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Trin-i-tee 5:7 Bio

Trin-i-tee 5:7 is a group that has gone where no group has gone before. As Gospel music's first "girl group," they have not only dispensed with any preconceived notions of what can and can't be done, but also, along the way, sold nearly 1.5 million copies of their first two albums. The release of their highly anticipated third album, The Kiss, smolders with the anticipation of even greater things to come.

The threesome - Chanelle Haynes, Angel Taylor and Adrian Anderson-has always been known as a high-energy, no-holding-back act, on record and in concert, but also as women of depth, ready to take on a full range of strong, substantive subjects - joy, sorrow, excitement, pain - proving themselves persons with something to say as well as a singular way to say it.

Behind the boards on The Kiss is a team of hit-making producers, including Keith & Darren, PAJAM, Fred Jerkins, Shep Crawford, Travon Potts, Dawkins & Dawkins, Big Bert and for the first time, each of the girls themselves.

"With A Kiss," from which the album's title is taken, passionately tells the story of Judas Iscariot's betrayal of Christ. "I was immediately drawn to that song because of the lesson it has to impart," says Adrian . "Jesus knew the character of Judas, but He also knew that he had to do what he had to do. It's crucial in our lives to know the real character of the all the people who surround us."

"On The Kiss we each wrote, did the vocal arrangements, and co-produced one song, and we all did one together," says Chanelle, "so there's a personal ingredient this time that allows each of us to step out on our own a bit."

" Holla! " with guest appearance by J. Moss, is a pumping, irresistible dance track that carries a message of the strength and resilience that only the Holy Spirit can provide. To anyone wondering how slamming dance music and a Gospel message can coexist in the same song. Chanelle has a ready response.

"For me, living for God is a party," she says. "It's exciting because God is always surprising me with beautiful people, things…opportunities. It's a song to be danced to in celebration before Him."

The group's collaboration, "16 Again," a smooth, R&B/pop jam, is a romantic love song with its own angle. "There are a lot of young Christians who might feel like romantic love is taboo, or at least something you don't address in a song," Chanelle explains. "But we want them to know that, that can be a godly kind of love, and a good thing, and something to celebrate."

Another standout of The Kiss is the group's stirring remake of Curtis Mayfield's spiritual/soul standard, "People Get Ready." For most of the number, the girls give the song the reverence one would expect-layering it with lavish harmonies and vocal interplay-before breaking into a hip-hop/rap coda that is totally Trin-i-tee, 2002.

But anyone trying too hard classify the music of Trin-i-tee 5:7 will encounter immediate and stiff resistance. "We have friends of all colors and ethnic backgrounds," says Angel, "and nobody makes any separations. The same is true of Trin-i-tee 5:7's musical tastes. We like any style of music that is excellent - R&B, hip-hop, rock, and pop-and we try to show that diversity on our own albums. But when it all comes together on the record, we make it our own. I think the only categorization we would all be OK with is `heart songs.'"

In addition to giving through their music, the women of Trin-i-tee 5:7 have also put their commitments to the Lord into actions as well as music, with Chanelle and Adrian each founding nonprofit organizations to help both children and adults in need in their communities, and Angel contributing to both groups, as well as supporting a literacy program in her own local church.

Chanelle founded and heads the St. Michael Youth Center, which provides food, clothing, counseling and academic tutoring, as well as courses in dance and music to develop children's creativity. One of the most creative, and significant, parts of Adrian 's organization, "Be An Angel…Wear Your Halo," is what she dubs "The Perfect Purse." Every quarter the group puts together a care package for a person in need containing telephone cards, gift cards from major retail food and clothing stores, bath and body products for moms, snack food for kids, and other household items, accompanied by a letter that states only: "You've been chosen for a blessing. You never know when you're entertaining angels unaware." The group also varies the packages' contents accordingly and leaves knapsacks for college students, calling that program "Bag the Knowledge."

"God has filled us with blessings so greatly that we feel an overwhelming need to pour some of that back," says Chanelle. "We want to leave a legacy not only for our music and ministry, but for being three Christians who cared about people and their lives."

Chanelle and Angel, the two original members of Trin-i-tee 5:7, met in high school in their native New Orleans . Adrian had been a successful make-up artist for several years, with the original lineup of Trin-i-tee 5:7 as one of her clients, before the girls in the group even realized that she was also a gifted singer and invited her to be a part.

Ask Trin-i-tee 5:7 about its purpose, hopes and dreams, and you're likely to get three answers that are much like the women themselves and their music: distinctive, colorful and perfectly complementary.

"Our videos and our music are really different from most of what's out in the music industry today," Angel says. "We want to convey hope and positiveness, and that's really who we are. The more popular we become, the more light will be shined on our personal lives. I think that the best thing we can do for God is to show the world what Christianity is all about through the way we live our own lives."

"We feel like we're still growing as a group, musically and in our ministry," says Chanelle, "and we're excited about where we're praying the Lord is going to take us. We want Trin-i-tee 5:7 to be an international ministry, speaking to people everywhere."