high C #. But, my favorite keys to do songs in are like … Ab, F #, or D. It’ s really weird to me. I don’ t know what it is with certain songs and me. Sometimes I wonder why I don’ t just do every song in the same key! I don’ t like the key of G. I have a break in my voice that goes from chest to head voice and G is not my favorite key for that!
[ WM ] Thinking back to the song“ Victor’ s Crown.” Can you describe the experience of writing with Darlene Zschech and Israel Houghton for that song?
[ Kari ] For sure, I was in Australia and I was spending some time with Darlene at her studio. It’ s on the central coast and was just a really beautiful experience. Just to be with Darlene was a beautiful experience! Writing was like the icing on the cake, you know! We kind of just talked a lot that day, so the writing was kind of slow. But, we kept the voice memo thing going and what was cool was, a couple of months later she was like,“ Hey, will you send me that voice memo. I really think we started a good idea. Israel and I are together and we just want to take a look at it and try to finish it.” So, I sent her like a 45-minute voice memo and they sat and listened through it and picked out the parts in between our“ girl talk” and they finished it out and it turned into such a beautiful song. Such a beautiful anthem! It just really made me realize that nothing is ever a waste of time. We just never know what is being captured, just by talking through life stuff. I think a lot of times songwriting is really like a Bible study. You’ re sitting and talking about what God has been doing; the goodness of God, and what He’ s been speaking to you and you begin writing out of those places. Even if we don’ t finish the song, I always walk away so full and lifted up in my spirit. It’ s very special when the song is actually finished … we’ re like,“ Yea! We actually finished something!” writing session. Because, sometimes you’ ll land on something and you won’ t think it’ s that good and you can go back and listen to it and find that there really is something special.
Also, come in with a couple of ideas when you’ re coming together with other people to write. It really kind of takes the stress off of just going in empty handed. The times we come in and there are already ideas going …“ God’ s been saying this” or“ I have this little melody going”… It kind of goes with the Scriptural principal that“ people die for the lack of vision”( Proverbs 29:18). Just going in with a vision and prepared is always better than having no vision at all.
[ WM ] Lastly, would you pray and speak a word over the worshipers( readers of Worship Musician Magazine) as they are serving in their churches, writing songs, and seeking God’ s leading in what they are doing in their ministry?
[ Kari ] God, I just thank You, for everyone that will be impacted by this article. I just thank You for our churches. I thank you for leadership. I thank You for our pastors. God, I pray that You would just encourage these worship leaders … that You would strengthen them … that they would feel a drawing to go to a deeper place in their walk with You, because I know that we can’ t lead people where we haven’ t been. So God, I just pray for a hunger and a thirst for righteousness and a drawing in by Your spirit to go to a deeper place in our heart, so that we have a richer language to pour our hearts out to You and to not get stuck in routines or what works … or the charts … or the graphs … or the top songs that are out there. But that You would help us to hear Your voice and what our congregations need to hear.
Maybe that means we need to be writing the songs. I just pray for sensitivity to Your voice and Your strength to fulfill the calling that You have on our life. We are honored to get to do the work of the ministry and I just pray that you’ d bless every single person that’ s in pursuit of Your heart. In
Jesus Name, Amen!
[ WM ] Any advice to young or new songwriters?
[ Kari ] Yeah, I would just tell them to always keep a voice memo going through the entire
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