Secret Sisters – Music, Faith, and Tragedy

Hamilton | May 18, 2012 | 0 Comments More

You’ve heard their song Tomorrow will be Kinder on The Hunger Games soundtrack, but did you know The Secret Sisters are real life sisters? Christian Chronicle has a great in-depth look at the duo as they talk about their love of music and God.

The haunting melodies of Alabama natives Laura and Lydia Rogers call to mind old hymns such as “Poor Wayfaring Stranger.” Their tight sibling harmonies evoke memories of the Everly Brothers. And the vocal twangs and acoustic guitar recall the sounds of bluegrass and old country.

In their music, “you hear the history of rural American music from the 1920s and a reverence for every musical genre this country has produced,” said T. Bone Burnett [Hunger Games executive music producer] , a Grammy winner and executive producer of the sisters’ self-titled debut album.

….In October 2010, the sisters released their first album. It featured mostly cover songs, including “Somethin’ Stupid” by Frank Sinatra and two songs written by Laura.

Since then, they have earned honors for which many artists wait decades. They have toured nationally and internationally, recorded a track with platinum-selling artist Jack White and performed at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.

Arguably their biggest break came earlier this year when their song “Tomorrow Will Be Kinder” was selected for the soundtrack of “The Hunger Games,” a film adaptation of the young-adult bestseller by Suzanne Collins.

….

The song itself was inspired by real-life tragedy — the 2011 tornadoes in northern Alabama that killed nearly 250 people and destroyed countless buildings, including the meeting place of the Central Church of Christ in Tuscaloosa.

The sisters were on tour in Australia when the storms hit their home state. The song is “about God making tomorrow better than today,” Laura says.

After Burnett got them the spot on the soundtrack, the sisters read the book. They both believe the book and film have an overall positive message, despite the violence, and they consider the soundtrack an opportunity to introduce a younger audience to their music. A YouTube version of the song has more than a quarter-million views.

“I hope (the song) leads people into our music and they hear our gospel songs and hear us testify about our faith,” Laura says.

…the sisters see their success — from playing for small crowds in Muscle Shoals, Ala., population 13,000, to walking the red carpet at a film premiere — as nothing short of providential.

“If I didn’t believe in God before, I would now,” Laura says. “Everything was too natural, nothing was forced, nothing was contrived. It was just us being ourselves, and that was enough. I truly believe it was a part of a big plan. It’s inspiring.”

For Laura, the first step was the hardest. She traveled to Nashville on her own to audition for a record deal. The thought of singing in front of strangers as they judged her seemed terrifying.

Lydia, who enjoyed singing at family reunions and with her dad’s band, was the “real” singer in the family, as Laura saw it. She went to the audition without any expectations of recording or touring. She only wanted to overcome her stage fright.

“I just thought it would make me a better person,” she recalls.

She was shocked when, not only was she able to sing, but she wowed the music business reps at the audition.

Right now, the sisters are enjoying some time back in their hometown, worshiping with the congregation where they were raised. They’re writing music for their new album, which they hope to record this summer and release in the fall.