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Brooke Barrettsmith
Rock / Pop

		we need YOU to break through!!! Chicago, Illinois United States Profile Views: 307856 Last Login: 11/26/2009
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Contacting Brooke Barrettsmith

MySpace URL:

www.myspace.com/brookebarrettsmith

Brooke Barrettsmith: General Info

Member Since	1/25/2006
Band Website	BrookeRocks.com
Band Members	Brooke is accepting much needed donations / love offerings for food and travel expenses on the road. You can donate via Paypal: Sponsors:
Influences	Jesus Christ.
Sounds Like	Click here to buy "Farewell" on iTunes!
Record Label	Essential/Sony BMG
Type of Label	Major

Upcoming Shows

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Nov 6 2009

7:00P

Encounter Youth Conference

Chicago, Illinois

Nov 7 2009

8:00A

Encounter Youth Conference

Chicago, Illinois

Nov 13 2009

7:00P

Connecting Women 2009 Conference

Winthrop Harbor, Illinois

Nov 14 2009

8:00P

Connecting Women 2009 Conference

Winthrop Harbor, Illinois

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About Brooke Barrettsmith

BROOKE'S VIDEOS
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At only 26, new Essential artist Brooke Barrettsmith has discovered a wisdom that eludes many twice her age. This is a young woman who is completely comfortable in her own skin and thoroughly certain of the career path she’s chosen in Christian music.

Adept at guitar and piano, as well as a prolific writer, Brooke’s musical heritage runs deep. “My dad’s mom was a Broadway singer in Chicago, and my mom’s mom was an Italian opera singer in Chicago. My dad was a professional musician, too. When he was 18 years old, he started doing session drumming and played at venues in Chicago with blues legends like Buddy Guy and B.B. King. So I guess I had no choice—it’s in my blood!”

On her self-titled debut, Brooke crafts a style uniquely her own, melding her love of Jeremy Camp, Daughtry and Kelly Clarkson with passionate lyrics that reflect her own life and experiences. Though only in her mid-twenties, Brooke has already dealt with her share of challenges including an early struggle with anxiety.

Only a decade ago, the then-teenager experienced her first physical—and terrifying—panic attack. “My heart was racing, my head was pounding. I was having irrational thoughts about not making it to tomorrow, a real sense of hopelessness… I was facing the first stages of adulthood and just dealing with all the stress of life. It was partially hereditary because it is in my family and partly because I had put God on a backburner. At that point in my life, fear had become more real than I knew God to be.”

Leaning on her parents for advice and encouragement, Brooke was gradually able to overcome the attacks. More importantly, the severe anxiety served as a catalyst for her to become the confident woman she is today. “I started making an effort to spend time in the Word of the Lord and to renew my mind in Christ, taking in His promises and owning them. I learned to dwell on them all day instead of dwelling on problems and stress. I’m thankful because I don’t know if I would be who I am in Christ today if He hadn’t allowed that to happen. It was really what brought me to the end of myself. I was either going to move forward with Christ, or I would be forever on the fence.”

Whether performing onstage, writing songs in her suburban Chicago home, speaking to teen and college women at regional conferences, or studying online for her Moody Bible College exams, Brooke is unquestionably living her life for a greater purpose. Just ask her why she’s tackling higher education in the midst of a heavy touring schedule: “It’s always been a dream of mine to go to Moody since my dad went there. I’ve always been interested in having a deeper knowledge of the Bible and the fundamentals of what we believe. I want to be accountable to have answers and to know as much about Jesus and my faith as I can know. I’m doing it honestly for personal enrichment. I want to know Jesus more, and I want to represent Him well.”

Brooke’s father, now a non-denominational Bible church pastor, carefully guided his daughter because he knew all too well the pitfalls that can come along with life in the music business. Brooke explains, “Before my parents became Christians, my dad had been living the rock star life. He was drinking, doing drugs, not coming home until four in the morning. My mom couldn’t deal with it anymore so she filed divorce papers—it was his wake up call. He came to Christ soon after that. Then my mom saw his example and a few months later she said yes to Jesus as well. When you see a complete deliverance like that, you know Jesus is real.”

Though only a young child herself at the time of her parents’ conversions, Brooke clearly remembers the changes she saw in her family, particularly in how her father approached music. To this day, she credits him as being her primary artistic influence. “Music had been his first love, and I saw him redeem what he’d been doing as a nonbeliever. That was a huge influence—he was still creative and awesome as a musician, but now it had new meaning.

