Monday, December 6, 2010

Adventist a cappella group competes on NBC's The Sing-Off

Image source: Committed Facebook page

NEW: A Sabbath Blog's interview with Committed
UPDATE: Committed wins "The Sing-Off."

Watch every Committed song.

An Adventist a cappella group will be competing on NBC's "The Sing-Off," starting Dec. 6. Committed is one of 10 a cappella groups competing for a Sony Music recording contract and $100,000.

About Committed
Committed was formed in 2003 at Forest Lake Academy in Orlando, Fla. Since then, the group's membership has changed lots of times. The current group is made up of five graduates and one undergraduate student from Oakwood University in Huntsville, Ala.

They are Dennis "DJ" Baptiste, Jr., Alain "Tommy" Gervais, Geston Pierre, Robert "Robbie" Pressley Jr., Maurice Staple and Theron "Therry" Thomas.

Sabbath issues
According to Andrews University, Committed is the only Christian group in the competition. At first, this caused problems for the group.


Image source: Committed Facebook page
Before taping the show, Committed knew they would face some scheduling conflicts because they believe in keeping Saturday as the Sabbath. The group told the producers they would not be able to practice or perform on Saturdays.

According to Andrews University, Committed waited a week to find out if they would still be able to compete. The group's taping dates were moved to Mondays and Wednesdays.

"Our goal has always been to minister to people, to touch people's hearts, to spread the love of Jesus with our music," said Geston Pierre, bass singer for Committed. "We're glad to be on the show, but wether we win or lose, we're going to continue doing what we've been doing."

Other Adventist a cappella groups
Committed is the second Seventh-day Adventist a cappella group to compete on "The Sing-Off." In December 2009, Nota won the first season of "The Sing-Off." Their debut album was released in November.

Take 6 also traces its history back to Oakwood. Thirty years ago, the group began at what was then Oakwood College. Since then, the group has won 10 Grammy awards and 10 Dove awards. They've released their most recent album in October.

When to watch
"The Sing-Off" is a five-night musical event in its second season. It was taped in August and September and will air Mondays and Wednesdays 8-10 p.m. ET. The finale, however, will air live on Dec. 20.

Video
Below is a video of Committed performing "This Love" on "The Sing-Off."



UPDATE (12/06/10 10:30 p.m.)
Committed advances to the second round. They sang "This Love," by Maroon 5. At the end of the program, they gave a short preview of their next performance (Dec. 8), singing "Apologize."

UPDATE (12/08/10 9:57 p.m.)
Committed moves on to episode three. They sang "Apologize" by OneRepublic. They will be singing "I Want It That Way" by the Backstreet Boys on Monday, Dec. 13.

Watch Committed perform "Apologize" below:



UPDATE (12/13/10 9:32 p.m.)
Contestants will have to sing two different songs tonight. Committed sang "Every Breath You Take" by The Police.



UPDATE (12/13/10 9:55 p.m.)
Committed moves on to Episode 4 (Dec. 15). In addition to singing "Every Breath You Take," they sang "I Want It That Way" by the Back Street Boys.



UPDATE (12/16/10)
Committed moves on to the finals, which will air live on Dec. 20. How to vote for the winner.

On Wednesday, Dec. 15, Committed sang a medley of Usher songs for the medley round and sang Al Green's "Let's Stay Together," a song chosen by the judges for them to sing in the judges' pick round.

"Let's Stay Together" by Al Green:


Usher medley:

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17 comments:

Hans von Walter said...

It seems like we SDAs are blowing up TV lately. =)

Anonymous said...

What can I say except: "OU has got that hump!" (If you've ever been to an Oakwood basketball game it would make sense).

I'm so proud and excited to see how this goes! All the best Committed!

Anonymous said...

i didnt know that last season's winners were Adventist too. I expect a repeat! Keep "going to church" Committed, because you all are ministering beautifully in spite of the song selection. Our God does indeed work in mysterious ways.

Anonymous said...

This is truly sad, and even sadder that people think this is some kind of good witness for the truth. This is glorifying people and not God.

Anonymous said...

I don't think this is sad. I think this is great!

I think it's awesome that a secular show has made it a point to keep saying that these guys are Christians. Unlike so many other shows on TV, this show hasn't portrayed Christianity in a negative light.

Who are we to know how God reaches people? Good job, Committed! The judges said they really appreciate what you stand for! So do I! :)

Anonymous said...

Apparently the health message hasn't reached their church. The had video of the pastor frying chicken on the NBC show.

And after all that talk about glorifying God they sing a Maroon 5 song? Which begins with the line, "I was so high I did not recognize the fire burning in her eyes."

