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Biography (courtesy of Reunion Records)

Contemporary pop was taking center stage for the first time in Christian music in 1982, and after shopping for a record deal, the founders of Reunion Records decided to start their own label to launch the musical career of an Italian girl from New York, Kathy Troccoli.

Kathy has come a long way since her musical debut, but her passion for sharing the Gospel and her life through music has not waned. Her 13th album for Reunion, The Heart of Me, relays the great message of hope that Kathy has discovered and relied upon for so many years.

"When the process of making a new album ministers to you before it is even heard by others, you know that God has been in it," says Kathy. "That's what I've felt in this current project-His hand guiding me and His heart reminding me that hope awaits us if we have the courage to get up and walk. From the upbeat tunes to the ballads, this project excites me."

The Heart of Me once again teams Kathy with producer and co-writer Nathan DiGesare-the same team that created the No. 1 hits "Psalm 23" and "Different Road" on Corner of Eden. Also bringing his hit-making abilities to the table is producer Chris Harris (Jaci Velasquez, Anointed). For the first time in five years, Kathy combines the best from outside songwriters as well the best of her own songwriting on an album that could be considered her strongest release since Sounds of Heaven.

From the stirring "Take Me Higher" with its lyrical pursuit of surrender, to the confession of faith and love for God in "You're Still God," Kathy declares her dependence for God, desiring to be in His presence, resting at His feet.

Timeless ballads like "A Love That Won't Walk Away" and "He Will Shelter You" serve as reminders that when the storms move in and the winds blow, when the hard days come, God is still God, He is still faithful and He will always love you. The Heart of Me contains songs of worship like the inspiring "Love Has Come" and the sweeping "You're the Heart of Me," which offer up worship to God like modern-day psalms.

Kathy Troccoli remains one of Christian music's most loved artists. Upon hearing the new album, one will discover that Kathy has held true to the musical path that brought her here. Listeners will continue to hear a woman's song of hope and encouragement, like hearing words from a trusted friend and confidante.

Kathy's early hits, "Holy, Holy" and "Stubborn Love," rose quickly on the charts. Even as she searched for her niche, she found that she needed a break. "Too much was happening and not happening all at the same time. I think everyone knows what that feels like at some point in their lives," says Kathy.

So she went home to Long Island to spend more time with her family and continue her ongoing quest for God's purpose. Kathy sang at small parties, funerals and whatever else seemed to fit the image of what locals knew about her as she waited on God.

Then in the early 90s, she returned to the music scene. With "Everything Changes," Kathy recorded a mainstream mega-hit that launched her onto the national stage in a whole new way. Soon she was hosting VH-1 and opening for Jay Leno.

Even with the hit songs, life still had its tragedies. Kathy had lost her father to cancer when she was 15, and now it overtook her mother. The ensuing months and her eventual death brought about deep anguish and specific questions as to how God could allow this to happen. She felt God respond to her with a question-am I not still God?

It is a story that she tells to this day because of the incredible impact that it had on her life and others around her. Kathy's search for a deeper purpose was continuing and the answer was being molded inside her.

Four more hit albums would follow in the 90s, including Sounds of Heaven, and on subsequent recordings, she began to write more lyrics and found she had more to say than could be communicated in a four-minute song. Portions of her concert contained very specific times of non-musical communication, and audiences loved it. Kathy was intelligent, funny and raw, and had the scars that produced a mature communicator.

Kathy began to arrange times to sing and speak to women only. Her effective communication style, funny stories and passionate music soon found its way to the arena stage, and Kathy was appearing before packed houses with Women of Faith, Heritage Keepers, Time Out for Women and other key women's conferences. A new era was beginning, as she became booked as a speaker in addition to her musical artist slots.

Kathy's concerts and speaking engagements put her in front of over 200,000 people a year, including presenting her own popular conference, "An Evening for Women - Hope for a Woman's Heart". Kathy also recently released a video teaching series under the same name and will teach this series in the Friday intensive sessions of the 2003 Women of Faith conferences.

Not only has Kathy found herself becoming a speaker but an author as well. After penning the devotional book, My Life Is in Your Hands, earlier in her career, Kathy signed to W Publishing and J Countryman, writing four books for them, including Am I Not Still God?, Hope for a Woman's Heart, Falling in Love With Jesus and, coming in October 2002, The Colors of His Love.

Kathy Troccoli holds a combination that is unique in the music and publishing fields, serving as a singer, songwriter, author, speaker and seminar leader. It is the diverse talents and circumstances in Kathy's life that make this possible. She has allowed the successes and trials that she has encountered to mold her over the years, equipping her for a multi-faceted career.

"I feel like everything that has happened in my life has brought me to this point for a purpose," says Kathy. "The good and the bad have all been helpful in deepening my relationship to God. My desires now are quite simple-I want to be used by Him and to be molded by Him."