At the same time, I was taking voice lessons and beginning to write songs and a couple of years later, I began to minister on our church worship team. These two aspects of my ministry merged a number of years ago when I started leading worship in French at our ministry conferences in France, Belgium, and Switzerland.

It grieved me that many churches in France sing English songs in their worship services when many of their congregants do not even speak English. I felt very strongly that every time I led worship there, I needed to sing only in French. Recognizing the need for the light of the Lord in Europe and the deep thirst for worship music in France eventually led to me recording my French album as an offering to francophone believers all over the world.

CCM: After that experience, was there a thought of doing another such project?
KC: Yes, absolutely. I do plan to work on another French album in the near future. The need and the desire for it is there. Whenever the Lord gives me the go ahead, I’ll start working on the next one.

CCM: What’s the primary theme at work on your newest album?
KC: When I was gathering the songs for this album, I realized a very clear theme: all the songs I chose were, in various ways, love songs to the Lord. And it seemed very fitting to title the album after one of them, Our Love Story. So much of the album is about our journey with the Lord, from the beginning of knowing him, to the joys of discovering more of who He is, to the pitfalls of our human nature and His faithfulness despite them, and finally, our devotion to Him and His will.

CCM: Who are some of your musical influences?
KC: I am fortunate to have been exposed to many varieties of music throughout my life. My favorite Christian group from when I was growing up, which still remains one of my favorites today, is Deliriou5?. Their music ranges from powerful praise songs to intimate worship ballads and their depth continues to move my spirit when I hear them. One of my greatest secular influences is Ella Fitzgerald. My vocal coach had the good sense to introduce me to her recordings when I was a teenager and to ask me to try and emulate some of her tone and style. So that is largely where my interest in jazz began.

Around that same time, I began cultivating a great passion for classic films of the 1940s as well as other music from that era, the time when many of the American jazz standards were being established. I’d like to think some of that old fashioned poeticism has crept into my own writing. Some of my modern favorites are Coldplay, Adele, and bluegrass’ Allison Krauss.

Leave a Reply