Shine Bright Baby: Duo heads for Nashville to chase a musical career they'd never dreamed of

Emily Swartzentruber was very nearly sure she would have a career in graphic design.

She was, in fact, enrolled in college-level courses at the University of Akron Wayne College while yet in high school.

Music was just a hobby.

“I had a busy and active lifestyle,” she said, “like a lot of high school seniors do.”

Her boyfriend, Nathan Fertig, was also into graphic design.

And music.

The two graduated from Kingsway Christian School outside Orrville and figured finishing college would be the next step, though they still played music and led youth worship at Orrville Christian Church. They formed their own band and gave it the pithy name “Shine Bright Baby,” a reference to a Biblical admonition for believers to “shine like bright lights in the world.”

Swartzentruber added the “Baby,” just to give the name a little playful kick.

And while Shine Bright Baby was playing locally, Swartzentruber discovered something. “My plan for my life,” she said, “wasn't God's plan for my life.”

She and Fertig left school. “I thought,” she said, “I was taking a break. But I've never been back since. It was exciting. I just felt my heart wasn't (in school) anymore.”

The idea, born in 2007, grew fairly quickly. Shine Bright Baby played locally and got its first break at the Alive Festival at Clay's Park in Canal Fulton in 2009. The event welcomed performances by artists who were yet to be signed by a record company. The group was spotted by its first label.

The touring began shortly thereafter.

Swartzentruber and Fertig married and she began using the name Emily Irene professionally. Irene is not only her middle name, she said, but her mother and grandmother's middle name as well.

The first album, “Dreamers,” was released on the Brandon Ebel Company Recordings label in July 2013. Irene said she hopes the follow-up will be released this summer.

Over the past years, the Fertigs have hit the road, most recently heading out west on a tour that began in February, the day after the Super Bowl. After a series of performances in Oregon and surrounding states, they are back in Ohio, where they will appear locally at Parkview Christian Church in Wooster on March 13, at Christ Church in Sterling on March 21 and at Abundant Life Church in Massillon on March 22.

It will be nice to be home among friends and family, Irene said, as she and Fertig have recently relocated to Nashville and left behind a series of jobs to focus on their music ministry. “We'll see a lot of friends and family who've never seen us play,” she said, “or haven't seen us in a while.”

Shine Bright Baby's music, while classified as contemporary Christian, crosses over into familiar territory for fans of pop, techno, indie and alternative rock, though Irene said, “We just tell them to listen to our records and let them decide.”

They've also made forays into music videos, one of which includes both Kingsway students and locations in Orrville, including at the city's train depot. Ironically, Irene said, the video was made by Orrville and Ohio State University graduate Grant Smucker, a biomedical engineering student who, like Irene and Fertig, found his calling taking him in a different direction.

Connecting with an audience is what makes the time they spend on the road exciting, though Irene said there is plenty of tedium, especially when driving from venue to venue. “I feel like we identify more with truck drivers,” she said, “than we do rock stars.”

Last year, Shine Bright Baby played 100 road dates; Irene said they plan for even more in 2015.

Shine Bright Baby is even more than music to Irene and Fertig; it's a mission and a ministry and a chance to share their faith with others. Music is a business, she said “of high highs and low lows” and faith keeps the couple grounded.

Taking the bold step of moving to Nashville also was an act of faith, though Irene feels confident she and Fertig are on the right path. “As long as the Lord keeps opening doors,” she said, “we're going to keep walking through them.”