Face Time With Stacie Orrico

ByABC News
October 2, 2006, 11:12 AM

Sept. 28, 2006 — -- As 20-year-old pop star Stacie Orrico winds down her world tour for her new album, "Beautiful Awakening," she has brought a camcorder and is ready to bring you a backstage glimpse of the fun and answer your questions.

Send a video question by e-mail as she travels the world, and she'll answer your questions by the end of the week.

Shortly after a 2001 holiday release, "Christmas Wish," Destiny's Child asked the dazzling young singer to support the group on its Survivor U.S. tour.

Now Orrico has brought out a soulful, R&B-powered album -- "Beautiful Awakening" -- which tells the story of her singular journey to adulthood and stardom.

Born in Seattle in 1986, Orrico grew up as the daughter of Christian missionaries, the middle of five children in a close-knit family.

When Orrico was 7, her parents' travels took them to Ukraine, where young Stacie helped tend to tuberculosis-stricken orphans at a local hospital. The Orricos lived in a compound that had no hot water.

"We took freezing cold showers. ... It was so cold that when you put your head under the water, it would give you a headache," Orrico said in a press release. The experience "taught me that no matter what a person's background is, no matter what language they speak, there are common bonds between people, certain things we can all relate to."

After a year in Ukraine, the Orricos moved to Denver, where Stacie went to school and sang in church. "I was the little white girl singing in the all-black gospel choir," she said. "People would come up to my parents and be like, 'This girl can sing. She's got soul.'"

In 1998, Orrico entered a singing competition as a lark, and an A&R executive from EMI's Christian label ForeFront offered her a development deal.