Born and raised in New Jersey, Stephanie began traveling and singing with her parents at a young age. The first eight years of Stephanie's life is filled with many memories of traveling with her parents and singing southern gospel whenever the opportunity was available. "There were a lot of times my mother would bring food, pillows and blankets, so I could sleep on the way home". Stephanie's father also introduced her to recording by gathering the family around a small tape recorder and making tapes for relatives that lived far away. As the only child to Larry and Janet Riggs, her parents taught her music and a love for God. Her father was the pastor of a small multi-cultural church, in which she experienced all styles of music. "Although my parents enjoyed Southern Gospel, I always enjoyed artists like Amy Grant and Dallas Holm. It wasn't until many years later that I began singing contemporary music." At the age of 15, Stephanie and her family moved to Indiana. Having sung in show choir, church choir and with her parents, Stephanie had not sung by herself since she was very young. Within six months after moving to Indiana, Stephanie and a friend were scheduled to sing at a church convention. When the time arrived and Stephanie's friend did not, that left Stephanie singing solo. "It was one of the scariest but happiest moments of my life. I can look back on that incident with clarity and understand that God had a purpose and direction as to where he was taking my life." Stephanie spent the next eight years singing at state and national conventions, street ministries and talent shows, while serving as youth minister, Sunday School teacher and music director at her church. At the age of 23, while looking for a band to support her own music ministry, Stephanie and her husband met a producer named Van Lawson. Van had previously worked and developed other artists and offered her a chance to work with him. Stephanie spent the next four years developing her own style. Currently, at the age of 28, Stephanie is the first artist on the new independent Christian label, 24/7 Records. Her newest album entitled "It's a Journey" has a balanced selection of songs written by Stephanie and her label. "One of the things that I'm grateful for concerning 24/7 Records is that we all share a common bond. While working and writing together, we've all been able to express ourselves and keep the ministerial side of the music our main focus." Stephanie is not clouded by the pressure of being a new artist on a new label. She knows exactly what her mission is. "The Lord has brought me to such a place where I could never thank him enough". Stephanie Stewart has accomplished a great deal with her music ministry but she is always aware of who brought her this far. "Throughout the years, I've come to learn that my relationship with Christ is the most important experience I could have. An experience that is not complex, but requires effort daily to make my walk with Him more than just a routine, but a journey." 24/7 Records writes ~ Stephanie has been a joy and a blessing to work with. We've watched her vocal abilities and guitar skills bloom before our eyes. We pray that you enjoy her CD as much as we do and that it is a blessing to you and all who hear it.