Why haven't they performed any gospel music on the show after all we heard about was their faith when they were introduced?

Sam said...

If the pastor there wants to eat chicken, let him eat it. It's not a big deal. There isn't a rule that churches have to serve vegetarian or vegan foods. Just visit any other country and see what Adventists there eat. =)

I'm sure Committed would love to sing gospel music on the show. Maybe the producers give them a limited group of songs to choose from due to the theme selected for that week or TV music licenses and other legal stuff.

I think we're majoring in our minors.

Anonymous said...

The chicken part was just an observation. I eat it too, it was just odd seeing an Adventist pastor cooking chicken.

As for singing worldly pop music I don't think that is "majoring in a minor" at all. Especially the sexually charged Maroon 5 song which the songwriter Adam Levine, wrote about his ex-girlfriend, describes this way...

'In an interview with Rolling Stone, when asked about the lyrics "Keep her coming every night" and "Sinking my fingertips into every inch of you", Levine said: "Yep, that's sexual, all right.'

Hardly the type of song you want to sing right after proclaiming your mission to glorify God. These guys seem sincere in their mission, but I question the decision to go to this forum. Their talent might glorify the gift God gave them, but the songs certainly are not.

Not to mention one of the judges describe the reaction of another judge as a "musical orgasm."

Anonymous said...

Unbelievable. I am not a conservative. Nor, am I a liberal. I don't care for those categories. I read an article like this, & see the comments, and I have to wonder, is there anyone who believes in God's word anymore? Seventh-day Adventists USED to be a people of the word. Why is it, other churches / denominations seem to be ok with their standards, but not so in the Adventist Church? If the people who don't want to live by & have standards, why don't they just leave? Instead of complaining about everyone being judgmental, just leave. Don't go away angry. Just, go away.

Jill said...

Go Committed! I hope you win!!!

rhoen said...

Hope you will also feature NOTA in here. thanks!

Anonymous said...

I have to agree...I am so proud of "COMMITTED" AND "NOVA" and the fact that they are proud of their faith... but it saddens me to see men of faith represent worldy music.... The devil is very keen in the way he does things... The devil takes what is TRUE and twists it...to make it almost RIGHT. but its not. JESUS is coming soon... and there is a message to be preached... what happened to us as ADVENTIST? Have we forgotten who we are and where we came from? Like my brother and or sister said...."Adventist used to be a people of the WORD." STOP COMPROMISING WITH WHAT THE WORD OF GOD SAYS... stop compromising with the things of this WORLD. We end up being just like everyone else instead of totally different. If people are not drawn to God's WORD in it's rawest form than dressing HIS word up to make it smell, taste and look good will not have a lasting impression on the people. I'm just saying... SING OFF is great... but I believe that its COMPROMISING... and if some of these men are in the ministry... THEY SHOULD KNOW THIS. all in love. all in love. blessings to u all

A Sabbath Blog said...

Hi guys, for everyone wondering how these reality TV shows work, the producers pick the songs that the contestants must sing.

Committed recently spoke about it with A Sabbath Blog. Read about it here: http://www.asabbathblog.com/2011/04/interview-with-committed.html

Anonymous said...

they should not be in this competition.. that's all i have to say.

kimberly said...

if they are Christ-worshipping, why on earth were they singing "i wanna make love in this club" in their usher medley? "tell me what you're sippin on...you know i can do you right..."
really? please.
if they were COMMITTED christians, they wouldn't be singing junk like that. yes, they told the studio their sabbath was a must, but for what? because they sold out in the end anyway.

Anonymous said...

That was not a competition for Christians. They are suppose to Change lives through ministering, so it is very disrespectful when we say they were doing the work of God....Christians should know what they stand for and not disregard their faith for money or fame.

Persons may be offended but if those songs weren't glorifying God then they were glorifying the devil!!!

Anonymous said...

We don't want the world to Marvell at how good "godly" people can sing worldly music. But how God's people can maintain so pure and true to the truth without having to compromise.

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A Sabbath Blog Comment Policy:

All comments must be on topic, relevant, polite, constructive, clean, and Christian. The comments area is not for advertising your websites, events, programs, or services.

Unlike other websites, A Sabbath Blog is not a place for adults to argue back and forth about theology, church politics, or gossip. Please understand that this website is made by youth for other youth and young adults to enjoy without having resentful people posting confusing or misleading comments. Thank you.

Comments submitted that do not meet these ground rules will not be published.

For news tips, questions, or suggestions please email us instead of posting them in the comment form below. Thanks.

Note: Comments expressed are those of the comment author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position or opinions of A Sabbath Blog.

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