Blinded by young love, Karla Bolaños made an unfortunate decision at age 15 that would affect the rest of her life. The following ten years would turn out to be a period of time spent in the furnace of God’s refining fire. A time when the roots of her music ministry took hold. Now, with the release of Sometimes, her freshman solo project, Karla finds herself in the unique position of God’s Pied Piper.
With each track, listeners will be wooed down the same path of the Lord’s love, healing and restoration process that Karla herself stumbled down. “God is a God of grace and forgiveness. It doesn’t matter what has happened,” says Bolaños. “He’s always there and continues to forgive. That’s why I choose songs that minister to people who need hope…who feel they’ve messed up their lives in some way.”
For instance, the chorus of the title cut speaks volumes: “Sometimes a mountain will be moved. Sometimes it won’t. Sometimes you take away the thorn. Sometimes you don’t. Sometimes you know that I will grow stronger for the trial.Sometimes you join me in the furnace for a while.” Coinciding with entering the studio was the opportunity to appear on two Christian television networks. First, as a soloist with her church choir on TBN and as a front vocalist for the Inspiration Network’s 2005 New Year’s celebration, which launched their network internationally.
In fact, as the sun is to daytime so Karla is to choirs – she’s always there. Throughout college, Karla sang in Campus Choir at Lee University. Her college days turned out to be a great proving ground working on several landmark albums such as Alvin Slaughter’s God is with Us; Sing Out with Ron Kenoly; and Michael Frazier’s Tree of Light as a featured soloist. Internationally, Bolaños toured with the university’s choir to both Jamaica and Israel – an invaluable experience that has added to the maturity of her artistry.
"I don’t know exactly when I became interested in singing, I just know I’ve always done it,” says Bolaños. “I can remember standing on the stage at our little church in Robert, Louisiana and singing “I am a Promise” when I was 4 yrs old. I was always in the youth choir, high school, and church choir.”
Perhaps growing up as a pastor’s daughter had something to do with her early stage debut as a singing soloist. Regardless, by her pre-teen years when many kids were “hooked on phonics,” Karla was firmly hooked on performing. And, she’s proud to admit she has the worn out music soundtracks of Sandi, Whitney, Aretha, Crystal, Anita (Baker), Celine and Natalie (Grant) to prove it - all musical influences. Standing at a mere 4’11”, perhaps the relentless pursuit of the music put out by so many musical greats answers the perennial question “how can such a huge voice come out of such a tiny body?”
Indeed, it’s been a long journey for Karla to get from there to here. Here is a good place filled with happy endings. The past is filled with spiritually debilitating seasons beginning with her teen pregnancy, the subsequent torment over the abortion and the years her secret cloaked her soul in guilt and shame.
Today, Karla is married to her college sweetheart, who by the way unbeknownst to her was a vehement anti-abortion advocate - a story of drama and intrigue all unto itself. And her parents, family and community now know her dark secret and continue to be her biggest fans. “For about 5-10 years after my abortion, I found it hard to sing about mercy and grace. I would just sob,” says Karla. “Because of my background, I choose songs that minister to people who need hope…who feel they’ve messed up their lives in some way…so to me, the ministry aspect of my music comes first.”
