Francesca Battistelli
Encyclopedia
Francesca Battistelli is an American Christian music
ian from New York City
, New York
. She was originally an independent artist and had released an independent album, Just a Breath, in 2004. Her first studio album on Fervent Records
, My Paper Heart
, was released on July 22, 2008. Her first single, "I'm Letting Go", was released to radio stations in spring of 2008 and has charted on national Christian CHR
charts since then. The song was the 16th most played song of 2008 on Christian radio stations according to R&R magazine.
Francesca Battistelli received her first Grammy Award nomination in 2009, for Best Gospel Performance with her single, "Free To Be Me".
. She grew up in a musical family with both of her parents involved in musical theatre
. "There was just something about live theater—especially musical theater—that has always resonated with me" she said. She "knew that she was going to spend her life performing" after seeing a performance of the musical The Secret Garden
on Broadway
at the age of six. "So I thought that was it. I was going to be Mary Lennox in The Secret Garden."
When she was 15, however, she became a member of the Orlando, Florida
all-girl mainstream pop
group Bella. The group's touring performances included singing and dancing, which were "two things I loved", she said. After the group disbanded, Battistelli picked up the guitar
and began writing songs.
on Fervent Records
which contains four songs, including the title track. All four songs were included on her first major label studio album, My Paper Heart
, which was released on July 22, 2008. The album was produced by Dove Award-winning producer Ian Eskelin
, and was published through Word Distribution. Her first radio single, "I'm Letting Go", was released in spring 2008. The song had reached into the top 20 on R&R
's Christian CHR
charts by May 30, 2008. In early July 2008, the song reached No. 10 on Christian CHR charts. My Paper Heart debuted at No. 1 on iTunes in July and was in the top 10 Christian albums for 4 weeks.
Battistelli began a period of touring in the U.S. during early 2008, playing solo concerts as well as performing with fellow Fervent Records band Big Daddy Weave
. She performed at several Christian music festivals during mid-2008, such as Spirit West Coast
in California
and Alive Fest. In late 2008, she guested on a tour with Aaron Shust
and NewSong
.
Her debut single "I'm Letting Go" reached No. 3 on R&R
's Christian CHR
and AC charts during mid to late 2008. Her next single, "Free to Be Me
", reached No. 1 on the R&R Christian CHR format in March 2009, and has held the top position for 9 consecutive weeks through the beginning of May.
Battistelli joined TobyMac
, Hawk Nelson
, Brandon Heath
and others on the Winter Jam 2009
tour, the nation's largest annual Christian music
tour, which ran from January through March 2009. On November 23, 2009, Battistelli's song "It's Your Life" was featured on the series finale of Jon & Kate Plus 8
and The Biggest Loser
, is realized on the same day the EP of "It's Your Life" on iTunes USA that contains all the singles from that album and a special version of "It's Your Life Dented Fender Session". "It's Your Life Peaked" at Top 200 iTunes USA and join the No. 46 positions and No. 29 on iTunes Canada.
Battistelli toured on Winter Jam again for 2011 and released a second studio album, Hundred More Years
, on the first of March. The album was preceded by the release of a single, This Is The Stuff, in early 2011. In July 2011 the second single, Motion of Mercy, was released from the 2011 album, Hundred More Years
"It's Your Life" was in the movie Soul Surfer
in early 2011.
, rock
, gospel
and R&B
." Battistelli stated that when she first began writing music, "I really longed to bring something authentic to the [Christian music] scene that even non-Christians could listen to."
Francesca's track "Blue Sky" featured on the Hollister Playlist for December 2009.
Christian music
Christian music is music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence, and lament, and its forms vary widely across the world....
ian from New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. She was originally an independent artist and had released an independent album, Just a Breath, in 2004. Her first studio album on Fervent Records
Fervent Records
Fervent Records is a Contemporary Christian record label based in Nashville, Tennessee. Fervent was bought by Word Records in 2005.-Current Artists:* BarlowGirl* Big Daddy Weave* Chris August* Francesca Battistelli* Group 1 Crew* Sidewalk Prophets...
, My Paper Heart
My Paper Heart (album)
My Paper Heart is the major label debut album from Christian pop rock singer Francesca Battistelli, released on July 22, 2008. The album's lead single, "I'm Letting Go", was released before the album in mid-2008, and was the 16th most-played song on Christian radio of 2008...
, was released on July 22, 2008. Her first single, "I'm Letting Go", was released to radio stations in spring of 2008 and has charted on national Christian CHR
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
charts since then. The song was the 16th most played song of 2008 on Christian radio stations according to R&R magazine.
