The music in the youth-focused, ever-expanding Strive to Be library is helping strengthen young people around the world through Christ-centered music and messages.
This music can be found through streaming platforms by Strive to Be and the youth albums produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This year, through regional concerts and the upcoming “Festival 2025: A Youth Concert,” young people can worship Jesus Christ and find community with their peers through music.
On this episode of the Church News podcast, Church News reporter Mary Richards is joined by three Strive to Be artists — Pearce Morris, Ashley Hess and Sister Ellie Barry, who is currently a service missionary.
They discuss how good and wholesome music helps inspire, uplift and strengthen gospel testimonies for themselves and their listeners worldwide.
Listen to this episode of the Church News podcast on Apple Podcasts, Amazon, Spotify, bookshelf PLUS, YouTube or wherever you get podcasts.
Transcript:
Sister Ellie Barry: And something that I think is really beautiful about worship music is that people are singing about their relationship with God. And when they’re connecting to God through music, through those words, it’s scripture that they’re singing, it’s doctrine that they’re singing, it’s eternal truths that they’re singing. And so that’s just such a beautiful part about worship music, is it helps God reach their hearts in such a special way. We see evidence of God pursuing His kids, and I think that’s what this music is for. And I think that seeing it in all these different places with people that are in the Church and not in the Church is just evidence of God’s love for everyone all across the world. And I just feel so grateful that God has allowed me to be part of this work. It’s honestly been the greatest privilege of my life, and I have learned, and I have grown so much, and I’ve been able to watch other people learn and grow, and I’m just so grateful and in awe of God and His power and His love.
1:10
Mary Richards: This is Mary Richards, reporter at the Church News. Welcome to the Church News podcast. Today, we are taking you on a journey of connection as we discuss news and events of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Music is a universal language and very much an influence in the lives of youth. Good and wholesome music on their playlists can inspire and lift youth and help their testimonies. Such music can be found through streaming platforms by Strive to Be and the youth albums from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
This year, through regional concerts and “Festival 2025: A Youth Concert,” youth can worship Jesus Christ and find belonging with their peers through music. This episode of the Church News podcast features three Strive to Be artists. Pearce Morris, welcome to the podcast.
Pearce Morris: Thanks.
Mary Richards: We also have Ashley Hess, welcome.
Ashley Hess: Hi, thank you.
Mary Richards: And Sister Ellie Barry, welcome to the podcast.
Sister Ellie Barry: Thank you. We’re so happy to be here.
2:14
Mary Richards: Now, I will mention for everybody that that sister in front of her name is correct. Sister Barry is a called and set-apart missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She’s serving as a missionary here in Utah. Tell me a little bit about that. You’re a service missionary, and you sing.
2:29
Sister Ellie Barry: Yes. Not at all what I was expecting for my mission. I submitted my papers to go proselyting, and I was not expecting a service mission call at all. It wasn’t part of my plan. When I got the call, I was a little bit confused, because what I had heard and what I’d known was that people were called on service missions for health reasons that they needed to be here at home for, but I didn’t have anything that would have kept me here. And so when I got my call, I was really shocked and a little bit disappointed, I won’t lie.
But now, sitting here today, I am so grateful that this is where I am. It’s been incredible to share my testimony through music, which is always how I’ve shared my testimony the best and how I feel God’s love the most. So, yeah, it’s amazing.
3:14
Mary Richards: Well, we want to get to know each of you a little bit better, because we’ve heard your voices singing, and I’m geeking out just a little bit with some fun fandom here, getting to see you, and I want to get to know each of you a little bit better as well. So, again, Sister Barry, you’re from Pleasant Grove, Utah? Is that correct?
Sister Ellie Barry: Yes, Pleasant Grove.
Mary Richards: And tell me about singing and how that has been a part of your life.
Sister Ellie Barry: I’ve been singing my entire life. I grew up singing. It’s a big part of my family, what we love, what we do together. So, I grew up in choirs, contemporary choirs, and then my senior year of high school is when I started to do a lot of solo things. And so I would sing a lot with the group Gentri and other groups throughout Utah, and just a lot of charity corporate events. It mostly wasn’t religious music at first, but then I got connected with Strive to Be and started singing for them. And from there, I’ve realized that this is the world that I want to be part of. The worship music, the Christian music, is so special and I feel like what God has called me to do. So here we are today.
4:12
Mary Richards: I love it. Ashley, tell us about your background as well. You’re from California?
Ashley Hess: Yes, I grew up in Fremont, California. Music was also a really big part of my life, but it wasn’t something that I thought I would pursue, because, to be honest, I was afraid of the industry, and I didn’t know how you even break into that. And there wasn’t really a big music scene where I grew up. But I moved to Utah for school and just randomly got introduced to people that were in the music scene here. And I didn’t even realize there was a music scene in Utah, but there actually is an incredible scene out here.
And so, similar to Sister Barry, I just started posting covers and things on YouTube of more secular music. And then when I started songwriting, that’s when I really fell in love with music. And then as that evolved, when I started just singing more worship-style music and when I started writing about my relationship with the Lord, that’s when I knew, “Oh, this is what I want to pursue. This is what sets my soul on fire.”
