One of my favorite female Christian artists, ever, this powerful, emotive, heartfelt singer-songwriter with Italian heritage, Francesca Battistelli is without a doubt a well-known name in the Christian Community.
From a young age, Francesca wanted to be in the spotlight. With an upbringing immersed in music, dance, and theater, it would seem like her future career was set in stone.
But a successful road is not only paved with light. Sometimes you have to keep going even when you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel.
So, let’s take a look at how Francesca is overcoming obstacles and keeping the torch of God lit.
Early Life & Achievements
Francesca Battistelli was born on May 18, 1985, in New York City. She is an American Christian singer and songwriter.
She grew up in a family surrounded by music, with both her parents being involved in the world of musical theater.
“There was just something about live theater – especially musical theater – that has always resonated with me,” she said. After seeing The Secret Garden on Broadway at six, she knew she was going to spend her life performing.
When she was 15, she joined the Orlando, Florida-based all-girl mainstream pop group Bella.
She said she loved singing as well as dancing, and after the group disbanded, she began writing songs and playing guitar.
Battistelli released her debut album, Just a Breath, in 2004 as an independent artist, she was only a teenager. In 2008, she released the I’m Letting Go EP through iTunes and Fervent Records. It contains 4 songs.
All four of these songs were included on her first major-label studio album, My Paper Heart, and it was released on July 22, 2008.
“I’m Letting Go” was her first radio single, which was released on July 15. The song had reached the top 20 on R&R’s Christian charts by May 30, 2008. By early July 2008, it reached No. 10.
The song “Free to Be Me”, which received a Grammy nomination in 2009, was partially inspired when she backed her car into a lawyer’s car. The line “’cause I got a couple of dents in my fender” is what resulted from the dent.
Battistelli began her tour in the U.S. in early 2008 where she played solo concerts as well as performed with fellow Fervent Records band Big Daddy Weave.
Battistelli joined TobyMac, Hawk Nelson, and Brandon Heath on the Winter Jam 2009 tour. It’s the largest annual Christian music festival in America. The tour ran from January to March 2009.
Battistelli toured again for the 2011 Winter Jam tour, and her album Hundred More Years was released on March 1, 2011.
The album was preceded by the release of a single, “This is the Stuff”, in early 2011, which was followed in July by “Motion of Mercy”. Battistelli released Christmas, a collection of traditional holiday music on October 16th 2012.
On April 22, 2014, Battistelli’s third studio album was released and titled “If We’re Honest”
2017 was a busy year for Battistelli. Touring with Bethel Music and being featured on two songs of their latest album is just the beginning – she also put out her 10-year compilation Greatest Hits.
In 2018, she released another single ‘The Breakup Song‘.
Francesca Battistelli is married to and is managed by Matt Goodwin. They met on the Winter Jam tour when he was playing drums in the band NewSong. They have six children together.
Battistelli says that the devastating loss of a good friend encouraged her to write a new single, “God is Good.” The track can also be found in the upcoming film, God’s Not Dead: We the People, in which Battistelli has a starring role.
She took her personal experiences of hard times and wrote about them to help others who are struggling.
Controversy
In today’s world, if you’re famous, you need to be careful what you post. In 2018, Francesca went to Facebook and we believe she was trying to get responses from her followers about the cover of her album. She posted a photo that looks like her normal photo, with a little bit of rainbow fades on it. But she received some criticism about it…
This user said: “I am confused… is this an “LGBT coming out of the closet” statement? I like her music I am just being honest.“
and the other ones said: ”Well just say it!?!!”.
but the user Chris explained by saying: “ This has absolutely nothing to do with homosexuality. That’s probably why your comment got zapped. This is about an album reveal. This isn’t what a gay pride rainbow looks like.“
Once we researched, it turns out she was gradually revealing the cover of an album.
She didn’t reply to the bad comments.
Conclusion
It’s no surprise that Battistelli’s music has been influenced by a string of music genres. Her soulful piano-pop sound is reminiscent of a blend among her most important influences—jazz, rock, gospel and R&B.
Battistelli stated that when she began writing music and performing her own material at age 15, “I really longed to bring something authentic to the [Christian music] scene that even non-Christians could listen to.”
Battistelli’s song “It’s Your Life” has featured on the series finale of two popular TV programs, Jon & Kate Plus 8 and The Biggest Loser, the same day It’s Your Life, featuring all of Battistelli’s singles, was released on iTunes US.
It’s Your Life Dented Fender Session was released in 2010. It also appears on the soundtrack for Soul Surfer in the same year.
Francesca Battistelli is happy to see her music connect with listeners of all sorts, even those who are not Christian. “Some of the most inspiring moments come when someone comes up to you and says, `I wasn’t a believer until I heard your music on a TV show or playing in a store, and it prompted me to look you up, to find your music, and eventually to find the Lord.’ Sometimes they simply say, `Your music helped me find through a difficult time.’ To me, that’s what it’s all about.”
Let’s us know what do you think about Francesca.