Starting out as background singers for popular secular artists while holding down day jobs (Erica at a local supermarket and Tina at a major department store) to pay the bills, the sisters found even greater expression in the inspirational songs they began writing together. In 1996, they met producer Warryn Campbell, who started writing with them and took the material along with the duo's original demos to EMI Music. As a result, Erica and Tina found themselves with their own publishing deal. Their music was featured on the soundtracks for the films, Dr. Dolittle and The Prince Of Egypt. When gospel great Yolanda Adams, one of Mary Mary's musical inspirations, recorded two songs for her platinum album Mountain High Valley Low, the sisters felt they had been truly blessed.
It was only a matter of time before the sisters' songwriting and vocal talents led to a major record deal. In 1999, the pair signed with Columbia Records as one of the first gospel duos signed by the label. As Mary Mary, the duo's musical direction was clear: "Gospel tells you about what God can do, it tells you the good news of Jesus," says Erica. "Because our music is so hip-hop and has an urban feel, a lot of people think, 'Oh it's inspirational, it's contemporary.' It can be. But listen to what we're saying in our songs which tell the message of Christ specifically."