written with Jimmy Needham in December of 2011
This is just a scratch track we did together at his house

Worthy (ft. Jimmy Needham)

"Always Stand" was written in 2011 while I was attending school at the Contemporary Music Center in Nashville, TN. Let me know what you think!

Always Stand

Just Sing

I love to sing, more than anything in the entire world. There is nothing I enjoy more that makes me feel that I am doing what I was made to do or be closer to my creator than singing. I loved singing along to my favorite artists and praising God through the most unique form of communication. Music is powerful, it was my way to discover and hear and learn more than any other possibility. I have been singing for as long as there was breath within my lungs although I never thought of it as becoming a potential career.
	Everyone has their humble beginnings, mine is no exception. I began singing publicly at my small church, where I know that even with shaky hands and knees I faced my stage fright head on and gave my all to whoever would listen. Although back then there was no sign of a protege child, in fact, I was not that good at all. Despite it all I was encouraged to keep working at it, and even inspired some who needed to see a small girl get the nerve to do it, to get others to sing as well.
	Fast forward to my junior year of high school. I had put guitar and songwriting aside for a few years because I did not feel like I was good enough, so what is the use? I remember picking it up again when my school needed someone to lead for worship on wednesday mornings. I had never felt more happy than praising my maker through music. I remember not being able to sleep one night and journaling that I felt compelled by God to write this, that I should pursue music. At that point I had no idea if it was real or not.
	Senior year I was pursuing colleges so that I could become an architect. I loved drawing and math (believe it or not, I am a nerd) and I thought it would be the best for money-making and creativity. God had other plans for me, he closed every door I tried to pursue with it. Then I remembered what I had wrote a year and a half before and began to look into becoming a music major. Big change I know, but everything fit into place perfectly. Everyone around me on the other hand was discouraging me, saying it does not make money or that I had to actually be good enough to make it or “o, music really? You're sure about that? Well, I guess if thats what you want...” I never felt more confident despite others.
	I have never been the most confident person; in fact I have tended to be quite the opposite. I have always struggled with having a low self-esteem, never feeling quite good enough, never sufficient. But that is just it, I am not good enough by any standards. I can never try to be good enough in God's eyes no matter how hard I try and the world tells me I can not amount to anything. But here is my confidence and hope: God has made me perfect, worthy, sufficient, good enough and in him alone do I have my confidence. I can never accomplish anything on my own so I know that anything and everything I do and get to do is only through my savior, Jesus Christ and to him be all glory.
	That is why I am putting together this EP, which is an echo of my life, “Just Sing”. It is a reminder that no matter what the voices of others may say about me, what the world sets my value to be, or even how I can put myself down, that I was created to sing regardless, and through that I am doing what I was made to do and bringing glory to my God.

Jessica Nichelle