Singer/songwriter Katy Nichole has experienced supernatural healing in her own life. And her unwavering belief in God's ability to heal and the power of prayer have swiftly turned her into a viral sensation thanks to her debut single, "In Jesus Name (God of Possible)," now sound-tracking millions of personal stories on TikTok and Instagram. The song, however, finds its genesis in Katy's narrative--a miraculous story of suffering, hope, and healing.
Diagnosed with scoliosis, Katy underwent surgery when she was 15 to straighten her spine. Yet, the debilitating pain persisted post-surgery. Upset over the pain, the bedridden teen went into a mental and emotional spiral. And, at the advice of a new doctor, Katy went in for surgery again: this time to remove the metal rods and screws placed in her back to correct her scoliosis.
"I go into the second surgery, and I come out of it, and that smoke cloud was gone. I encountered the Lord at that moment," Katy remembers, "When I got my X-rays after surgery, my spine was straighter than when the rods had been in it. So, when I say that God can do miracles because I've seen it."
I chatted with Katy about her debut single and her mentoring with lead vocalist Josh Havens of The Afters. We also talked about how she connects with God and how she would encourage people walking through difficult seasons.
The Afters lead vocalist Josh Havens has been a mentor and encourager to you in your journey. What did you learn from Josh?
The crazy thing is that I never intended to do Christian music or worship or anything like that, but Josh believed in me. I started attending the Arizona-based Grove Church in 2019. I started leading worship and fell in love with it because I felt the Holy Spirit for the first time; I felt God's presence in a new way. But it was something that I had to learn.
Josh has been my number one encourager, but also a great teacher. He has taught me so much about worship and having a heart of worship, and that is the first thing. Before I even step in and worship well, I must have the heart for it. So, him teaching me that was great because now I know why I do what I do, and not just that I do it. He's an amazing person who has also helped me in writing Christian music.
Speaking of music, you posted a video on Instagram of you hearing your song on the radio for the first time. What were you thinking and feeling at that moment What did this experience mean to you as an artist?
It was a surreal moment. I don't think I could've imagined my song playing on any radio station, let alone K-LOVE. But hearing it for the first time, getting that very special moment of like "Okay, your song is about to play," and knowing that they shared my story before playing the song was wild to me. It meant so much because after it aired, listeners' stories started flooding in: "I feel like you have a similar story to me. I don't feel so alone anymore."
I was like, "That's why I do what I do." Number one, I want to talk about Jesus. But, number two, I want to feel like I'm saying something important about real life because that's what we're living. Being able to share my story and the very complicated journey that I've had is an honor.
It's an honor that I get to share it and have the platform that I do. I praise God every single day that maybe my story can help someone else in their story. It can be a terrible thing going through chronic illness or dealing with surgeries or anything like that. It is a hard thing and it's hard to feel like you're the only one going through it.
You've struggled with sickness and depression for years. But God sustained you and brought you healing. You've also developed a close relationship with God and experienced Him working in your life in tangible, personal ways. What would you say to encourage others who want to get closer to God--especially those going through a hard season?
Going deeper with God is being intentional with Him and taking moments in your day--the free moments that you have--to praise Him. Honestly, I'm a busy person, but there's always at least one moment in my day when I can praise Him (and that could be multiple times a day, too).
The thing is that there's no better time to praise God than any time. So, I wake up in the morning and I thank Him, and I go to bed at night, and I thank Him. And if that's the only moment that I have with God, then that's okay because I'm still in love with Him.
I've tried to grow deeper in my relationship with God. To me, growing deeper means diving into the Word and studying the stories and the true life that saved us all, and that's Jesus. I have a prayer journal. That's my way of praying.
My prayer journal is my lifeline. I've spent so much time writing in my journal. I can even say there was a season where I was spending three to four hours reading my Bible and talking to God. I don't think that anyone is any less of a Christian if they're not doing that. So, this is not me being like, "Oh, I'm a good Christian because I do this." But it was truly what I needed at the time.
Everyone's relationship with God is different; there's no right or wrong way to do it. Just be with God. Just have those moments in whatever way you feel close to Him. I know that there are so many difficult moments that we go through where it's hard to talk to God.
We ask, "Why is this happening to me?" But my encouragement is that you always ask hard questions. Stay honest and unafraid to share every little detail of your heart. He already knows the details, but He still wants to hear them.
We're seeing God use "In Jesus Name (God of Possible)" in so many people's lives. How has God used the music of other Christian artists to make an impact on your own life?
Great question. I stumbled upon a song the other day that got me through some really hard times. I'll name two songs that I've been distinctive in my faith walk: "Whole Heart" by contemporary artist Brandon Heath and "Hard Love" by rock band NEEDTOBREATHE.
Both are songs that I was holding on to in probably one of the most difficult seasons of my life. And it's funny because I've had conversations with Brandon about the impact that his songs have had on me. It's such a full-circle moment when you can tell the person who changed your life that they've done just that: change your life.
Christian music, in general, has always been a big part of my life. Even though it wasn't like what I intended to do with the music it was kind of always in the back of my mind, like "Oh, I love Jesus, and I can so do music about Jesus." But I never really knew how to execute that until I had a mentor who was able to teach me some things about that.
I'd say that those two songs were keeping me afloat during the tough seasons I was going through. I think a lot of times--especially with Christian music, because it's so encouraging and so filled with the presence of God--sometimes we don't even realize why it's touching us so much. And I say that's Jesus.
But even when I was listening to Christian music, I couldn't identify what I was feeling until later. It was God and His presence in my life. It was me having a connection with Him through music. It's unbelievable how I can look back on different points of my life and see those things.
What's next and how can we be praying for you?
I'm excited to share my new songs coming soon, like in a few months. I can't wait to share my heart and everything that I've been writing over the past couple of years. I'm honored to write music with people whom I can learn from.
I'm also honored that I can write songs that feel like my story and hopefully, again, will feel like someone else's story through mine. The next single is coming out; I just can't wait for everyone to hear that one. There's a special feature on that song that I'm just so excited about. So, the new music is something that I look forward to sharing with everyone.
If you guys can be praying for strength in this season. I've needed some supernatural strength because it's hard when your life goes from zero to 100 and that's where I am right now. Everything is crazy, but I'm praising God.
"In Jesus Name (God of Possible)" is out now. Buy it on Apple Music or stream it on Spotify.
NRT contributor Jasmin Patterson is a lifelong fan of Christian music who is passionate about helping others connect with Christ. She lives in Kansas City where she serves in college ministry and runs a blog to help seekers and believers discover and live biblical Christianity.
NEW!BEHIND THE SONG
#1236 - Brandon Heath
Transforming wounds into stories of redemption in this powerful song
ADVERTISEMENT
NEW!NRT EDITORIAL
Skillet
We explores some of the band's best songs outside their hits
NEW!NRT LISTS
Jordan Merritt
A real conversation around the artist's new track, "Human"
NEW!HEARTSPEAK
Jordan Feliz
The artist's must-listen-to songs about faith, family, and redemption
NEW!AN NRT EXCLUSIVE
Rock Meets Worship
Seven gritty cover songs of popular worship music and hymns
