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Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Divine Whispers : Deb Fung Writer : Dawn FungDeb Fung is an award winning singer-songwriter (Best New Gospel Artist, National Gospel Awards 2003, Finalist for Australian Songwriters Association Award 2006) with three albums to her name. She has been an inspiration to many through her songwriting, and continues to push ministry out of the box through her life. Dawn Fung (no relations!), who assisted Deb in her first Singapore tour asks about church, music and ideas.  Deb FungDawn : Could you share how you came to Christ? Deb : As a 10 year old, it's funny what you remember. I remember being in the old rickety church offices where our Sunday school groups broke up into year levels with our leaders. I remember the peeling paint on the walls and the high ceilings, but the warmth of the group and my year 5 Sunday school leader, Sally. I remember Sally asking our group the simple question after sharing a story about Jesus, "Who would like to pray for Jesus to come into their heart?" I had no reservations and fears back then; so I said that I did, and I remember praying the prayer where the eternal transaction in heaven was made. So at 10 years old I became a child of God and have never looked back. Dawn : That's awesome. I got my first bible at 10. I think it's a good number. And if I remember correctly, you had been serving in church for a long time? Could you talk about your involvement in ministry? Was it purely music? Deb : No, not purely music. I've grown up in Church, and my first commitment to, and love for ministry was with youth. I still see the incredible potential in this ministry, and don't think I will ever choose not to be involved with young people? It's the youth who define how the world will be tomorrow, so I count it an enormous privilege to be able to get alongside the next generation. Music has gone hand in hand with youth ministry - I think this is a universal (not just church) principle. Music is the language of how we express ourselves. While I have loved serving in music ministry in the church for over a decade now, I see the use of music to minister to people - young and old, spanning way beyond the walls of the church. I see "Ministry" defined as the mandate God gives us to build the Body of Christ and bring Christ to others. Rather than containing ministry involvement to formal functions in the Church, I see it rather as a way every Christian should gear their life and approach in what they do. Are we building up the Church and bringing Christ to those we meet and rub shoulders with in life? If yes, then we are faithfully ministering! Sorry, I didn't mean to start preaching!! Dawn : What made you embark on music as a career? Deb : A sense of calling coupled with a sense of adventure. It didn't start with a 'do or die' decision though, it's more like a gradual step by step process where each decision equipped me for the next, and where without exception, each decision was always tougher to make than the last. It began with having a few songs up my sleeve which I had written and played for special occasions: my 21st birthday, my best friend's baptism, my sister's 18th... After various people encouraging me to do something with my songs I had a 'conviction experience' at a Christian conference I attended in 2000 where I felt and heard God speak straight to my heart, among thousands of others. I look back on that moment as quite a pivotal moment, as I believe it gave me courage and a resolve which carried me through that first year of cluelessness! Dawn : I think the Lord affirmed your music through the National Gospel Awards and the Australian Songwriters Association Awards. As well, you've already three albums. Could you talk about the creative process of songwriting, and how you manage to find new materials? Deb : I'm both a left and right-side brain person - that is, on one hand I'm a very logical and pragmatic thinker which works well for me when I'm working in the corporate world and doing the business side of my music career. On the other hand I love being creative and the process of making something from nothing. Over the years I have found the only way I can be creative is when there is structure in my life. If things are not in order or life is too busy, I can't find the headspace to create. I haven't been able to write over the past 6 months because I haven't been able to lock the time away due to other commitments. Internally I know that something is not right when this happens because there is a restlessness and discontentment which builds up as I wrestle with the creative tension of new thoughts and inspiration waiting impatiently to be penned and brought to life with melody. When I can actually lock myself away to do this, the process of songwriting can both be incredibly rewarding and incredibly frustrating. For me it usually begins with a notion; a lyric or a theme. I then jump onto the piano or grab my guitar and start developing that theme or lyric with a musical 'vibe' (as I call it!). I explore rhythms, tempos, keys which match the mood of the song as it evolves and if I can push through the moments of frustration when I hit dead ends or cringe areas (do all songwriters have these moments? I hope so!), by the end of that sitting I will have succeeded in producing the essence of a new song. The frills of arrangement, perfecting structure and refining lyrics can generally take days or weeks longer depending on how committed I am to a production deadline. With regard to finding new material or inspiration, I think it all comes through living life in real-time, and the ability (and the discipline) to stop and analyse, take stock and journal to be able to gain insight into what we're going through and experiencing, not just allow life to pass us by. There is plenty of inspiration all around us - God gives us SO much to experience through relationships, places, creation, life's great times and challenging times, the world's climate and the needs of humanity - I think it is a cop out when we claim writer's block for lack of inspiration or new material (and I'm as guilty as anyone!). It's a matter of choosing to engage with the world we live in. Dawn : Speaking more candidly, I know that juggling both music and your work in law must have been pretty frustrating in some sense. How do you balance the load? Deb : [chuckles] As I've eluded to above, I don't think I do this very well. I think I have instead come to better understand my limitations - that when I do things, unless I'm doing them a hundred percent, I get frustrated. To try and juggle both the music and a corporate career, and doing both well is an anomaly as I'm unable to do either to their full potential. This is why I need to consciously choose the season I'm in - when I'm pursuing the music work, I choose to drop the corporate work so that I can tackle the commitment without restraint and without having to compartmentalise my headspace and my time. This past six months since my "Whoever You Are" tours (Dec '06 - May '07) I have been back to corporate work and 100% committed to that while I take a break from pursuing the music. Dawn : Working with you the first time you were here was pretty insightful. You have now a few regular musicians to call upon like Audrey Tang, Ruth Ling. What are your plans for Asia? Deb : Audrey and Ruth - what stars. It's been such a privilege to cross paths and work musically with these guys. I have loved and greatly appreciated my interactions with Asia so far, which began back in 2005 with the fantastic people of Singapore, and now more recently Malaysia also. As a lass of Chinese descent I guess it was only natural for God to open the doors which bring me closer to my roots. As for the future, plans I have for Asia actually still make me a bit nervous. I believe that it's important to speak out our dreams, no matter how lofty or crazy they might be, because there's power in words and seeing things through the eyes of faith, not just reality and what exists today. However, regarding the plans for Asia, I'm finding myself doing the 'muttering under my breath' thing rather than the full-blown declaration right now! I know that God takes us on a journey and knows how to never give us more than we can handle while at the same time confronting us with the choice to stretch beyond what we'd naturally settle for. This next chapter in Asia feels like I'm going to need the stretch to become a slingshot as in my mutterings for the plans in Asia there is a whisper of Taiwan... and there's a whisper of China. I dare only whisper because the road to get there is probably going to take more commitment than I've ever mustered before. It's about relearning a whole culture and industry, language and style. Am I up for it? Well, 2008 is a new day and well, we only have one life to live, right? So keep your ears to the ground, who knows what a whisper can become. For more information, see debfung.com
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