And so, yeah, my career has evolved pretty drastically over the last few years. But I’m really, really grateful to be here, to be singing with Strive to Be and to be focused on Christian music.
5:22
Mary Richards: I love that, which is exactly what this is. It’s worshipping through music. Pearce — we want to point out, too, to our listeners: These are all young adults right here — you grew up in Southern Utah, right? But you were on a mission not that long ago.
Pearce Morris: Yeah, I was on a mission closer to a year and a half ago now. I served my mission in Seattle, Washington, which all my older brothers served foreign missions, and so I was super excited to go foreign. I just thought it was going to happen. I got a call out stateside, and I was like, “OK, I’ll go and do the things the Lord wants me to.” So that’s where I served my mission. And it was wonderful.
6:01
Mary Richards: I hear that from everybody: “It was exactly where I was supposed to be.” I love that. How did you get into music and singing?
Pearce Morris: Yeah, so when I was a young kid, I was in Primary, and I had a really old teacher. She was really old. And we were just singing the hymns, and I remember she leaned over one time, and she was like, “What a lovely voice you have.” And that’s the core memory that I have of when someone asks me, “Hey, when did you start singing?” that’s the memory that I always remember.
From then, I didn’t really sing much, but my sister, she was taking some voice lessons and said, “Hey, Pearce, you ought to come to just one. Just come to one and just try it out.” And so I go, “OK, I guess so.” So I did, and it was awesome. I found out that that’s something that I really love, and the more that I’ve been singing and the more that I’ve been able to have opportunities to share the gospel of Jesus Christ through that, I’ve really found a fulfilling purpose in that.
And that was one of my biggest concerns when I was going on my mission, was, “Oh, I won’t have the opportunity to sing as much as I did before my mission.” And it was exactly the opposite. I sang at more baptisms and more mission conferences and stake conferences than I ever thought I was going to ever have the opportunity to, so that was really cool that God was able to give that to me. I feel like that was a gift.
7:22
Mary Richards: I was playing the 2025 youth album in my kitchen the other day, and one of my sons said, “Wait, is this Church music?” And I said, “Absolutely. This is great music.”
When we use the word “worship” music, what does that exactly mean? What do you mean by that? Maybe we’ll start with Pearce and then Ashley and then Sister Barry.
7:39
Pearce Morris: Yeah, I think of worship music as music that helps us have a focus on Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father. At the core is the message that leads us closer to Them. And I think there’s different styles of music that are worship music. And so that’s why I think one of your kids was like, “Hey, is this Church music?” It’s like of course, because it’s music that leads us closer to Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father.
8:02
Ashley Hess: Yeah, amen. I totally agree with that. I think something for me that I’ve experienced with worship music is that it deepens my relationship with Heavenly Father and with Jesus Christ, and it’s just helped me — I feel like it’s taken worship out of a box for me, because I just feel like I’m able to explore that in a way that is really meaningful to me, because of how powerful music is for me.
But it’s also really beautiful to see how music just breaks through barriers. And I think it’s really amazing individually for me to worship through music on my own, but then also collectively with a group of people, to be worshipping through music is so powerful. And I know worship, technically, is a genre — there is a genre that’s worship music — but like Pearce said, I think for me, worship is any music that is testifying of Jesus Christ, of my identity as a child of my Heavenly Father, and that’s drawing me closer and deepening that relationship that I have with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
9:01
Mary Richards: Yeah. And Sister Barry?
Sister Ellie Barry: I was just thinking about how with music, we want to sing along. When you hear a song that you know, you want to sing those words along with the artist. And something that I think is really beautiful about worship music is that people are singing about their relationship with God. And when they’re connecting to God through music, through those words, it’s scripture that they’re singing, it’s doctrine that they’re singing, it’s eternal truths that they’re singing. And so that’s just such a beautiful part about worship music, is it helps God reach their hearts in such a special way.
9:36
Mary Richards: Yeah. Pearce?
Pearce Morris: I just have one thing to add. I think “worship” is a very important and powerful word. I think there’s Church attendance and Church worship. There’s temple attendance and temple worship. I think worship is where we have our intent, and the music that Strive to Be produces is intently made to point people towards Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father, and I think that’s a really important aspect. And so that’s why I think worship music is so powerful, because it’s so intentful.
10:07
Mary Richards: Now, as how I understand it, Strive to Be music started as an effort connected to For the Strength of Youth conferences, or FSY, and then making music for FSY. But as the music began publishing on other platforms — because it’s everywhere; we’ll talk about that — demand grew all over the world.
You guys probably have listeners — have you heard about this? They’re from everywhere. Sister Barry, what does that feel like?
Sister Ellie Barry: I think it’s amazing that we see evidence of God pursuing His kids. And I think that’s what this music is for. And I think that seeing it in all these different places with people that are in the Church and not in the Church is just evidence of God’s love for everyone all across the world.
10:49
Mary Richards: And Ashley, this music, like we’ve said, it’s on every platform. People can find it wherever. And it’s not just youth. We’ve been talking about youth a little bit up till now, but young adults, really any age.
Ashley Hess: I mean, I’m 34, and this music has been so powerful for me. And I think a perfect example is in India; there’s 10 times the amount of listeners as there are members of the Church, and that ranges from youth, young adults, all ages. And so I think it’s really amazing how God is using this music to reach people that are in need of it.
