Welcome to The Shaun Tabatt Show! In this episode, I speak with Sommer Floyd about her new album Ray of Light. About Sommer Floyd: If you look up "The Girl Next Door" in the dictionary, chances are the definition will be accompanied by a picture of Sommer Floyd. Born and raised in the Texas Hill Country, Sommer was an honor roll student, gifted athlete, beauty queen, and genuinely nice person. Voted "Class Favorite" by her high school classmates, Sommer was the quintessential cheerleader, earning four individual high school All American designations, and three team National Championships. Attending college on a cheerleading scholarship, Sommer was designated a college All American as a freshman, an almost unheard of accomplishment. She ran on the varsity track team, played tennis, showed livestock, participated in rodeos, earned her Deep Sea Diving certification... Oh, and she sings. While Sommer certainly has all the credentials for The Girl Next Door, she is also 100 percent human. And she is the first to admit, in addition to all the accolades, she has made her share of mistakes. "As a teenage girl I disappointed myself with some of the choices I made," she confesses. One of those choices resulted in an unhealthy relationship, and the out-of-wedlock conception of her daughter, Heidi. Broken-hearted, at the lowest point of her life, Sommer returned home to her loving, supportive family where she dug deep into God's faithfulness. As she reconnected with the God of her youth, songs began to pour forth. "Putting my brokenness on paper helped to get me through the hard times," Sommer says, "and the lyrics started to turn into worship." Sommer's experience of brokenness and restoration resonated strongly throughout her community, opening doors for her to share her music and lead worship at churches and charity events throughout the Texas Hill Country. Her fetching vocals, ear-pleasing melodies and spiritually mature lyrics caught the ear of multi-Dove Award-winning producer, Steven V. Taylor, and Sommer soon found herself in Franklin, Tennessee with some of Nashville's finest musicians, recording her debut CD at the legendary Dark Horse Recording Studio. Ray of Light is slated for release in May, 2016.

Connect with Sommer:

• SommerFloyd.com
• Facebook

For additional show notes, visit ShaunTabatt.com/050.