Kiss Me with Leigh Nash

In 1998, Sixpence None the Richer’s song, “Kiss Me,” reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100. The song became a worldwide success. It was not only the main theme song for the film, She’s All That, starring Rachael Leigh Cook but was also featured in two episodes of the popular television series, Dawson’s Creek. Leigh Nash formed Sixpence None the Richer when she was only 14 years old with Matt Slocum. “Kiss Me,” was their breakout hit, followed by a cover of “There She Goes.” But just as quickly as they rose to the top of the charts, a bad contract with their label left them dangling. The band disbanded in 2004. We interviewed Nash in 2006 and talked with her about how her faith and how creating a new album is similar to motherhood.

Nash reflects on how her faith got her through some difficult times as an artist including a bad contract.

“No, not at all. The picture in my head is of a young colt jumping and writhing in a little pen, but if it were to get out of it would hurt itself. The pen is there for a reason and the owner is standing there. What can you do? The colt can calm down, have some water, try to learn to read [laughs] – get some other skills. I was just fighting and fighting and fighting. I think that you either have to grow from something like this or destroy yourself. I think I probably did something in between. Hopefully, I grew from it as much as possible. I didn’t fall into any destructive behaviors as a result of that anger. So, I guess I did grow from that, so that is good. You learn patience. Eventually, you have to sit still and learn to observe what is going on around you. In those years, I made some of the best friends that I have had in my life. I learned to not hold on to what I want so hard that God can’t still mold me and I have to have my hands open so that he can give me stuff. If you are clinching what you so bad, He can’t get your hand open. You have to open your hands. I am still learning to do that. It is really hard.”

“Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” Hebrews 12:14-15

Nash compares motherhood with creating a new album.

“I think there’s similarities in that you don’t go into it knowing exactly what you’re doing; it’s just instinctual. I think Mark and I together are doing a really beautiful job with our son, just following our instincts and just trying to be good to him and to be good parents. Making a record is kind of the same thing. You go into it, and I was very intimidated by the process of recording and I had never played any instruments on a record, because I’m not a good enough guitar player. So that kind of removes you, too. So, when I went this, I’m really thankful I got to work with [celebrated producer] Pierre [Marchand]. He’s a master at making a record sound beautiful. And he certainly did that with mine. But, with this too, the writing, the record, the whole thing, I just followed my instincts, just like with my son, Henry. And hopefully the payoff will be as beautiful as my child is.

Risen Reflections

Have faith. Whatever situation you are going through, turn to your relationship with God. He can help you through it. Pray and ask God for direction. God has given us friends, mentors, teachers, and pastors that have wisdom. They might have even gone through something similar. Reach out to them. Ask them if they can pray with you and if they have any insight. Take time this week to read the Bible and pray. Look for people in the Bible that might have gone through something similar as you. Take note of how they turned to God and how God responded to their prayers. Even when you do not fully understand a situation, trust God and have faith.

Respond with grace. It can be difficult when someone has hurt us or caused us pain. Our instincts often want to get revenge or to cut the person out of our lives. Instead, God wants us to forgive that person with His love and grace. It does not mean we condone what the person did. Their actions might be inherently wrong, but with God’s help we can forgive that person. Ask God to show you the grace that he has extended you so that you can show grace to others.

Get rid of bitterness. Often times we do not even realize that we have allowed bitterness to creep into our lives. It often starts with not forgiving someone. We hold on to a hurt and allow that hurt to affect and view that person. Pause and see if there is bitterness in your life. Try to identify the root of it and ask God to heal it. It can be helpful to meet with a counselor or pastor to help you identify hurt in your life.

To read our entire interview with Leigh Nash, click here.