We've lost sight of the real battle in this life...We've become distracted and disillusioned, forgetting that there exists both The Prince of Peace and The Prince of Darkness.  There is illness, cancer, and other diseases.  There exists selfishness, bitterness, and greed.  There exists apathy, depression, and anxiety... Life can retain such tragedies and darkness...Yet there is hope...

The name 'TANDEM HOPE' was birthed in the Spring of 2014 following the death of Leisha Cole's friend to suicide.  Knowing that feelings of hopelessness and helplessness can lead to suicide, Leisha Cole began to discover the importance of hope in a person's life.  She asks, "Without hope, what do we have?  How do we go on and why?"

In her season of desperation for cathartic relief, songwriting became her prized and precious artistic outlet.  And it was in this season that lyrics flashed into her mind at night and melodies shone bright like a beacon, beckoning her to capture its radiant beams of hope.  What could she do but jot down the words and record snippets of vocals for a demo.  "At that time, I didn't even own any legitimate recording equipment, let alone know how to play piano...I felt like a joke, yet I knew that God was calling me into this and that satan would whisper any lies he could to stop me."  

"I remember praying one night out of desperation after my friend died.  Alone in my apartment in Ann Arbor, MI, I cried out to God, 'If you want me to heal by feeling my emotions, You're going to have to help me out here!  I've tried everything else and I still feel depressed and bitter!'  And that night, God answered my prayers--of course, not in the way I expected.  It's like the floodgates were wide open and I couldn't stop the creative life pouring out of me in song and word.  Time passed and lyrics and melodies continued to overwhelm me.  At this point, it's been a few years and God continues to weave in the stories of people who need to be a part of something bigger.  He's been calling more people into my life to invite them to be a part of a collaborate Christian worship music project...And as much as I feel like a misfit, I just know I'm not meant to do this alone...He'll bring people together to unite The Church and bring hope to the nations through this music...".  So what do you name such a entrusted project?

    Leisha Cole explains that the name, "TANDEM HOPE” simply means to 'walk TOGETHER in the same Hope'--and that hope, is Jesus Christ." Other names Leisha Cole considered for the team paled in comparison because of the lack of focus on unity and hope--which had become two pillars she resolved to reclaim and rebuild in her life and in the lives of others. 

Keep following us to see how God shined light in our darkness and breathed life into a new beginning called TANDEM HOPE.