11:19
Mary Richards: What would you tell people, Pearce, who think, “Oh, well, is that just for FSY, or is that for everyone?” What would you tell them?
Pearce Morris: Yeah, I would say, “Hey, is the message of Jesus Christ just for youth, or do you think that’s for the world?” And I would say, “Hey, this is as much as it is for someone who’s 74 who likes to listen to music on their walks as it is for someone that just got done with baseball practice that’s 16 years old.” It points people to Jesus Christ. That message is for everyone.
11:48
Mary Richards: Let’s go through where people can find it. They’re listening, maybe they think, “I want to try out this music.” Like I mentioned the other day when I was listening in the kitchen, I just had it pulled up from the Gospel Library app, which is a wonderful place people can find the music, but it’s everywhere.
Ashley, tell me about all the platforms.
12:03
Ashley Hess: Yeah, so it’s on over 40 streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, wherever you stream music, you can find Strive to Be music. Also, like you said, on the Gospel Library, gospel app. Basically, we tried to make it as accessible as possible so people can listen on whatever platform they use.
12:19
Mary Richards: So no excuse. You can go download this, add it to your playlist. Maybe also, Sister Barry, could this music maybe replace some things on their playlist?
Sister Ellie Barry: Oh, for sure. I think there’s so much power in music, and the music that you listen to can really affect your day or affect your life. That’s something that I’ve learned as a missionary. I’m strictly gospel music right now, and it’s honestly made my life so much brighter, because when I’m on the drive to things, I’m listening to gospel-related music, and it brings the Spirit so strongly into my life and sets me up for the rest of my day.
12:52
Mary Richards: And also Pearce, too, you were telling me before, this is a good reminder for missionaries who are listening, maybe through Gospel Library. When you get home from your mission, go get these playlists, get these albums, these singles, and put it on your phone.
Pearce Morris: Yeah, it was a reminder of when I was on my mission, I was like, “Well, this so cool that we have this music on the Gospel Library app. That’s so great of the Church to put that on the app.” And I didn’t even know that they put it on Apple Music and Spotify. I later had no idea. And then I got home, and I was like, “Wow, this is literally everywhere. I can find it on any platform.” And so I think it’s amazing because we have a lot of people that want to listen to it, and once they know they can find it anywhere, then they have every resource to find it.
13:30
Mary Richards: There’s music videos, too, on YouTube, which are really fun. One of our co-workers at the Church News serves with the young women in her ward, and she came into the office the other day singing “What Is This Joy,” just humming along. And I was like, “That’s a good one, yeah.” We started singing together, and some of our co-workers were like, “I like that song.” One of them says, “Right.” So this is good music, we want to say, for anybody to listen and find it anywhere.
Now, another place where people are getting the opportunity to listen to this music is through these regional concerts, the Strive to Be concerts. Church News went and covered those that were in Arizona, had a great time, I hear from my co-worker who was there and met all of you there. And the other singers are a part of that.
Tell me about that experience of singing for live crowds.
14:16
Pearce Morris: I think the Strive to Be concerts, from what I’ve experienced, is so much different than other concerts I’ve done. For example, one of the things that comes to mind was there’s thousands of people, but I remember singing a song glorifying God and just connecting with one person in the audience, and I see that person, and “I see you.” It gave a representation of how our Heavenly Father, He sees us, He understands us, even in the midst of thousands and thousands of people, He knows us.
And I thought that was very interesting, because different concerts I’ve done with bands, the whole goal is just to entertain, like, “How can we be as entertaining as possible? How can we have people have the night of their life?” And with the Strive to Be concerts, “Hey, how can I connect with that one person that’s like, ‘I just came here because my mom wanted me to’?” And their mindset of when they leave is like, “That was the greatest experience I’ve had in my entire life, and I felt the Spirit.” And I think that’s the goal, is just to connect with the one person that’s in the crowd that’s way in the back. We see you, and we know that you’re there. I think that’s super powerful, something that really stood out to me compared to other concerts I’ve done.
15:23
Mary Richards: That is a beautiful thought about this ministry one by one, as the Savior did. And so, I feel like youth and young adults, they can be a part of this belonging, whether it’s in a live experience like this, but if they don’t have that opportunity, they can have that opportunity at “Festival 2025: A Youth Concert.” Come, be with your ward or stake, wherever you are, because it might look different where you gather locally around the world, but be with others. Feel that belonging, but also that one by one.
What are some of the things you hope that people experience when they watch Festival 2025?
15:57
Ashley Hess: The one thing that I hope people walk away from is just a recognition of how aware Heavenly Father is of us individually and just, regardless of where they are in their relationship with Heavenly Father, just deepening that in some way, whether it’s planting a seed or it’s opening a door for them to experience that relationship deeper and take it from just, “This is just what I’ve heard about in Church all the time”; no, this is a God that loves you, that cares about you, that’s so intimately aware of you.
And then have — I think what’s so beautiful about music, too, is people can have an experience with the song. There are songs that I’ve sang at these events that I’ve had such a powerful spiritual experience with that now anytime I hear it, it immediately brings me back to that moment of “Wow, I remember feeling God’s love so powerfully when I was singing this.” And so I hope that this just imprints that spiritual experience of God’s love on the youth’s hearts so that the second they hear this song, it immediately takes them back to a moment where they felt the power and the love of God.
