American Idol finalist and EMI CMG recording artist Mandisa talked with Dr. Robin Smith on the Oprah & Friends Channel on XM Satellite Radio on Wednesday, Aug. 27. The show airs three times each day at 9 a.m., 4 p.m., and 9 p.m. EST, on Channel 156. Smith is a licensed psychologist and regular contributor to The Oprah Winfrey Show. In addition to her private practice, Smith teaches as an adjunct professor at Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary. She is the author of Inspirational Vitamins, A Guide to Personal Empowerment and the national best-seller Lies at the Altar: The Truth About Great Marriages.

With a busy fall already in the works, Mandisa will release It's Christmas, her first, full-length Christmas project, in October. The project features such Christmas classics as "It's Christmas," "Joy to the World," and "Little Drummer Boy," along with special duets with Michael W. Smith and Matthew West.

In addition, Mandisa is currently in the studio beginning work on Freedom, the follow-up to her rammy and Dove-nominated CD, True Beauty. The project is being produced by Brown Bannister and Chris Stevens, and is scheduled to release in March 2009.

After a highly successful label debut (one of Sparrow Records' fastest-selling new artists ever) with True Beauty, and her first Christmas EP, American Idol's Mandisa received her first Grammy nomination and hit the road earlier this year on the Winter Jam tour, performing before more than 300,000 people.

   

Following her no. 1 Single “Only the World” on Billboard's Hot Single Sales chart, appearances on The Today Show, Live! With Regis & Kelly, The Tom Joyner Show, countless radio and retail visits, and ringing in the holiday season for the New York Stock Exchange Christmas Tree lighting, vocal powerhouse Mandisa's debut CD, True Beauty, entered at No. 1 on Soundscan’s Christian/Gospel and iTunes Christian/Gospel charts, continuing to prove you don’t have to win American Idol to be a winner. This Idol alum's chart entry also marked the first debut album by a female solo artist to open at No. 1 since this chart converted to Nielsen SoundScan back in 1995, as well as making Mandisa the only female solo artist to land at No. 1 on the Top Christian Albums chart with a debut album in the 27 years since Billboard began tracking Christian album sales in March 1980.

Mandisa shot to instant fame when millions of TV viewers across the nation were captivated by her winning smile and powerhouse vocals as she sang her way into the final rounds of American Idol's fifth season. Showcasing Mandisa's stylistic range was the task set before the five sets of producers who lined up to work with her on her debut, True Beauty. The end result is a seamless flow of tracks that create a diverse landscape for messages of hope, inspiration and faith.