned, 15 years together as a group. 5/5/15 is the perfect release date.

And the first single “Resuscitate” is the band’s eighth number one radio hit. Amidst all of these happenings and accomplishments, lead vocalist Dawn Michele and her husband are expecting their first baby. What a way to start 2015.

RGH caught up with Dawn Michele amidst her very busy (but exciting) 2015 schedule:

Congrats on your first child. What are your thoughts and feelings about parenting?

Oh, well, we are pretty terrified. Also very excited. I was much older than my brother and sister growing up, so in the past I felt like a live-in nanny sort of thing [laughs]. For awhile I used to say that I had already raised my children, [laughs] but then I got older and decided I did want to have some of my own. It is really scary, but at the same time being involved with my brother and sister so much when they where little and growing up and seeing them now being young adults, I think prepared me a little bit, and then outside of that we are just trying to have faith that God wouldn’t have given us this kid if we were not going to be able to take care of it [laughs].

15 years is a long time for a band. Congratulations! What are your feelings on Fireflight lasting as long as it has?

It has been a long time, I think we have been forced to grow so much and been kind of like a family for many many many years, and the family has been forced to live together and we live with each other, and as a family you kind of have to grow or die because when you get more than one person in a room in any situation there is always going to be conflict, and so when you put 13 people on a bus [laughs] it gets to be kind of crazy. So when I think about how long we have been together I just think about how perseverance is really key in every aspect of life because life is always going to be hard no matter what your circumstance is. But if you can continue to persevere in the face of adversity and just keep holding out and giving it your best, you can just see amazing things accomplished. And the grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence. Finding a new situation won’t always be easier than just facing your problems. I think the secret to our longevity has been commitment, and each person individually seeking God, just trying our best in being the best person as an individual, and that makes the group stronger.

“Resuscitate” is a really awesome song. Congrats on it going number one. What is the story behind the song?

I think Fireflight has always been a band that kind of approached intense topics in our songs. We have sort of had intense lives [laughs], and we sing about what we know. It seems like some of our biggest responses from our fans has been from us writing about the songs that have helped them through really hard times. So we also use their stories to help us build more songs. This song, in that way, really lifts us to where Fireflight has been for a long time. But it has kind of got a new feel to it and a new edge, which we are really excited about. We have kind of been pushing it to a new heavy [sound], but with “Resuscitate” it is a song that talks about being basically at the limit of your own strength, how you kind of feel dead inside. And I mean there have been times in my life where I have felt like I couldn’t go on any more or have anything left or that life has asked too much of me, and I couldn’t step up to the plate. And thank God, in those moments, God put people around me to love on me and to help get me through. “Resuscitate” is a song about being at that moment and place where you have got nothing left and you are just begging for God to step in and basically rebirth you and to bring you back to life so that you can keep going.

Can you give some insight on “Innova?” Also, will Fireflight tour in 2015?

Yeah, totally, we are really excited about getting back on the road.

“Innova” means “renew” in Latin, and it is kind of cool because Latin is an ancient language, but the word innova has this incredible futuristic look to it and sound. It kind of represents what we are going through right now. This is our very first album as an independent artist. We decided about a year-and-a-half ago that we wanted to strike out on our own, and up to this point all of our albums have been released from a label or company, so it has been kind of a scary and daunting time but a time of renewal for our band, where we wanted to hold onto all of these things that have been good about Fireflight for so long but also push forward into the future and expand and grow our sound musically. Through this album — and just what God has been teaching me for the past couple of years — is to step out on faith and really fall back on the love of our fans’ support — and really the faithfulness of God, ultimately.