16:57
Sister Ellie Barry: My first thought was there were so many stories after the concerts in Arizona of people that, during the concert, went out and reached out to someone that was sitting alone, invited them to be part of the group. And I think that that’s one of the main goals that we want with these concerts, whether they’re in person or whether they’re over a screen, is that people will take the principles of the gospel and the love that they feel from their Savior and show that to the people around them and help people find belonging and friendship and love.
17:31
Mary Richards: Yeah. Ashley, I went last year to the filming for the Festival 2024 and saw you there singing at Red Butte in Salt Lake City, and then you sang in Arizona. And there are other regional concerts going on around the world.
Ashley Hess: Right. I love that you brought that up, because this year, the festival we broadcast in English, in Spanish and in Portuguese. And they actually filmed in Mexico, which will be broadcast in Spanish, and they filmed in Brazil, which will be broadcast in Portuguese, which is so amazing. So it’s reaching so many, so many people. But I, man, it’s been a really powerful experience for me too because, like I said, worshipping — it’s one thing to sing; I love the way I feel when I sing. But when I’m worshipping through song, it’s just a different feeling.
And I remember the first festival we did, and then even in Arizona, just looking out at all these youth singing these words and these messages. There’s a scripture in 2 Chronicles, chapter 20, that talks about King Jehoshaphat, where he sends out his army, but he has musicians on the front lines, and they’re singing, “Give thanks to the Lord, for our God’s love will endure forever” (see verse 21). And as they’re singing, God sends this ambush, and the army is defeated.
And there was a moment when the kids were singing, “We are as the army of Helaman,” and I just picture them as this army singing and worshipping in this spiritual war, the battle between flesh and blood, it’s a real thing. And just hearing them sing like that and in that community was so powerful to me of, “Wow, this is really transforming people’s lives,” and it was transforming my life, and how worship is a weapon, in a sense. I had such a powerful visual of that scripture that just came to life, and it just made me so grateful to be a part of what the Church is doing with music right now.
19:13
Mary Richards: Sister Barry, you probably also have feelings like these with the crowds and that energy and that feeling of filming and singing live?
Sister Ellie Barry: Yes, absolutely. There was something that a mom shared after one of the concerts that I think is really powerful. She said that so often, the youth are told to stand alone, and they are doing that all day, and it’s an amazing thing that they’re standing alone and standing up for their beliefs, but it’s so powerful when they gather together with other people their age and realize that they’re not alone. And actually, there are a lot of people that believe as they do, and they all gather together, and they sing praises to the Lord. And to be able to watch that, it’s amazing to see the connection that they find, the love that they find for each other and for Heavenly Father.
19:58
Mary Richards: Those who weren’t in person at these live concerts when they were filmed can still be a part of this belonging through “Festival 2025: A Youth Concert.”
Pearce, I was thinking, I should tell my boys, because I’m a bossy mom, that they should invite a friend to go watch Festival 2025.
20:14
Pearce Morris: Yeah, of course. I mean, this is a message for everyone. When I was 14 years old, I went to EFY. It’s very similar to FSY. And the “FSY Medley” is a song that the youth sing. It’s like a mash-up, if you were to say. One of the songs is “As Sisters in Zion,” and the other one is “We Are as the Army of Helaman.” And they basically put them together to create a song that unites people in the message of “This is our identity of children of God.” And it’s a really powerful song.
And I remember having an experience when we would sing “We Are as the Army of Helaman,” and I remember it was such a monumental moment my life, where I knew that I was part of a work, part of a spiritual war for my Heavenly Father. And that’s something that I’m still working towards and still helping with. That’s something that we will continue to do throughout our lives.
But when I was at the Arizona concert, when we were singing with big audiences, you wear these things called InEarz. They’re basically these things that go inside your ears like little headphones so that you can hear the other singers and you can hear the audio track, because sometimes it gets really loud. And I remember I wanted to take one of my earpieces out to hear the audience, because we were singing the “FSY Medley.” And I remember I took my earpiece out, and I could hear all the young men singing, “We are as the army of Helaman, and I started to get emotional. I was like, “I can’t cry now. I’m in front of thousands of people,” so I put the InEarz back in my ear so I couldn’t hear them.
But the reason I put it back in my ear is because I didn’t want to cry. And it’s fine crying; that can happen, and it happens a little too often with me. But it connected my moment of when I was 14 years old as a kid who was singing it at EFY, and that was a gospel truth. And so what do I hope that a youth that comes to one of these performances is that they have a spiritual experience that links them to their core identity, that they are like a son of God or a daughter of God and that they have a loving Heavenly Father.
22:22
Mary Richards: And the words of these songs testify of that. I’m not just hosting this podcast to tell people, “This is cool music; you should listen.” This is music that teaches and testifies, like you’ve been saying during this episode with me. Ashley mentioned concerts in Mexico and Brazil. There’s also a concert planned later this year in the Philippines, and others in other locations, right, Sister Barry?
It’s this opportunity with these and with Festival 2025, they can really be a wonderful experience, maybe in different ways for the youth, depending on where they are.
