ZOEgirl

1999: Making the group

Norman Miller, an artist manager for groups such as Avalon, said one day: "I see a need for a girls pop group." He knew Alisa Childers since 1977, when she was two years old, and "decided to build the [girl] group around her." Together with Lynn Nichols, a writer and executive producer, they approached Kristin (Swinford) Schweain, who was then part of a jazz group. Nichols said: "She [Alisa] had a real writing sensitivity. Then we heard Kristin sing and play the piano. She had a pure pop voice, and it was a really interesting mix with Alisa’s more gritty style. Then we said, ‘Let’s just see what unfolds.’" Schweain felt that it was a difficult decision for her to choose between her jazz group and this new opportunity in a girl group: "I felt like I was betraying them [her previous group], but at the same time I felt a pull to ZOEgirl and felt led to meet Alisa." She ultimately decided to join the girl group.

They wanted a third member, so Kristin remembered that her friend had "a friend in Atlanta who was playing in a band and working with some musicians." Nichols recalls: "It sounded kind of flaky, but I told Kristin to give her a call." This girl from Atlanta was Chrissy (Conway) Katina, who "was on the verge of signing a major record deal." Katina said: "My lawyer thought I was crazy for wanting to join a Christian group. He told me I’d never make any money." Regardless, she chose to become the third member of the group, which has yet to be named.

2000-2002: Pop years and "With All of My Heart"

The girl group signed to Sparrow Records but needed a name. Their original name was simply "ZOE", all in capital letters, their favourite from a list of possible names they have made. However, there was already a trademark for this name, so they added the suffix "girl" in minuscule letters to form the name "ZOEgirl." The name ZOEgirl comes from the Greek word zoe, which, in Greek, means life. Through their music, ZOEgirl talks about life in Christ.

ZOEgirl's first, self-titled release was released on August 15, 2000. Most of the songs talk about their relationship with God, although two of them are about fleeing a sinful lifestyle and were not released as singles. "I Believe" and "Living For You" both obtained the No. 4 position on the Adult Contemporary (AC) chart, while "Anything Is Possible" obtained the No. 8 position on the contemporary hit radio (CHR) chart. The album itself peaked at position No. 8 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart and sold over 350 000 copies by the end of 2003.

The single "With All of My Heart" was released on October 8, 2001 to promote the group's album, Life. The song obtained the No. 1 position for 3 weeks on the CHR Charts, and the No. 3 position on the AC radio charts. Life was released on November 20, 2001 with better critical acclaim and sales compared to their debut album. Over 120 000 copies of this album were sold during the first six weeks of its release, and nearly 370 000 copies were sold by the end of 2003.

2003-2005: Transition to pop rock and "You Get Me"

After a drastic musical change from bubblegum pop to pop rock, Different Kind of FREE was released. This is the most critically acclaimed album from ZOEgirl, mainly due to its lead single "You Get Me" and the Radio Disney single "Feel Alright". Another factor leading to this album's success is the music video filmed for "You Get Me". The girls then embarked on the FREE Experience Tour to promote the album with artists Superchick and Joy Williams.

ZOEgirl released their final album with Sparrow, Room to Breathe, on January 1, 2005. The album peaked at position 108 for the Billboard 200, and at position No. 1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart, making this the highest charting ZOEgirl album to date. However, its two singles were not as successful as the group's past hits. "About You" peaked at position No. 5 on the CHR charts and at No. 4 on the AC chart. "Scream" peaked at No. 40 on the AC charts and at No. 14 on the CHR charts.

The group's first greatest hits album, With All of My Heart – The Greatest Hits, was released on December 26, 2005. Two new songs were added to the album: "Unchangeable" and "One Day". "Unchangeable" was released as the album's lead single, but performed poorly on radio, peaking at No. 20 on CHR and No. 27 on AC. "One Day" was not released as a single.

2006: Disestablishment

On September 2006, by means of their now-defunct ZOEgirl fan club site, the group announced that they would quit writing and recording music as a group so that members could tend to their personal objectives.

Late 2000s and 2010: COLMANblue

In 2008, Chrissy formed a new group, COLMANblue, with Kelli Trontel. On September 3, 2008, the group announced that a third member would be part of the band, without mentioning her name. Three days later, it was confirmed that Kristin Schweain was the third member.

They recorded a song called, "Hey (Not Worth The Worry)" and released it as a single in 2009, and was available for a free download on Tangle. They participated in a "Hope 4 Samoa" concert on October 8, 2009 as well as on The Katinas Friends and Family cruise to Mexico in 2010 before disbanding, most likely because Kristin Schweain was suffering from a complicated pregnancy. On September 22, 2010 Kristin gave birth to her first son, Callum Ryan Moses Schweain, after various complications.

2011-present: Reunion

After more than four years of inactivity and separation, ZOEgirl reunited on February 27, 2011 for an interview on The Brian Mason Show. The group made no plans to create music together, but says that it is still possible. In May 2013, ZOEgirl announced that they reunited with plans to record a lullaby album, though nothing has materialized.

Members timeline

Note: September 2008 to March 2010 represents spin-off group COLMANblue.

Discography