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Singer Vaughan Penn made a career writing secular music for television shows like "The Hills," "Laguna Beach" and "Grey's Anatomy."

But during the past few years she has put her faith front and center, conveying a message of hope, joy, love, and above all, forgiveness.

The Rockingham County native recently teamed up with fellow singer-songwriter Chynna Phillips to record a Christian album titled "One Reason."

Penn comes from a musical family and has been playing since she was 14, performing alongside the likes of Emmylou Harris, Melissa Etheridge and the Indigo Girls.

Phillips, a former member of trio Wilson Phillips, also is part of a musical family, one that has been in the news lately over allegations of sexual abuse, and one for whom the theme of forgiveness is especially resonant.

Penn spoke recently in a telephone interview about her new album and working with Phillips.

Q: How did you first meet Chynna?

A: We met in October 2007. I got an e-mail one day from a gentleman who wanted a song for a movie. They were shooting the movie in a small town in North Carolina. It was an indie movie ("The Mill"). And I had the producer and director over for a home-cooked meal, just to kind of nurture them. I didn't know who I was nurturing, except that they were working on the movie.

Well, it turned out that the director was her stepfather, Grainger Hines. And he asked me if I was a Christian. I said, 'Yes.'

And then he said I reminded him a lot of his stepdaughter, Chynna, Chynna Phillips. And then I said, 'Is that Chynna Phillips of Wilson Phillips?' And he said, 'Yes.' And I was shocked really. But he used to be married to her mom, Michelle Phillips.

Q: How did you start working together?

A: When we met it was like we've known each other all our lives, within the first minute. It was like we were old best friends, even though we just met. It was the same way when we started writing. We were going to just write one song. But then it was like a floodgate opened, and immediately a bunch of songs came out.

I kept going to L.A. to write with her. She asked me to stay and write longer, and we just found this bond, and the record came out pretty quick. We went into the studio, and it just sort of evolved into a duo. That wasn't the original plan. But here we are now rocking along.

Q: What do you like most about working with her?

A: I love her big spirit and her joie de vivre and her openness to celebrate life. She's like Mother Teresa to everyone basically. She just takes care and she's a very nurturing person.

And she's also very funny. There's this thing that she does that cracks me up. She wears this hat, even when it's not cold. It's like this big fuzzy hat. And no matter where we are, it could be in the middle of an airport, it can be the noisiest place you could possibly imagine, she'll take a nap, and she puts this hat on and pulls it all the way down over her eyes, and she goes into this little trance and goes to sleep.

Q: What do you want people to walk away with from listening to the new CD?

A: We really want to spread a message that we are called to forgive our brothers and each other, and to be an instrument of peace where there's hate and not return evil for evil. Be loving and love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul and your neighbor as yourself.

Q: How does it differ from your previous efforts?

A: Well, I feel all the songs I've ever written are songs that have come from God. I always feel like I need to get out of the way once the song happens. I don't feel like I'm writing the song. I feel like I'm a channel for the song.

And even when I was writing more secular songs, they still had a spiritual message or a positive message. So even the songs I was writing for film and television the last 10 years would still have a spiritual twist.

But after I had a big physical illness (an abdominal abscess in 2003), I had a big wake-up call in my life. I almost died in the hospital, but I didn't. And during that healing time for me, I wanted to write songs and do a praise and worship CD, thanking God for everything in my life.

This music is just songs about celebrating Jesus and God and positive songs about positive things in life. They're intentionally praise and intentionally worship.

Q: How has Chynna handled the recent news about her half-sister (Mackenzie Phillips, who recently wrote in a memoir that she had been raped by her late father John Phillips, of the Mamas & the Papas, and then carried on an affair with him for 10 years)?

A: I can't even imagine how hard it has been for her. I can't imagine going through the pain of that actually happening in your family, and then going through the agony of it being made public and everyone knowing. My heart goes out to her.

Chynna being a born-again Christian and also a very loving sister standing by her, that sends a strong message of hope to the world and other people who might have gone through this. And calls to the rape and incest hot lines have really increased since Chynna and Mackenzie were on Oprah.

They took a very difficult, dark situation and are presenting how people can heal and go into a forgiveness phase. When we forgive others, it also helps us to heal.

And even Mackenzie was saying that. She forgives, and Chynna is forgiving toward her family. It's a hopeful thing, spreading the light of forgiveness.

Contact Robert C. Lopez at 691-5091 or robert.lopez@news-record.com.