Francesca Battistelli received her first Grammy Award nomination in 2009, for Best Gospel Performance with her single, "Free To Be Me".
Early life
Battistelli was born on May 18, 1985 in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. She grew up in a musical family with both of her parents involved in musical theatre
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
. "There was just something about live theater—especially musical theater—that has always resonated with me" she said. She "knew that she was going to spend her life performing" after seeing a performance of the musical The Secret Garden
The Secret Garden (musical)
The Secret Garden is a musical based on the 1911 novel of the same name by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The musical's book and lyrics are by Marsha Norman, with music by Lucy Simon...
on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
at the age of six. "So I thought that was it. I was going to be Mary Lennox in The Secret Garden."
When she was 15, however, she became a member of the Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
all-girl mainstream pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
group Bella. The group's touring performances included singing and dancing, which were "two things I loved", she said. After the group disbanded, Battistelli picked up the guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and began writing songs.
Musical career
As an independent artist in 2004, Battistelli released her debut album, Just a Breath. In early 2008, she released the I'm Letting Go EP exclusively through iTunesITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
on Fervent Records
Fervent Records
Fervent Records is a Contemporary Christian record label based in Nashville, Tennessee. Fervent was bought by Word Records in 2005.-Current Artists:* BarlowGirl* Big Daddy Weave* Chris August* Francesca Battistelli* Group 1 Crew* Sidewalk Prophets...
which contains four songs, including the title track. All four songs were included on her first major label studio album, My Paper Heart
My Paper Heart (album)
My Paper Heart is the major label debut album from Christian pop rock singer Francesca Battistelli, released on July 22, 2008. The album's lead single, "I'm Letting Go", was released before the album in mid-2008, and was the 16th most-played song on Christian radio of 2008...
, which was released on July 22, 2008. The album was produced by Dove Award-winning producer Ian Eskelin
Ian Eskelin
Ian Eskelin , is a record producer, songwriter, solo artist, and founding member and lead singer of the Grammy-nominated Christian rock band All Star United. He won the Dove Award for "Producer of the Year" in 2011 and 2008, and was nominated for the same award in 2007, 2009, and 2010...
, and was published through Word Distribution. Her first radio single, "I'm Letting Go", was released in spring 2008. The song had reached into the top 20 on R&R
R&R (magazine)
R&R was a weekly music trade publication that followed the radio industry and tracked the monitoring of current songs by format, station and audience cumes...
's Christian CHR
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
charts by May 30, 2008. In early July 2008, the song reached No. 10 on Christian CHR charts. My Paper Heart debuted at No. 1 on iTunes in July and was in the top 10 Christian albums for 4 weeks.
Battistelli began a period of touring in the U.S. during early 2008, playing solo concerts as well as performing with fellow Fervent Records band Big Daddy Weave
Big Daddy Weave
Big Daddy Weave is a contemporary Christian band composed of Mike Weaver , Jay Weaver, Jeremy Redmon, and Joe Shirk. Their popular songs include: "Every Time I Breathe", "Audience of One", "In Christ", "Fields of Grace", "Without You", and "What Life Would Be Like". They are signed to Fervent...
. She performed at several Christian music festivals during mid-2008, such as Spirit West Coast
Spirit West Coast
Spirit West Coast is a Christian music festival that features Christian artists from several different genres. It also features lectures, workshops in tents, kids' shows, petting zoos, and comedians....
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and Alive Fest. In late 2008, she guested on a tour with Aaron Shust
Aaron Shust
Aaron Michael Shust is an American Contemporary Christian Music artist on the Centricity Music label. Shust was named the songwriter of the year at the GMA Dove Awards of 2007, and his song "My Savior My God" received the Song of the Year award.-Biography:Shust grew up near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
and NewSong
NewSong
NewSong is a Contemporary Christian Music group that was founded in 1981, at Morningside Baptist Church in Valdosta, Georgia. They have had eight GMA Dove Award nominations. They are the founders of the Winter Jam Tour Spectacular, the United States' largest annual Christian music tour. It began in...
.
Her debut single "I'm Letting Go" reached No. 3 on R&R
R&R (magazine)
R&R was a weekly music trade publication that followed the radio industry and tracked the monitoring of current songs by format, station and audience cumes...
