2011 Lamplighter Awards: Martha Munizzi Interview

In the last decade, acclaimed music minister Martha Munizzi has risen to the upper reaches of the Christian and gospel music spheres, becoming an in-demand worship leader, songwriter, and speaker across the United States and beyond.

An energetic and praise-filled woman of God, Munizzi has captured the hearts of gospel music lovers with songs like “Say The Name”, “Glorious”, “Because Of Who You Are” and “Jesus Is The Best Thing (That’s Ever Happened To Me)”. Martha Munizzi has become a household name in the Christian music industry. Singlehandedly, the GRAMMY Award Nominee and Dove and Stellar Award Winner has literally changed the face of the inspirational genre. With her dynamic and unapologetic style of praise and worship, she touches the very heart of the believer. Not only have lives been changed through her ministry, but she has savored the success of it as well, becoming the best-selling independent artist in the history of gospel music, selling over 500,000 units. Not one to rest on her laurels, fans of her music can expect even more with her upcoming 6th release dropping April 26, 2011, Make It Loud.

Gospel music is in Martha Munizzi’s blood. Beginning at the age of 8, her parents, who were traveling evangelists, took her and her sisters on the road. As she and her sisters got older, the family settled in Orlando, Florida and eventually as teens, Martha and her two sisters got a taste of singing on their own traveling across the state of Florida, performing at churches, conferences and Christian events. It was during this time when she met her husband, Dan Munizzi, who also played bass and keyboards for their music group.

The two married in 1987 and began their music ministry together. Planting their roots at a local church in Orlando, they not only began leading praise and worship and growing the music department there, but the experience gave Martha an opportunity to try out her own songs with the praise team and the congregation. Receiving a warm reception, she and Dan decided to record Martha’s first CD entitled, Say The Name, which dropped in 2002. The project introduced the cross-cultural praise and worship leader to a plethora of new fans and earned her the first of many Dove Award Nominations for Contemporary Gospel Song of the Year as well as her first GRAMMY Award Nomination for Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album.

Martha’s second release, The Best Is Yet To Come, truly put her on the “gospel musical map” and debuted on the Billboard Gospel Chart at #2 and the Billboard Christian Albums Chart at #6 in 2003. The CD, recorded live at Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Houston, TX, netted a slew of amazing tunes including “Glorious”, “I Know The Plans”, “Sing” and “God Is Here. The hugely popular hit “Because Of Who You Are”, gave Munizzi two more Dove Award Nominations for Contemporary Gospel Recorded

Song of the Year and Contemporary Gospel Song of the Year in 2003 and 2004, respectively, and an Oasis Award for International Female Artist of the Year. The success of The Best Is Yet To Come bestowed upon Martha a Stellar Award for Best New Artist of the Year and a Stellar Award Nomination for Female Vocalist of the Year. The accolades were evidence of the popularity and diversity of her music ministry and the acceptance of her unique style of praise in the gospel community. Martha Munizzi also became the first non-African American artist to walk away with a Stellar Award.

She followed up the release with her Christmas CD, When He Came in 2004, a musical collection of festive holiday tunes. The project caught the attention of the Stellar Awards again and the CD won for Special Event CD of the Year. Her next release, No Limits Live, was the first project released in conjunction with worship giant Integrity Music with general market distribution through Sony-BMG, enlarging her territory even further and solidified Munizzi’s influence on the genre. With slick production and urban rhythms, the two-CD set saw the title tune and “Jesus Is The Thing” blaring from gospel radios nationwide. Debuting at #1 on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums Chart in March 2006, nomination after nomination followed including three CCM Magazine Reader Choice Award Nominations (Female Artist of the Year, Praise & Worship CD of the Year and Worship Artist of the Year), two Stellar Award Nominations (Artist of the Year and Contemporary Female Vocalist of the Year) and two Dove Award Nominations (Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year and Contemporary Gospel Song of the Year). In addition, she received a Christian Music Award for Female Artist of the Year for No Limits Live.

Change The World Live, a clarion call for Christians to take their rightful positions in the Kingdom, dropped in 2008 and included songs like “Invincible God”, “Dance” and the CD’s title tune. Israel Houghton, Micah Stampley and twin Mary Alessi were featured on the CD. Hitting #4 on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums Chart and #3 on the Billboard Top Christian Albums Chart, the project gave the artist her 8th & 9th Dove Award Nominations, this time for Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year, which she won, and for Contemporary Gospel Song of the Year for “Favor of God”.

Having performed with the best and brightest in Christendom, Munizzi has ministered with Joel Osteen, Creflo Dollar, Joyce Meyer, Benny Hinn, CeCe Winans and Bishop T.D. Jakes. She’s been seen on the Trinity Broadcasting Network and the Daystar Television Network. She was tapped to perform on BET’s Celebration of Gospel and appeared in the movie, The Gospel. An artist picked to perform on the coveted “Sisters In The Spirit” Tour, Munizzi joined Yolanda Adams, Kelly Price, Juanita Bynum, RiZen and Sheila E. on the sold-out tour.

In 2009, God impressed upon Martha’s heart an “EPIC Worship” movement, “EPIC” standing for Experience A Passionate Intimate Connection with God. Bringing together worship leaders from Florida including her twin Mary and William McDowell, the goal was to lift up the name of Jesus in an impromptu time of intimacy. They met periodically at different churches to sing and in no time, the movement grew exponentially. Artists and ministers such as Mark Chironna, Michael Gungor and Nicole

Binion joined in. Martha says, “EPIC is a community of people looking for connection with each other and with God. But the bottom line is that we want God’s presence; it’s all about worship.”

Now Martha Munizzi delivers, Make It Loud, an extension of EPIC WORSHIP. Recorded live at City of Life Church in Kissimmee, Florida, the project is certain to eclipse any other record that the praise and worship artist has done. With songwriting by Munizzi, Gungor, Jonathan Stockstill, Lori Morrison, Daniel Eric Groves and even Munizzi’s daughter, Danielle, the artist sees God’s hand all throughout the record. “God brought together the right people at the right time for this project,” says Munizzi. Not only is the project a snapshot of an incredible night of worship, but Martha sees this project as a platform to expose many other up-and-coming worship leaders as well as new songs for the body of Christ.

The title tune is a rock-edged praise anthem that calls believers to “Make It Loud”. Other memorable tracks include the soon-to-be-hit “Excellent”, the declarative “My God Is A Big God”, and the comforting “No One Higher”. Containing one amazing song after another, Munizzi doesn’t miss a beat providing intimate times of worship and powerful times of praise throughout. “Set Me Free”, featuring Gungor and “Fill Me” with a special guest appearance by Groves are true standouts as are the moving “Your Love Oh God”, sung and written by Danielle and the magnificent “Until”. Producing and co-writing all but one song on Make It Loud, sonically Munizzi delivers a flawless CD, with help from some of the top musicians in the business. It’s clear that Martha has found her niche in Gospel music and is one of the industry’s most riveting voices in praise and worship.

She’s preparing a mentoring program for worship leaders and wants to pass on the “torch of worship” to those coming behind her. Continuing to break down the generational and cultural walls that separate the body of Christ, Martha Munizzi is a woman on a mission to proclaim the awesomeness of God.