22:55
Sister Ellie Barry: Yes, absolutely. The overall goal is for the youth to gather together and have a worship experience through music. And that can happen in a variety of ways. They can get together and watch this festival that we’re recording in whatever language they would like to watch it. A big gathering, lots of people, maybe a whole stake, maybe multiple stakes, and make it as fun and exciting as possible.
Another option is that the Church will provide the tracks and the lyric videos and send them over to these areas so they can put on their own concert, have the youth sing whoever they want to sing. Or another option is they can start from scratch and create a worship experience through music on their own, whatever that looks like for them.
Mary Richards: Ashley, do you like that idea of maybe a little bit of karaoke, it sounds like?
Ashley Hess: Oh yeah, absolutely. Are you kidding? That sounds like a dream.
23:45
Mary Richards: And these are all experiences, Pearce, where it might look different in each area, but it’s all with that same feeling. We are a global Church. We are united in our love for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
Pearce Morris: Absolutely. One of the things that comes to mind is the “FSY Medley.” And what makes that such an impactful and wonderful experience? Is it that there’s a crazy melody line or a crazy bass drop, or what makes it so special? And I’ve come to realize it’s because we’re singing as one. And I think that’s one of the only songs at the moment that everyone’s truly united. And the Lord says, “If ye are not one ye are not mine” (Doctrine and Covenants 38:27). And so He wants us to be united. And I think there’s a lot of power that comes from being aligned and united.
And that’s the goal. We want to create more of those experiences. I think the “FSY Medley” is amazing, and it will always be something that our youth will sing together for as long as I know. But we want to create more of those experiences, more of those songs, more of those times where we’re all united in the body of Christ. That’s what’s making this experience so cool. It’s not the confetti cannon going off or the smoke things going left and right. That’s not what’s going to make it united. What it is is the message that we’re praising and singing about.
25:06
Mary Richards: And many of your Strive to Be artists are songwriters as well. Talk a little bit about the songwriting process and what that’s like. And you just love it, Ashley. I can tell you do.
Ashley Hess: Yeah, that’s my favorite part. I love it so much. Honestly, it’s been really beautiful. There’s obviously some things that specifically we do want to be writing about. But I’ve had a couple powerful experiences just in the writing process of some of this music, where one song literally was — I was going through a really hard time, and I just knelt down and started praying, and I started just singing my prayer; I do that sometimes. And I just then went downstairs to my piano, and I just started playing and writing and literally just wrote what I was praying.
And it just reminds me that scripture, D&C 25:12, where the Lord says, “My soul delighteth in the song of the heart; [for] the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me.” And I love so much the idea of creating music that is giving people an opportunity to speak to the Lord like that. For me, it’s a form of worship, too, of songs where I’m able to sing that to Heavenly Father, is really powerful to me. And so writing, whether it’s been like a prayer that I’ve been praying that I turn into a song, or just an idea.
Sometimes I’ll envision, even if it’s one person or 10,000 people, “What would I want them to be singing? What would I want them to be saying?” And to think about that, too, is really powerful. And then sometimes it’s just, “How am I feeling connected to the Lord?” or “What is speaking to me?” or “How is He speaking to me right now?” So there’s so many different ways that I’ve felt inspired in the writing process. But it’s just been a really powerful experience for me to just even explore more of the messages that the Lord has for us, and then to hear so many people singing those messages is so beautiful, and it’s so powerful.
26:54
Mary Richards: Do you write too? You write some too?
Pearce Morris: I’ve been working towards writing some more songs. So I haven’t any in the past, but I would say now that I’ve been working with other artists that have written songs in the past, it’s honestly one of those things that starts as such a scramble of a song. We pick up a guitar and we’re fiddling with stuff, and you’re like, “There’s no way that’s going to make it anywhere.” And then we just start building on it.
And it honestly reminded me of how we are as people, that a lot of times we’re like, “I have nothing to offer. I’ve never written crazy good songs for people before. What makes me think I can do it now?” And it’s like, “Well, that’s the point.” It starts as something that’s super small and something you just build on. And that’s been cool as I’ve been able to network with people and write music, is: Look, I’m not the best person to write music, but it’s cool to see that the Lord can magnify our desires and efforts.
So, when I was in high school, I started singing, and it started becoming a thing where people were like, “Wow, we want Pearce to come sing at our weddings or at this event or at this function.” And so I was like, “This is awesome.” And I started playing the guitar, because an artist that I liked, he was really big, and he was really good at the guitar. And so I was like, “If I can be this guy, this is it, this is the dream. This is what I want.”
But as I started following what my Heavenly Father would want, I’ve been a lot more fulfilled. And Joseph Moore is one of the people that helps with Strive to Be. And he told me, “Hey, the moment that I started giving all the glory to God was the moment that it was so much more fulfilling.” And I’ve sang at a lot of events, but I’ve never felt the fulfillment of “I’m at the top.” But that’s not the point. I’ve realized that’s not the point. Luckily, I’ve learned that now and not in the next 20 years. But the whole goal is to magnify the gifts and talents and opportunities that our Heavenly Father has given us with. I think that’s the greatest win, in my opinion.
