By Jess DrummondWednesday 27 Mar 2024MusicReading Time: 4 minutes
American singer-songwriter Katy Nichole was never going to be a career musician – but God had other ideas.
The 23-year-old American singer-songwriter has had a big couple of years, sharing her music with millions of people, topping the US Hot Christian Songs chart, winning the 2023 Dove Award for New Artist of the Year, and releasing her debut album.
96five’s Jess Drummond caught up with Katy Nichole to hear how God transformed her darkest days into an unexpected journey of hope and healing.
“I thought that I was never going to do music as a career – that was off the table when I started college” Katy said.
“I thought that I was going into the medical field – I thought that I was probably going to end up being a nurse, and honestly I was okay with that.
“I’m very security-driven, so I was like, ‘Okay, if this the job that is going to keep me stable, then I’m gonna do it,’, and so it was very like God to completely turn everything [around] – not what I expected, not what I’m comfortable with, but it all happened so fast that I barely had time to process. I’m still processing!
Katy’s initial plans to pursue a nursing career were influenced by her own experience with chronic pain, having undergone two back surgeries for scoliosis.
After the first surgery, Katy had an adverse reaction to the metal rods and screws that were inserted to correct a curve in her spine.
“I was in excruciating pain from morning to night, and it really affected me not only physically, but mentally as well” Katy said.
“I was dealing with such severe anxiety and depression, that I didn’t want to leave the house. I barely even wanted to leave my bed every single day. I got to a place where I just didn’t know if I wanted to be alive anymore.”
Katy describes a moment where she considered ending her pain with a bottle of pills, but then God intervened.
“The bottle of pills actually fell on to the floor and spilled. It made me stop in my tracks, and I felt the Lord saying, ‘Hold on, I’m not done yet.’
God still had something for my life, and I didn’t understand it at the moment because I was holding in so much resentment and anger towards God that I was like, ‘How could there be anything on the other side of this?’… And yet at the same time, I did have that faith the size of a mustard seed, because I just trusted that God wouldn’t do that for no reason, and maybe all of this pain I was dealing with, someday, would make sense.”
After her second back surgery, Katy says she had an encounter with Jesus in a new way, even though she had been a Christian all her life. Her physical recovery exceeded all expectations, but she also experienced emotional and spiritual healing.
“Not only was I physically having different moments of healing, but it was truly the heart change that changed my life, and changed the course of my life.” Katy Nichole
In the background, Katy had encountered a worship pastor who had invited her to sing at his church. Although involvement with worship music had not been on her radar, Katy says the experience “changed everything” for her. She went on to start writing Christian music and working with mentors, which led her to her current path.
“I look back on how the puzzle pieces just essentially fit so perfectly into one another, and that’s just how God works. I think if everyone took some time to look back on their life, they would see it exactly the same.”
Reflecting on the huge, though unexpected, success of “In Jesus’ Name (God of Possible)”, which has garnered tens of millions of streams, Katy believes it struck such a chord because of its focus on two key aspects of a relationship with God: prayer and worship.
Katy has recently released another anthem, “My God Can”, which is a reminder that “there is nothing impossible with God”.
“In my story, even in the times where it felt like my circumstances were not good and it felt like nothing was going to change, that’s when God came in and He showed me that He could truly do the impossible. He makes the impossible possible. Our God is so incredible, and I wanted a song that really just exemplified how I feel about what my God can do.
Katy has this encouragement for anyone whose prayers for healing have not yet been answered, or are answered differently than they had expected or hoped for:
“In the waiting, hope is not gone. Hope is still with you because hope is in Jesus. As long as you have Jesus, you’re going to be okay. Even when it looks like there’s nothing in front of you, God is still moving.”
‘My God Can’ as well as Katy’s debut album, ‘Jesus Changed My Life’ are out now.
Listen to the full interview with Katy Nichole in the player above.
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