NEWS | Eclectic, pioneering singer/songwriter Orlando Rodriguez impacts radio

Eclectic and pioneering singer/songwriter Orlando Rodriguez's radio single, "You're There," is generating excitement across multiple genres, and recently cracked
Billboard's Top 100 Gospel Airplay chart, hitting No. 80 on the influential chart.

The new single is from Rodriguez's debut solo project, Turn the World Off, which was produced and mixed by hit-maker Chuck Alkazian (Percy Bady, Desmond Pringle, Christina Aguilera) at Pearl Sound in Canton, Michigan, and released to retail through Ten Three Records.

Rodriguez penned "You're There," a smooth and bluesy pop ballad, after observing how his grandmother responded when his grandfather died.

"I was amazed at how she stayed strong despite facing the challenges of losing her husband," Rodriguez explains. "The lyrics (You're there / even widows cry) were birthed as I watched my grandmother lean on her faith in Jesus Christ during that time of grief. I realized that the Lord has also been there for me during trying times the same way he was there for my grandmother. He is always there when we need Him."

Rodriguez was recently added to the Be Glorified Tour with Sunday Best finalist Maurice Griffin. The Be Glorified Tour, in addition to his own solo radio tour, has taken the multi-talented singer-songwriter from Michigan to Alabama, from Mississippi to Washington, D.C. and many points in between in recent months.

Turn the World Off represents a musical journey of faith and showcases a new season of artistry
for Rodriguez, who has toured and shared the stage with some of the biggest names in the music industry--including Backstreet Boys, Destiny's Child, and *NSYNC--as the lead singer of the band P.U.M.P. before turning his music over to the Lord.

The new album represents four years of transition and spiritual growth for Rodriguez, as he has learned to incorporate his music and his faith, and to listen for God's guidance in his life and career.

"We are all so busy, we all have so much going on, we are all so distracted that sometimes it's hard to hear what God is saying to us," Rodriguez muses. "And that's the real question, isn't it? Am I hearing from God, or am I simply going about my life and asking God to bless what I'm doing? Sometimes you have to turn the world off and eliminate those external distractions to really hear God!"

Rodriguez believes he has been called to reach this generation with the gift of song. "I've traveled a lot of places and I have seen a bunch of venues," he says. "And I only have two goals that I live by--to edify the body of Christ and to evangelize those who don't know God."

With an approachable style and a focus on impact, Rodriguez is a new voice for the Lord at a time when his music and life message are unquestionably relevant.