Nicknamed "The Singing CFO," Larissa Lam has the unusual distinction of being a former Chief Financial Officer turned recording artist. As a solo artist and speaker, Lam has toured internationally with her soulful vocals, inspiring songwriting and candid testimonies. She has commanded the stage in a variety of venues from the Kodak Theater, home of the Oscars, to music festivals such as Spirit West Coast. Her song, "Breathing More," was a Top 10 CCM Rhythmic Chart hit and was featured in the video game Dance Dance Revolution Universe 2. She has composed music for TV shows such as the The Oprah Winfrey Show and Larissa can also be seen every week hosting, "Top 3," on Christian youth network, JCTV (jctv.org).
Larissa’s relationship with music began at age five in her hometown of Diamond Bar, CA when she was forced to play the piano by her mother. However, growing up the daughter of Chinese immigrants and a straight A-student, Larissa was brainwashed into thinking she would become a doctor, just like her father. By age 13, she had written her first song. It came as no surprise before graduating from high school that Larissa realized she had no desire to become a doctor as her parents hoped. Instead, she felt a call to become a music producer and songwriter. Her parents disapproved of this career choice and encouraged her to finish college before making a decision.
A very driven Larissa continued her music education while majoring in business economics at UCLA. She worked for music companies like Polygram and Columbia Records. After graduation, she became the Chief Financial Officer for independent label NSOUL Records. One day, a gospel/dance group at the label, Nitro Praise, was about to go on tour and was missing a singer. Larissa stepped in to fill the spot and never looked back. As a member of Nitro Praise, she recorded on three albums and toured nationally for three years. Soon after, God would call her to a ministry distinctly defined by her own identity.
Beyond the struggles of parental expectations, Larissa spent much of her youth wishing she were somebody else. She explains, “I didn’t see many role models on TV and movies that looked like me. My favorite movie was Grease and at one point I wanted to be Olivia Newton-John’s Sandy: blond and blue-eyed.” Like many girls, Larissa fretted over her self-image and identity.
She strongly rejected many things about her parents’ culture. She confesses, “I hated Chinese food, hated visiting Asia, hated always having to portray a perfect life to ‘save face’ and didn’t care for some of the judgmental attitudes of the culture. I guess I was equally judgmental towards my own people.”
Years later, she would come to realize that there was a reason that God made her American with a Chinese heritage. She now believes, “God has allowed me to bridge and connect cultures in the U.S. and abroad. It’s important to let the world know that there is a broad spectrum of ethnic groups that follow Christ and that we have a Great Commission to reach ’all nations’.”
In 2008, Larissa founded the Beautiful Faith movement to inspire and empower women to share their stories of trials and triumphs. She also recorded a cover of the Steven Curtis Chapman and Geoff Moore song, “Listen to Our Hearts” for the Beautiful Faith compilation CD.
With her music and speaking ministries, Larissa hopes she can help others to find their true identity in Christ. She wants each person to realize God has given us all a unique story in order to bring Him glory and that it is our responsibility to share it with the world.
For more info: Music website:
www.larissalam.com Ministry website:
www.onthewayup.netBeautiful Faith website:
www.beautifulfaith.org
Larissa Lam - featured artist of the week