The first time that I sang in Church is the first time I’d ever sang before. And at the very end, I voice-cracked super, super, super bad. And I remember looking out in the audience, and my brother’s got his little iPod, and he’s videoing me. And I said, “That’s the end of me. There’s no way I’m coming back from that. It’s over.” But the more that I realized of — there’s people that came up to me after and were like, “Hey, that was awesome. Thank you for sharing your testimony through music.” And I was like, “Wow.”
The goal is to do that. The whole thing that I took away was like, “Oh no, I voice-cracked.” But there’s so many other people that took away of “Hey, that was amazing. I felt the Spirit. Thank you so much.” And so I think that a lot of times when we bear our testimonies, it’s like, “This is all I have to give. Maybe it’s not much, maybe it’s just a little bit, but I hope that’s enough,” and that’s really what the Lord asks for, is just to give all that we have, like the widow’s mite is mighty enough, because that’s all she had.
30:06
Ashley Hess: I love that so much. And I think something that Pearce said before, too, that I really love is I think sometimes as singers and as performers, it’s easy to go in with this mindset of, “I have to perform, I have to entertain.” But as my mindset has shifted on who this is for and what this is for and who we’re singing to, it makes it so much less about me and about that, and it really shifts from a performance to an offering and to just be open to having an experience with the Lord, but then also being willing to just bear my testimony and to offer what I do have, even if it’s not much, like Pearce said. Sometimes I’m like, “Lord, I don’t know if You picked the right person to do this,” but just showing up and being willing, just to see how the Lord will use people. It’s like that saying, of “The Lord doesn’t call the qualified; He qualifies the called.”
And so, just the act of showing up, and that’s something I love, too, about Strive to Be, is you’ll notice that there’s not a set core group of Strive to Be artists. There’s so many different artists, and there’s so many different people that are willing, that can reach different people, because the focus isn’t on us as the artists. The focus is on our Heavenly Father and on our Savior, Jesus Christ. And we want people to have those experiences with Him more than we want them to have an experience with the artist or the performance or the show.
It really is just an opportunity for us to gather together. And yeah, we might be leading people in worship, but we’re leading them to Heavenly Father. It’s not like, “Hey, look at us. Look at this.” It’s an experience that we’re having with our Heavenly Father just as much as anybody else.
31:44
Mary Richards: Sister Barry, as they’re talking, I immediately thought of the service missionary purpose. That popped into my brain. The purpose of a service missionary in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is to help others come unto Christ by serving them as the Savior would. That’s what Ashley and Pearce were talking about, bringing others to Jesus Christ, serving as He would, and this way you’re doing it through music.
32:07
Sister Ellie Barry: Yes, absolutely. I think we’re all given such different gifts, and it’s so needed. I think a lot of the time I think, “Who am I to be good at this thing? Who am I to have these opportunities and be given these amazing things where I don’t feel like I deserve this? I’m not good enough for this.” And I think that’s Satan attacking us. But I think that it’s so important for us to realize the gifts that God has given us and to amplify them, not for our own gain but for our Savior and our Heavenly Father.
And yeah, the service missionary purpose is to help others come unto Christ. And there’s so many different ways of doing that. For me, a lot of the time it’s going and singing at things and using my voice in that way. For a lot of other people, it’s going to a food bank and just smiling at someone and handing them something. And there’s so many different ways to do it and so many different gifts that we’ve all been given to help this work go forward.
33:04
Mary Richards: In April 2025 general conference, President Russell M. Nelson invited us all to “take intentional steps to grow in [our] confidence before the Lord.” I’m hearing you all talk about this is humbling, you’re just doing your best, you’re trying to glorify Him.
How would you tell those listening to have more confidence, to grow in their confidence before the Lord?
33:30
Pearce Morris: I would say do the hard things. For me, the first time I sang and I stepped out in front of a crowd that was 200 people, I was just shaking, I was so scared. And anytime anyone asks me, “Hey, Pearce, do you get scared before you perform?” I’m always like, “Nah, dude. I got this. I’m never scared.” But the fact is I’m always nervous, and I’ll never tell anyone that before. But I’ll always pray before every single time that I’ve ever had a concert, if that’s for gospel music or just with a band, or if it’s for 10 people, or if it’s for thousands of people, I always pray.
And I think that what’s helped me, is that I’m waxing strong in the confidence of God and His belief in me. And even if I’m not perfect, at least I understand that I can feed off the belief that God already has in me, and that’s helped me a lot. So any youth, parent, Sunday School teacher, Relief Society president that thinks, “I have no idea how I’m going to do this. I’m so busy. I have four or five kids. I have to get them to school, and I have to do all these things,” that’s perfect. That’s the point. The point is that we’re not perfect. The point is God can magnify our efforts through the confidence He has in us.
34:52
Ashley Hess: Yeah, I would echo that same thing. And something that the Lord has just been teaching me is just the value of just showing up and willingness. And it just reminds me of Moses, when he is getting chased and he runs up to the sea, and he’s like, “Cool. So where do we go from here?” It wasn’t like he ran up and the sea was parted. The Lord was like, “Step into the water.” There’s action that’s required. And Peter stepping out of the boat. You have to take action.