The journey for Brooke to find her career calling took its own unexpected course, full of twists and turns along the way. It began as a child as she and her siblings performed church solos and sang together as a family band. “When my sister and I decided that we wanted to do music as a ministry, my dad started setting up shows, booking us to play for Christian youth groups and bigger church events. After performing with her younger sister for a few years as a duo, the two came to realize that their musical visions were simply not in sync. For the sake of their relationship, they decided to part ways musically, but not before one last hurrah: trying out together for the fifth season of “American Idol.”

“We went and made it through tons of auditions. I’ve honestly never liked talent competitions, and the ‘American Idol’ experience is like nothing I'll ever do again—both good and bad extremes. We both made it to Hollywood, but my sister got sent home before me. It was a real turning point—it was the first time God had confirmed to me that He had gifted me and called me as Brooke Barrettsmith to fulfill the calling He had on my life. I fell into a comfort zone all those years with my sister, being a duo and existing together. It was funny that God used the very thing I opposed to confirm the calling He had on my life.”

That calling is now being fulfilled in a number of arenas, including her work as a youth group leader at her home church and her frequent appearances as a guest speaker at Unlimited Hope Women’s Conferences. Of course, her focus at the moment is on communicating the messages of faith and encouragement that are threaded throughout the songs on her debut CD.

“I hope that people take three major points from this album. The first is don’t be ashamed of your faith in Christ. That’s a huge part of my live ministry—clearly sharing the Word of God and encouraging people to know Him better. The second point would be to encourage people to be vulnerable, to be real, to admit you’re human and that you hurt. God didn’t call us to be perfect—He called us to live like Him and for Him, but our emotions are okay. The third one would be cast your anxieties upon the Lord. I think that resonates with everyone. For me, it was physical panic, something that was overpowering me and that I thought was more powerful than God. For other people, it’s stress, relationships, anxiety in every form. Sometimes He lets you feel the anxiety and stress so that you learn to depend on Him more and learn how to hear His voice in the midst of that.”

Hearing that voice speak through the mayhem of her teenage panic has produced in Brooke a peace-filled wisdom that defies her years. She is confident without being cocky, self-assured without a trace of a facade. Perhaps most importantly, she faces the future secure in the path she’s chosen.

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Brooke Barrettsmith's Friends Comments

Displaying 25 of 3126 comments ( View All | Add Comment )

