Darlene Zschech
Darlene Zschech Bio
Australian Darlene Zschech is acclaimed all over the world as
a singer, songwriter worship leader and speaker, most notably
for spearheading the music that comes from Hillsong Church.
Although she has achieved numerous gold albums and her songs
are sung in many nations of the world, her success is not the
result of pursuing stardom and fame –it stands as a testimony
to her life’s passion to serve God with her musical gift.
Early musical beginnings
Music has been an integral part of Darlene’s life since
she was a child. Born and educated in Brisbane, Australia, she
was 10 years old when she began performing in a weekly children’s
television show, singing, dancing and hosting segments.
As a teenager, Darlene fronted various local gospel bands in
Brisbane before she started singing on the session scene in
Sydney. This included background vocals for some of the best
in the business and recording jingles for McDonalds, Special
K, KFC and Diet Coke.
Music and ministry
Music was always going to characterise Darlene’s life but
it was her decision to serve Jesus Christ at the age of 15 that
has determined her path and destiny. For the past 20 years,
Darlene and her husband Mark have been a vital part of the leadership
team at Hillsong Church in Sydney, which has a congregation
of over 18,000.
Even in its early years, the church always valued contemporary
praise and worship, and has gained a worldwide reputation
for excellence with its singers and musicians.
As the church’s Worship Pastor, Darlene oversees a team
of over 800 volunteers in the Worship & Creative Arts
department. With multiple church services every weekend, Darlene
also leads worship most weeks for the Hillsong Television
program, which reaches over 180 different countries across
the globe.
Darlene is also responsible for producing the music recorded
by Hillsong Music Australia. The church began recording its
music in the early 1990s, and so far, the 14live worship albums
have all been certified Gold by the Australian Recording Industry
Association (ARIA). In recent times, the Hillsong live worship
albums have appeared on the Australian secular album charts.
‘For All You’ve Done’ debuted at number 1 on
the ARIA charts in July 2004, and ‘God He Reigns’
debuted at number 2 in July 2005 with the DVD in the number
1 position.
Singer and Songwriter
As a songwriter, Darlene is perhaps most famous for the chorus
Shout to the Lord, asong that is sung by an estimated 25 to
30 million churchgoers every week and has been covered by
at least 20 other artists.This song is the title track for
the first live album co-produced with Integrity Music featuring
Darlene as a prominent female worship leader. Shout to the
Lord was nominated as ‘Album of the Year’ for the
1997 Dove Awards and was nominated as ‘Song of the Year’
for the 1998 Dove Awards. In the year 2000, Darlene received
a Dove Award nomination for Songwriter of the Year.
In addition to Shout to the Lord, Darlene has written over
70 songs that have been published by Hillsong Music Australia
alone.She has also written three books on her passion, which
include ‘Extravagant Worship’ and her latest release,
‘The Kiss of Heaven’.
In 2003, Darlene released her first solo studio project, Kiss
of Heaven, with INO Records, an album that brings together
a range of styles, including hymns, contemporary worship,
and timeless songs reflecting her passion for Christ.For Darlene,
its message and meaning are simple:“It’s just the
love of my family, my adoration of my God, and my love of
music. It’s me. It’s the things that are valuable
to me.”
In 2005, Darlene released her new solo album “Change
Your World” which features a new arrangement of Michael
W Smith’s worship song ‘Agnus Dei’, as well
as a “soon to be classic hymn”, ‘Call Upon
His Name’.
As well as co-writing most of the songs with David Holmes,
Darlene produced ‘Change Your World’ at The Grove
Studios owned by her and husband Mark.David Holmes and Andy
Sorenson have co-produced the CD.
Leadership and influence
Darlene’s influence extends well beyond the realm of
music. Together with her husband Mark, she is also the Associate
Director of Hillsong Conference, which is the annual music
and leadership conference of the church.In 2005, over 28,000
full-time delegates attended the conference at Sydney’s
SuperDome at Olympic Park, making the biggest annual conference
held in the nation of Australia.
Darlene is committed to raising and equipping people by teaching
them the principles she herself lives by, and she speaks frequently
at worship seminars and conferences around the world.
Darlene has a heart for helping hurting people and she has
recognised that her public platform gives her the opportunity
to make a significant difference in the lives of others. She
is an Ambassador for the work of Compassion International,
and has visited her sponsored children in various developing
nations of the world.
It was a mission trip to CentralAfrica in 2004 that prompted
Mark and Darlene to initiate ‘Hope: Rwanda’, a global
endeavour designed to bring hope to a nation seemingly forgotten
since the horrific genocide of 1994. The ‘100 Days of
Hope’ project is strategically co-ordinated to cover
the same 100 days that saw over one million people viciously
slaughtered (6 April – 15 July 2006). www.hoperwanda.org
Darlene and Mark also head up Mercy Ministries Australia,
a residential program, working to strengthen families, by
transforming the lives of young women dealing with issues
like eating disorders, unplanned pregnancies and abuse.www.mercyministries.com.au
Marriage and motherhood
Darlene and Mark reside in Sydney with their three daughters,
Amy, Chloe and Zoe.While she travels extensively and has had
the honour of ministering at many prestigious events around
the world, Darlene highly prizes her role as wife and mother.
She loves being at home and being part of the worship team
in her local church. As she says, ‘first and foremost
I am a worshipper, so it’s going to come out in everything
I do.’ Courtesy INO records
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