's Christian CHR
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
and AC charts during mid to late 2008. Her next single, "Free to Be Me
Free to Be Me
"Free to Be Me" is a song written by contemporary Christian musician Francesca Battistelli, from her debut album My Paper Heart. It was released in January 2009 as the album's second single. In March 2009, the song became a number 1 hit on Christian Contemporary hit radio charts...
", reached No. 1 on the R&R Christian CHR format in March 2009, and has held the top position for 9 consecutive weeks through the beginning of May.
Battistelli joined TobyMac
TobyMac
Toby McKeehan , better known by his stage name TobyMac , is a Christian recording artist, music producer, hip-hop/pop artist, singer-songwriter, and author....
, Hawk Nelson
Hawk Nelson
Hawk Nelson is a Christian rock band from Peterborough, Ontario. The band has become very popular in the Christian music scene and was voted "Favorite New Artist" by CCM Magazine in their February 2006 Reader's Choice Awards. In 2006 Hawk Nelson won a No...
, Brandon Heath
Brandon Heath
Brandon Heath is a contemporary Christian musician from Nashville, Tennessee. He has released three studio albums: Don't Get Comfortable , What If We and "Leaving Eden" . He is best known for the No. 1 "I'm Not Who I Was" and "Give Me Your Eyes". He was nominated four times at the Dove Awards of...
and others on the Winter Jam 2009
Winter Jam 2009
Winter Jam 2009 Tour Spectacular was a concert tour in the Winter Jam concert series, headlined by Grammy Award winning artist tobyMac and hosted by NewSong. Other artists on the tour included Brandon Heath, Hawk Nelson, Francesca Battistelli, pureNRG, and Stephanie Smith. Playing select dates...
tour, the nation's largest annual Christian music
Christian music
Christian music is music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence, and lament, and its forms vary widely across the world....
tour, which ran from January through March 2009. On November 23, 2009, Battistelli's song "It's Your Life" was featured on the series finale of Jon & Kate Plus 8
Jon & Kate Plus 8
Jon & Kate Plus 8, named Kate Plus 8 from the sixth season on, is an American reality television series airing on TLC. It is produced by Figure 8 Films about the Gosselin family, consisting of parents Jon and Kate and their eight children: fraternal twins and sextuplets...
and The Biggest Loser
The Biggest Loser
The Biggest Loser is an American reality game show that debuted on NBC October 19, 2004. The show features obese people competing to win a cash prize by losing the highest percentage of weight relative to their initial weight....
, is realized on the same day the EP of "It's Your Life" on iTunes USA that contains all the singles from that album and a special version of "It's Your Life Dented Fender Session". "It's Your Life Peaked" at Top 200 iTunes USA and join the No. 46 positions and No. 29 on iTunes Canada.
Battistelli toured on Winter Jam again for 2011 and released a second studio album, Hundred More Years
Hundred More Years
Hundred More Years is the second studio album released by Francesca Battistelli on March 1, 2011.-Track listing:#"This Is The Stuff" - 3:05#"Constant" - 3:14#"You Never Are" - 3:18#"Angel By Your Side" - 3:30#"Motion Of Mercy" - 3:28...
, on the first of March. The album was preceded by the release of a single, This Is The Stuff, in early 2011. In July 2011 the second single, Motion of Mercy, was released from the 2011 album, Hundred More Years
"It's Your Life" was in the movie Soul Surfer
Soul Surfer
Soul Surfer is a term coined in the 1960s, used to describe a surfer who surfs for the sheer pleasure of surfing. Although they may still enter in competitions, winning is not the soul surfer's main motive, since they scorn the commercialization of surfing. The term denotes a spirituality of surfing...
in early 2011.
Style
Battistelli's music is the mix of several different genre labels. A reviewer once said that "Battistelli's soulful piano-pop sound resembles a blend of her music interests—jazzJazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
and R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
." Battistelli stated that when she first began writing music, "I really longed to bring something authentic to the [Christian music] scene that even non-Christians could listen to."
Francesca's track "Blue Sky" featured on the Hollister Playlist for December 2009.