James Clay Ponders	Nov 26 2009 8:46 PM HAPPY THANKSGIVING !!!
jasmine.	Nov 26 2009 8:46 PM happy thanksgving :) i love you very much :)
Daniel	Nov 26 2009 8:46 PM have a blessed thanksgiving
TranQuillus	Nov 22 2009 5:08 AM Just passing through to say what's up. Have a nice day.
Make A Star	Nov 19 2009 9:49 PM Brooke Barrettsmith - Special invite to our Favorite Song or Music Video cash competitions! www.MakeAStar.com
Just F.A.M. (Freshset) 3 NEW CHRISTMAS SONGS	Nov 17 2009 4:12 AM NEW SONGS ON THE PAGE; Featuring our #1 Christmas single on the soundclick.com charts "Dont you know its christmas" Our 3rd Music VIDEO & RECORD DEAL IN THE WORKS =]
ELDER SOLOMON N. HORSEY	Nov 16 2009 1:38 AM " IF NO ONE HAS SAID I LOVE YOU TODAY DON'T WORRY , ( GOD LOVE'S YOU AND WE LOVE YOU TO! ) " HAVE A BLESSED EVENING IN THE LORD. PASTOR SOLOMON & FIRST LADY NOVELLA HORSEY.
Maintain Clothing	Nov 15 2009 9:13 PM Hey, how are you?! Hope all is well! Please drop us a comment and let us know how you're doing. We'd love to hear from you :). We have two new shirts and an online store coming real soon! We wanted to thank you so very much for your support. It truly means a lot to us. Please help promote us! Add a banner/Add us to your top friends/ Post bulletins about us! Anything, will help greatly! Please be sure to follow us: Twitter.com/WeRMaintain <3 Maintain
Divine Harmonie	Nov 13 2009 9:55 PM Thank you for the add! If you have the time come on my page and say me that you think about my music! God bless you!!!
SUGARPUSHER	Nov 12 2009 6:22 PM THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE ADD BROOKE!
MARKILO ALLEN	Nov 9 2009 12:23 AM I WANTED TO SAY HELLO AND ENCOURAGE YOU TO STAY PRAYERFUL NO MATTER WHAT SITUATIONS YOU HAVE GOING ON IN YOUR LIFE RIGHT NOW.
Warclub Radio [Request Line 405-633-3705 24/7 365]	Nov 7 2009 4:50 AM Thanks for adding Warclub Radio! Take care, and God bless! +Rikki Puckett+ http://www.myspace.com/warclubradio
Ultradave	Oct 25 2009 6:42 PM awesome
Elizabeth South	Oct 24 2009 9:22 PM Hi, there! Stop by to show your support of my music by listening to and buying my two new singles off iTunes called, “The Singles.” Also, let me know how you are doing. And I’d really appreciate it if you’d add my new FACEBOOK music page: www.facebook.com/elizabethsouthmusic and new TWITTER: www.twitter.com/elisabethsouth Thank you so much for your support. :-)
38DD	Oct 22 2009 3:43 PM THANKS FOR THE ADD... YOU ROCK!!!
Seacoast Records Online Now!	Oct 21 2009 5:10 PM Brooke, sending love support and respect please keep in touch respectfully Nicolas
Core	Oct 20 2009 6:15 PM Hey there! I was curious as if we could use "father" for praise and worship?? If so could you send over the charts? Hope all is well. Brooklyn says "hi" Blessings, Corey
James Clay Ponders	Oct 13 2009 10:43 PM Good Job !!! Congratulations Christ Forever Praised
jasmine.	Oct 12 2009 6:03 PM brooke. congrats on your wedding. i wish the best for you and billers ;p love you guys! tell your sister that i say hi and your parents as well. well hope you are doing well.
wolfman dan u.s.a /a fan to all music	Oct 6 2009 5:03 PM OOwwwoooo,hi i am stoppin in to for a bit,to say hi & to play your rockin hot music have a rockin hot week yf&f dan
Amber	Oct 3 2009 11:09 PM hello brooke thank you for the add I love your music you have a beautiful voice have a great day :) amber
HOGLEG	Sep 7 2009 5:17 PM Thanks for adding us!!!
LifeFest NC	Sep 6 2009 5:28 PM North Carolina’s Christian Music Festival! LifeFest NC Saturday, October 17th, 2009 Booth Amphitheatre in Cary, NC featuring Pillar, BarlowGirl, Superchick, Rush of Fools, Stryper, VOTA, Flight Patterns... And on the Second Stage: Flowers for Faye, Greystone Chapel, Wake the Fallen, Written in Red, Jon Lloyd Band, Runaway City, Crimson Refuge, and Philmont! We're adding a 3rd Acoustic Stage! E-mail: jared@lifefestnc.com if you are interested. You can purchase tickets to LifeFest NC here: http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0E00429DF58F9CE8?artistid=1320987&majorcatid=10001&minorcatid=52 or group tickets of 20 or more here: http://www.itickets.com/events/230573/Cary_NC/LifeFest_NC_2009.html 5+ more acoustic artists still To Be Announced…. If you are interested in helping promote the show or volunteering the day of the event send an e-mail to: jared@lifefestnc.com www.lifefestnc.com Group tickets are available for church groups, youth groups, etc… Group tickets are just $19.50 (including all service charges) when purchased at the Booth Amphitheatre Box Office: 17+ artists, 10 hours of music and ministry for less than $20! info@boothamphitheatre.com 919-462-2052
Doyle	Sep 5 2009 7:31 PM Hi Brooke I am please you let me be a friend. You are a lovely and free spirit woman that most men dream of knowing. I see your adventurous in meeting new people. An in your outside beauty is just the reflection of your inner beauty of your lovely heart. An I be looking to read your blogs, see your photos. I just got back was in Iraq working for the US government Dept of Defense. I finally got back on May 8 after being there. I hope everything you dream for comes true in your life. Your making the world more enjoyable place with you in it. A Friend Doyle PS: YOU HAVE LOVELY TALENT & VOICE THAT YOU SHOW IN ALL YOUR PERFORMANCES THAT WHY YOUR FANS FEEL HONOR TO SEE YOU PERFORM THEN AND NOW FOR LONG TIME
Safe Haven Cafe	Sep 5 2009 4:23 PM REVELATION SONGS with Jennie Lee Riddle Worship and Songwriting Conference Saturday October 17th 2009 Safe Haven Cafe Worship Center Somers Point NJ 08244 for more information visit: www.events.safehavencafe.com www.SafeHavenCafe.com

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