And just what I’ve seen so much in my own life is I used to be so afraid to sing in front of people. I had the same fears of, “OK, I have this quiet little voice, and I don’t —” When I first started, I didn’t have lessons, I didn’t have this crazy background in music, but there was something in my spirit that just felt this pull to be doing it. And the more that I showed up, not just the more that my voice and the gift developed, but the more that I saw the Lord moving through me. Because I’m like, “That wasn’t me.”
There would be moments that I just felt like the Lord using me as a vessel that not only helped gain confidence in myself but in Him and the power of “If I show up and I’m open to receive Him and I’m inviting Him into what I’m doing and I’m looking for Him in those moments, He shows up.” And it’s not just that He shows up, but He’s there. He’s paved the way before me so many times, and I’ve just learned that I still might be afraid doing it, even when He’s there with me, even when I feel Him working through me.
And sometimes the fear doesn’t necessarily completely go away, but the confidence overpowers it, and that I just have that trust that, “Wow, He’s here with me, and He’s provided a way for me. And I don’t know how this is going to happen, but He’s done it for me time and time again.” And I can just trust in that because I’ve shown up, and He’s proven that to me.
36:34
Sister Ellie Barry: Yes, I echo what they say. I think it’s really important to remember who we are and whose we are and that we are sons and daughters of Heavenly Father, and that He doesn’t want us to fail, and that He’s giving us these opportunities to help Him and help His work move forward. And for me, there’s been so many times where I’m like, “Lord, I don’t know if I can do this. It’s a lot. It’s hard.” And there’s a lot of pressure, I think, too. Especially as an artist, I feel like I have to show up perfectly and do everything right. And a lot of the time, it’s really hard to have that pressure on me. But when I realize that God doesn’t want me to fail, He’s working with me, He’s working for me, that I can go into these opportunities with confidence that He’s there to support me and that all I have to do is get out of the way.
37:29
Mary Richards: This immediately in my brain, music lyrics came to my brain. And that’s the power of music. I immediately started thinking of “Look Unto Christ,” the song from Strive to Be. “There’s a light in the darkness. / When it all seems hard to bear, / Do not fear.” This idea of look unto Christ, which comes from the 2025 youth theme and Doctrine and Covenants 6:36, which we’re studying this year for “Come, Follow Me.” So you might hear, “Oh, youth theme. This is for everybody.”
“Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.” And in the 2025 youth album, we have “Look Unto Christ,” and then we have the song “Doubt Not.” Then we have the song “Fear Not.” Some beautiful songs.
Everybody, tell me what’s your favorite song, maybe, to sing or listen to at a concert or in your car jamming. Sister Barry, what’s your favorite?
38:14
Sister Ellie Barry: OK, so my favorite song that I sing is “Healer,” and it’s not actually a song that I recorded, it’s just a song that I’ve been able to perform a few times. And if anyone has not listened to this song, go listen to it right now. “Healer.” It is such a powerful, powerful song, and it talks about how God sent us to this earth knowing that it was going to be hard, and He still did it, but He didn’t leave us alone in our struggles, that He sent Jesus Christ to heal us and deliver us.
And this has been true in so many different areas of my life, and I have seen Christ come into the story and be my Healer, especially like with my mission call, again, not what I was expecting for my life, and it was really hard for me at first to accept it, because I was so set on a certain type of mission, and I had dreamed of that my whole life. And to have that expectation shift was really, really hard for me. And so I saw Christ enter into my story and help me find healing, even though I didn’t really know what I was going to be doing yet, what my mission was going to look like. He helped me find healing and find confidence in God and His plan for me.
39:26
Mary Richards: Thank you so much. That is just a beautiful thing that I hope people will hear and take to heart.
Ashley, do you have a favorite? Is this a hard thing to answer?
Ashley Hess: Oh, it’s so hard. But I will also say “Healer” is my favorite that Ellie sings, and I’m a weeping mess every time she does. There’s two that come to mind for me. One is a song called “Your Presence,” just because of the writing experience of that song, for me, was so individual and so personal, and I just had an experience in the presence of the Lord as I was writing that. But then also singing that and being in the presence of the Lord with so many people, just the duality of that individual experience, and then the community experience is really powerful for me.
And then also, “What Is This Joy,” because it’s just so happy and fun, and this is the church of joy, and I just love being able to sing and worship in that way that’s a celebration of the joy of Jesus Christ. And stay tuned, because that song isn’t officially out yet. It will be out on all streaming platforms in October, but you will hear it at Festival this summer.
40:27
Mary Richards: Fantastic. Stay tuned, as they say, from even more music from Strive to Be. And we should note, too, that people can find all these resources at youth.ChurchofJesusChrist.org. And follow Strive to Be on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. You’ll see all of these things we’ve been talking about and learn more as they come.
Pearce, favorite?
40:48
Pearce Morris: My favorite has to be, I think, “Look Unto Christ.” Now there’s a couple reasons why. No. 1, it’s actually a harder song for me to sing. And I actually like that, because I’m like, “Hey, look, there’s, there’s 100 other people that are way better singers than I am, or that are better,” I don’t know. But it’s really cool the lyrics in it: “Look unto Christ. / He will heal your soul / and bring you back to life.” And I think we are in a spiritual war; there is no doubt about that. It is just going left and right. We live in a spiritual war. And so there’s times where spiritually we might not be 100%, but we’re in a spot where we truly need to look unto Christ that He can heal us. And I think that’s really impactful.
