Singer/songwriter Julie Elias, who recently released her debut full-length CD of original music, A Wild Rose, has spent the Christmas season entertaining fans throughout the United States on the Holy Night 2012 Tour. In between tour dates, Elias stopped in for guest appearances on a number of popular Christian TV programs, including InTouch With Dr. Charles Stanley and Cornerstone Television Network's weekday flagship program, Focus 4. The tour, as well as the television segments, featured Elias performing selections from her 2011 Christmas CD, Holy Night.

"There's such a short window to be able to sing Christmas music - and this whole season is my favorite," says Elias. "I have been beyond blessed and encouraged to have so many varying outlets to sing and celebrate Christmas this year and I look forward to next year!"

Elias' TV interviews and performances can be viewed online at each show's website: intouch.org and ctvn.org, respectively.

For more information on Julie Elias, A Wild Rose or the Holy Night 2012 Tour, visit julieeliasmusic.com.

Photo caption: Julie Elias on the Holy Night 2012 Tour. (Jen Schmidt photo)

About Julie Elias:
After making the networking rounds in Hollywood, Elias was well on her way to becoming an up-and-coming actress thanks to various extra roles on Grey's Anatomy (where she was a regular for two seasons), CSI: New York, Bones, Flash Forward, Community, Parks and Recreation, Weeds and Dexter. She also appeared in several films as an extra, including Due Date, starring Robert Downey Jr., and Larry Crowne with Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts.

A Christmas trip to her hometown in 2010 caused Elias to reexamine her career options. During the holiday, she performed in her home church's praise and worship band and sang in some local concerts.

"It took a seemingly routine Christmas concert that year for me to realize what I've been called to do. In fact, Christmas of that year was the most clear-cut, obvious message I've ever received from God, period! It was as if He said 'I am spelling it out for you, in bold caps: PAY ATTENTION,'" Elias says.

At the beginning of 2011, Elias began making regular pilgrimages to Nashville to collaborate with Music City's top songwriters and producers. The trips resulted in her national debut CD, A Wild Rose, which features 10 fresh tunes that chronicle her journey thus far.

As Elias gears up to make her mark on the modern day music scene with her engaging songwriting style and fresh pop/rock sound - influenced by Amy Grant, Natalie Merchant, Carrie Underwood and Sheryl Crow - she's committed to spreading faith-affirming messages that are just as uplifting to believers as they are inspiring to seekers.

"We are all constantly on a spiritual journey and mine is chronicled by music. I've always believed you can hear words, but you can feel music," Elias says. "What is a relationship with God without feeling His presence through your entire being? Sometimes songs can touch you in a way that words cannot."

About A Wild Rose:
"These songs are the stories of my life, spanning good and bad times," Elias says of her new CD.

"Julie's debut album contains 10 original songs that chronicle and delve into her relationship with Christ throughout huge changes in her life. ...Rock arrangements and clever melodies convey her message in a refreshing and fun sound that is unique to Julie's style," says Kevin Davis at NewReleaseTuesday.com.

For A Wild Rose, Elias teamed with acclaimed producer Robert White Johnson, whose body of work includes songwriting and production credits with such artists as Celine Dion, Faith Hill, Larnelle Harris, Johnny Van Zant and Michael Bolton.

"Working with Julie has been a wonderful experience!" says Johnson. "From her fresh angle on lyrical ideas to her unique blend of classic rock to contemporary, she makes it all work! And because of her life experiences, she's able to relate the love of Christ in meaningful ways that will touch people where they are, yet lead them closer!"

Elias credits Johnson with bringing her vision for the project to life. "Throughout this project, Robert has been a true mentor, an enthusiastic collaborator and a visionary producer," says Elias. "I could not have asked for a better person to produce my debut album."

Elias admits her taste in music tends toward the eclectic, so finding a producer who could help her meld a multitude of divergent styles into a musical amalgam that was uniquely 'Julie Elias' was essential.

Take for instance the album's sunny, title cut "A Wild Rose," that places Elias' pristine vocals front and center over organic production and radio-ready melodies. On "Breathing Room," she turns towards a more contemplative, ethereal tone across the verses, eventually building to a crescendo with ramped up passion on each memorable chorus. Other highlights include the prayerful ballad "I Am Yours," the gorgeously theatrical "Breathe In Me," the fiery barnburner of resolution "Here I Am," the harmony-heavy rocker "Freedom In Love," and the tender "Peace I Leave With You."

"Recording the tracks was surreal and I will never forget it," Elias says, "I was floored by the creativity and expertise that the musicians brought to the project. To have experienced not only their immense talent but their humble, kind spirits is something I will always be thankful for."

A Wild Rose doesn't just stir the soul rhythmically, but also showcases both the triumphs and challenges throughout Elias' spiritual and artistic journey, while simultaneously inspiring others as they search for their place in this world.

"I have been there," Elias confesses. "I am there. I face challenges every single day and try to make good decisions, but admit freely that I am not perfect. We are all on a spiritual journey. Mine just happens to be chronicled by music. It's not always easy to expose your vulnerabilities and share your heart with people, but God has given me this opportunity and it is my sincere wish that people become encouraged to delve deeper into their own faith upon hearing my songs."

The release of A Wild Rose marks the culmination of a whirlwind year that has seen the singer/songwriter sharing the stage with some of Christian music's top artists at major festivals including Spirit West Coast, AtlantaFest, Ichthus, Creation NE, Cornerstone, Lifest, Sonshine and Creation NW. She also was chosen to perform on the Talent Spotlight Stage at Walt Disney World's popular Night of Joy and was selected for a soloist role in Ruth Graham's musical, Fear Not Tomorrow.

"I've always believed you can hear words, but you can feel music," says Elias. "What is a relationship with God without feeling His presence through your entire being? Sometimes songs can touch you in a way that words cannot."

For more information about Elias and A Wild Rose, visit julieeliasmusic.com, or follow her on Facebook (facebook.com/julieeliasmusic) or Twitter (@julieeliasmusic).

About Cornerstone Television Network and Focus 4:
As Cornerstone Television Network's flagship program, Focus 4 is a five days per week, one-hour program challenging its audience to bring the saving power of Jesus Christ to our culture and mobilize believers to utilize their gifts as dynamic witnesses for our Lord. For more information about Cornerstone Television Network, visit ctvn.org.

About In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley:
In Touch Ministries is the teaching ministry of Dr. Charles F. Stanley, Senior Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Atlanta. Its mission is to lead people worldwide into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and to strengthen the local church.

It all began in 1972, when a half-hour program called The Chapel Hour was launched on an Atlanta-area television station. Impressed by the young pastor and looking for a practical Bible teaching program, the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) contacted Stanley in 1978 to request the program's inclusion on its new venture-a satellite distribution network to cable systems. The broadcast grew from a few thousand local viewers to a nationwide audience in a single week.

Today, In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley can be heard around the world via radio and television broadcasts, podcasts, the handheld In Touch Ministries Messenger, In Touch Apps, and on the Web. Its programs are seen and heard around the world on more than 2,600 radio and television outlets in more than 50 languages.

In addition to broadcasting, the ministry also produces CDs, DVDs, books, discipleship resources, and the award-winning In Touch magazine which is delivered to more than 1.5 million households every month. For more information, visit intouch.org.