Personal life
Francesca married Christian band percussionist Matthew Goodwin on August 27, 2009 in Nashville. The couple's son, Matthew Elijah, was born on September 22, 2010.Discography
| Year | Album | Billboard Christian Albums (Peak Position) |
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My Paper Heart (album) My Paper Heart is the major label debut album from Christian pop rock singer Francesca Battistelli, released on July 22, 2008. The album's lead single, "I'm Letting Go", was released before the album in mid-2008, and was the 16th most-played song on Christian radio of 2008... |
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Hundred More Years Hundred More Years is the second studio album released by Francesca Battistelli on March 1, 2011.-Track listing:#"This Is The Stuff" - 3:05#"Constant" - 3:14#"You Never Are" - 3:18#"Angel By Your Side" - 3:30#"Motion Of Mercy" - 3:28... |
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- Hundred More YearsHundred More YearsHundred More Years is the second studio album released by Francesca Battistelli on March 1, 2011.-Track listing:#"This Is The Stuff" - 3:05#"Constant" - 3:14#"You Never Are" - 3:18#"Angel By Your Side" - 3:30#"Motion Of Mercy" - 3:28...
also charted on the Billboard Digital Albums peaking at #21.
Singles
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My Paper Heart (album) My Paper Heart is the major label debut album from Christian pop rock singer Francesca Battistelli, released on July 22, 2008. The album's lead single, "I'm Letting Go", was released before the album in mid-2008, and was the 16th most-played song on Christian radio of 2008... |
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Free to Be Me "Free to Be Me" is a song written by contemporary Christian musician Francesca Battistelli, from her debut album My Paper Heart. It was released in January 2009 as the album's second single. In March 2009, the song became a number 1 hit on Christian Contemporary hit radio charts... " |
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3 > Hundred More Years Hundred More Years is the second studio album released by Francesca Battistelli on March 1, 2011.-Track listing:#"This Is The Stuff" - 3:05#"Constant" - 3:14#"You Never Are" - 3:18#"Angel By Your Side" - 3:30#"Motion Of Mercy" - 3:28... |
- "I'm Letting Go" – also peaked No. 10 on national Christian CHRContemporary hit radioContemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
charts, including the top 3 on R&R magazineR&R (magazine)R&R was a weekly music trade publication that followed the radio industry and tracked the monitoring of current songs by format, station and audience cumes... - "Free to Be MeFree to Be Me"Free to Be Me" is a song written by contemporary Christian musician Francesca Battistelli, from her debut album My Paper Heart. It was released in January 2009 as the album's second single. In March 2009, the song became a number 1 hit on Christian Contemporary hit radio charts...
" – also peaked No. 1 on R&RR&R (magazine)R&R was a weekly music trade publication that followed the radio industry and tracked the monitoring of current songs by format, station and audience cumes...
's Christian CHRContemporary hit radioContemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
format for seven consecutive weeks; US Bubbling Under Hot 100 No. 17 - "It's Your Life" - also peaked No. 95 US Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
- "Lead Me to the Cross" - iTunes Single
- "This Is The Stuff" - also peaked No. 15 US Bubbling Under Hot 100
- "Motion of Mercy"
Compilation Contributions
- Be Born In Me (Mary) - Music Inspired by the Story (EMI Christian Music 2011)
Music videos
- "I'm Letting Go"
- "Free to Be MeFree to Be Me"Free to Be Me" is a song written by contemporary Christian musician Francesca Battistelli, from her debut album My Paper Heart. It was released in January 2009 as the album's second single. In March 2009, the song became a number 1 hit on Christian Contemporary hit radio charts...
- "Beautiful, Beautiful"
- "This is the Stuff"
GMA Dove Awards
| Year | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 Dove Awards of 2009 The 40th Annual GMA Dove Awards were held on April 23, 2009 recognizing accomplishments of musicians for the year 2008. The show was held at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee, and was hosted by Rebecca St... |
New Artist of the Year | |
| Female Vocalist of the Year | ||
| Song of the Year ("I'm Letting Go") | ||
| Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year ("I'm Letting Go") | ||
| Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year (My Paper Heart My Paper Heart (album) My Paper Heart is the major label debut album from Christian pop rock singer Francesca Battistelli, released on July 22, 2008. The album's lead single, "I'm Letting Go", was released before the album in mid-2008, and was the 16th most-played song on Christian radio of 2008... ) |
||
| 2010 | Artist of the Year | |
| Female Vocalist of the Year | ||
| Song of the Year ("Free to Be Me Free to Be Me "Free to Be Me" is a song written by contemporary Christian musician Francesca Battistelli, from her debut album My Paper Heart. It was released in January 2009 as the album's second single. In March 2009, the song became a number 1 hit on Christian Contemporary hit radio charts... ") |
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| Songwriter of the Year | ||
| Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year ("Free to Be Me") | ||
| Short Form Music Video of the Year ("Free to Be Me") | ||
| 2011 | Artist of the Year | |
| Female Vocalist of the Year | ||
| Song of the Year ("Beautiful, Beautiful") | ||
| Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year ("This Is The Stuff") | ||