Christian singer/songwriter Katy Nichole has rocketed up the charts since her first release, “In Jesus Name (God of Possible).” Her first full-length album, “Jesus Changed My Life,” builds on the artist’s consistent theme of battling mental health issues — a struggle her audience understands well.
Nichole struggles with episodes of anxiety and depression, but she sings of freedom from the battle.
“Hope is my main message — that there is hope, and that hope is in Jesus. My hope is that this music I create, that I’m writing, will reach people in a way that they just feel the presence of God and that they feel that the Lord is wrapping them up in His kind and loving embrace,” Nichole explained.
Released in February, “Jesus Changed My Life” marks a moment for Nichole. She just began a 30-city tour with CAIN and David Leonard. The tour makes a stop at Birmingham’s BJCC on May 6.
In 2022, “In Jesus Name” won a K-LOVE Fan Award for worship song of the year, was Dove Award-nominated and was No. 1 on the Hot Christian Songs chart for 20 weeks. The first song on the album, it’s one of Nichole’s favorites due to its impact on listeners. “Hold On” is another song she really loves.
Nichole said, “Those two songs mean the most to me on the album. They [bring meaning] to my story and where my heart is.”
Fans have told Nichole how much “In Jesus Name” means to them. They report stories of healing and how their faith in the power of prayer has been strengthened.
At a concert at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado, the song made a huge impression on everyone there, especially one individual.
‘Presence of God’
“I saw so many people gathering around to pray for this little boy who had cancer. It was pretty mind-blowing. Also, it felt like the presence of God was all over the room.” Nichole recalled.
“Hearing this little boy singing the song, praying it over himself as well … there are just quite a few stories of people praying it over themselves through their sickness or so many different things,” she continued.
In spite of success happening quickly and believing in the power of prayer, this rise to fame still came with bumps and bruises. Her desperation in the midst of the darkness of anxiety and depression was also the inspiration for “Please,” one of her new songs on the album.
“I was struggling quite a bit, and I felt like I wanted to write something that felt like a cry — like something I would actually sing, like in a prayer. This one really is [a prayer song]. It’s knowing that I need God. I need the presence of the Lord … and I need it so deeply … that I have to cry out sometimes,” Nichole related.
She added, “I know that there are moments of desperation in people’s lives, and I wanted to give other people a chance to have someone that feels like, ‘This is what I’ve come to say.’”
Nichole loves touring and has done so with big-name artists such as Jeremy Camp and Matthew West.
She is excited about what happened on the recent Live and In Color tour.
‘Incredible’ feeling
“Every night you get to hear people singing back to you. It’s a crazy feeling, hearing people sing the songs that you’ve written. It is incredible. That has really warmed my heart, and it [gave] me chills every night to hear people singing so loudly on the tour.”
However, audience participation is not the only aspect Nichole enjoys during tours. Watching movies, eating snacks, playing games and simply hanging out [with the other artists] are also why she loves touring.
“Being out on the road is so much fun. One of the greatest things about this tour that I [was recently] on is the friendships that were already built, even before we stepped onto the tour together,” she said.
Though her songs are mostly written to encourage Christians, Nichole hopes that unbelievers, those still searching, will find her music and find the hope that Jesus provides.
“The Lord is always present in the music that I’m writing — and always will be. Whether that’s through my own life and the stories I have in my own life through my past, or me praising the name of Jesus, I want to incorporate what I know of God and the promises that He keeps and His hope and the joy that He brings,” she urged.
To find out more about Katy Nichole and her music, visit katynichole.com. “Jesus Changed My Life” is now available wherever music is sold or streamed.
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