Another reason I really like it is it’s made me push myself in the aspect of as soon as we got done recording it and it was a single that came out for the one that I recorded, and I got asked immediately by the stake, “Hey, can you come sing this in church?” And I’m like, “I don’t even think we have the track for this yet,” but it was written on guitar. So I said, “Great.” So I called Michael Van Wagoner, who we recorded in a studio in Nashville, I’m like, “Hey, do you have the chords to this song?” He’s like, “No, I don’t have the chords to this song.” I’m like, “What do you mean you don’t have the chords? We just recorded this song in your studio. What do you mean you don’t have the chords?”
So I played it on my phone, and I was like, “This stake event is in a couple days. God, please help me learn this on the guitar.” And so I just listened and listened, and I just tried to figure it out. And I figured it out. I learned it by ear. But it pushed me. And I’m like, “Wow, it’s cool that God is pushing me to share what He needs to be shared at a stake event, at a fireside or whatever that is.” And so that’s why “Look Unto Christ” is my favorite to perform.
42:43
Mary Richards: What you said reminded me that I know that our Church leaders are invested in this. They understand the significance of this music and want it to reach everyone, whether it’s through Strive to Be songs, like we’ve been talking about today; and these favorites I hope people go look up; or “Songs of Devotion,” which is another incredible resource; and the new hymnbook, which is so exciting to think of all these ways that we are unified, we’re one, like you were saying earlier, Pearce, to be one in Christ, and worshipping Him through music, like Ashley and Sister Barry have been talking about so beautifully.
And our last question on the Church News podcast, we always ask, “What do you know now?” And I want to ask each of you: What do you know now about the power of music to lift, inspire and elevate our testimonies and help us worship our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ? We’ll start with you, Pearce, and then go to Ashley and Sister Barry.
43:40
Pearce Morris: I think this is the beginning of what’s going to unfold. The gospel of Jesus Christ is still being restored. And President Russell M. Nelson, he mentions that the gospel is still being restored. Something that I know now is that music is a secret weapon that we have against the adversary, that it pierces the hearts of people all around the world in a way that is very special. And I know that the gospel will be shared to every nation, kindred, tongue and people. And I think music is a way that we’ll be able to do that.
44:20
Ashley Hess: Yeah. Oh, I’m going to get emotional. I was thinking something really similar to Pearce, because I’m one of the older artists of Strive to Be, and music has played such a pivotal part in my life. And so just to see the way that the Lord is using music — just in general, but specifically within our Church — is so powerful to me. And just being able to perform at these events and these concerts, these youth are so hungry for truth, and they’re so hungry for Jesus Christ and for the message of the gospel.
What I know now is that the Lord will use anyone that is willing, and that the Lord wants to reach us and that He’s trying to reach us, and I’ve just seen so much evidence of that, and just the power of how music can cut through barriers. It doesn’t matter age difference, it doesn’t matter even language barriers or different walks of life. The power of music is so universal, and God is so universal. And so that combined, for me, my spirit gets so fired up and so excited about what’s happening. But I just feel music has played such a huge role in my testimony, but also in my relationship with the Lord, and how it’s become a tool for me to sing to Him and to get to know Him better and to feel of His love.
And I’m just so grateful that He blessed me with these opportunities and these gifts to be able to be used, but also to be able to just experience the rolling out of what Pearce was saying of the Restoration of His Church. And I’m so grateful, and I’m so humbled by being able to witness a small part of that.
45:58
Sister Ellie Barry: I know that God is in pursuit of every single one of His children. And that looks different for every single person, because we’re all so different. And I think that music is a really powerful way that God reaches hearts, and I’ve seen it so many times throughout my mission. I’ve been able to do a lot of firesides and interact with the youth a lot, and I can’t deny that God is — this is how He speaks to them, and He loves them, and He loves every single one of His kids. And no matter what walk of life they’re coming from.
I remember reading an account from someone that was at the Arizona concert, that they were atheist, they didn’t really know what they believed. And they came to this concert anyway, and they felt the joy. They felt peace. Even though they didn’t really believe this, they felt peace. And I think that’s the goal of this, is to help anyone, anywhere, feel the peace that Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father can bring into everyone’s lives.
Like was said earlier, most of the listeners, or a lot of the listeners of Strive to Be, aren’t members of the Church, and I just feel so grateful that God has allowed me to be part of this work. It’s honestly been the greatest privilege of my life, and I have learned, and I have grown so much, and I’ve been able to watch other people learn and grow. And I’m just so grateful and in awe of God and His power and His love.
47:38
Mary Richards: Thank you for listening to the Church News podcast. I’m Church News reporter Mary Richards. I hope you learned something today about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and had your faith in the Savior increase by looking through the Church News window as a living record of the Restoration. Please subscribe, rate and review this podcast so it can be accessible to more people. And if you enjoyed the messages we shared today, please share the podcast with others. Thanks to our guests; to my producer, KellieAnn Halvorsen; and to others who make this podcast possible. Join us every week for a new episode. Find us on your favorite podcasting channels or with other news and updates about the Church on TheChurchNews.com or on the Church News app.
