Catholic Music Profile: An Interview with Catholic Recording Artist Audrey Assad

Audrey Assad

On January 10, 2012, my parish, Holy Trinity Catholic Parish in Westmont, IL, had Catholic-Christian recording artist, Audrey Assad, come perform a concert for our parish. Afterwards, I had an opportunity to talk with Audrey Assad about her faith and music ministry.

Daniel: What's your faith background--Have you always grown up Catholic?

Audrey Assad: "I didn't grow up Catholic. I grew up Protestant and I became Catholic 5 years ago after studying and learning about the Church and I fell in love with it right away when I really started to learn about it I fell in love with it in the way that show Jesus to the world and the way that they well pretty much everything about it. Well, I know Catholic Church has its problems just like any other part of the body of Christ but I really believe in and have accepted that its really full expression of truth in this world and I'm so happy to be a part of it and its been a long road but I'm excited to be in it for life."

Daniel: Why do you like to perform Catholic-Christian concerts?

Audrey Assad: "Well, I really love music and I'd love to play music since I was really young and I think people really like to hear music it makes them feel you know happy kindof maybe they feel something hopeful you know so I like to be a part of that principle."

Daniel: What is your inspiration, Music inspiration, and Faith inspiration?

Audrey Assad: "Let's see, well I really like to write songs about the way I experience. God you know and so sometimes I'll I think a lot of my songs come from thinking about how good he is and I also like to think I like to songs about love too I like to write songs about my love relationships like my family and my husband I think those things teach me about my heart and about how God is and so I think I write mostly things about that my relationship with God and my relationship with my family and then with my husband. a lot of songs about love."

Daniel: How did you get started in music?

Audrey Assad: "Well, I started playing piano when I was 2 years old so I was really young when I started and then I kind of started playing as a hobby throughout my childhood and when I was a teenager and when I was 19 I kind of got to know Jesus really well and for the 1st time in a really personal way and once I did that I felt like he was telling me and calling me that to music and calling me to use it and really work on it and use it as a career and so I started to write songs when I was 19 and I don't know it kind of kept working until it started to work out for me."

Daniel: Your last name, Assad, What's the origin of your last name and your family background?

Audrey Assad: "Well, my dad is from Siria Damascus so my last name is Middle Eastern and my dad lived there did he was about 18 years in the Middle East and game to the U.S. after that and kind of made a life here so I've always really loved it. It means lion in Arabic. And I thought that was pretty neat growing up and I really loved it still. So, I'm excited that I get to keep that and perform under it. It's a great name."

Daniel: Besides, the concerts that you give are there any other ministries that you're a part of?

Audrey Assad: "Well, I do a lot I do lead worship a lot with some friends of mine and there are a couple of ministries one called ADORE that is out of Houston and Lousiana and I do some worship nights with them and then I really like things like Catholic Relief Services so I donate to stuff like that. So I guess leading worship I like to contribute to helping the poor in any way that I can and doing fundraisers and things like that so those are kind of the two ministries maybe two of them that I really like to partner with."

Finally, I would like to thank Audrey Assad for the opportunity to talk with her. You can find out more about Audrey Assad and her music ministry at audreyassad.com.