Christy Nockels Biography

Christy Lynette Nockels (née Hill, born November 17, 1973) is an American contemporary Christian music singer-songwriter. She was also one of the lead members of the acclaimed worship duo Watermark, alongside her husband, Nathan Nockels. Born in Fort Worth, Texas, and raised in a pastor's home, Christy was surrounded by faith and music from the beginning. When she was a child, there was a plaque on the wall in her house, one of those name-meaning plaques that read: "CHRISTY, follower of Christ." Psalm 37:4-6. On the back, her mom had written: "If Christy gives her heart to Christ, he will show her where to go."

She believed those words to be true. So she held up her heart, and God has been giving it dreams and holding it high ever since.

Fast forward to 2005. Christy and Nathan made the decision to take their professional duo off the road to spend more time with their young family. It was a matter of necessity and trust, an end to a rewarding season in pursuit of something unknown but even more important than recording success. "It was so freeing to clear the table of everything, to go out with a blessing," Christy said of that decision. "But God began to peel the layers back, to reorganize my mind and my world, so I could begin to see all that he was doing through me."

It was during that revealing and refining season that Christy became even more convinced of her calling. "My cause in life is to be a songwriter for my generation to proclaim Jesus' renown," she said. But what she didn't know was how to pursue that desire while fulfilling what she saw as her highest calling, being present for her family. "God stripped a lot away and taught me that He is the desire giver. When I didn't think I'd ever record again on a label, He showed me, 'Christy, if you focus on your children and your husband, I will take up your cause.'"

In 2008, conversations with Louie and Shelley Giglio at Passion Conferences turned toward something unexpected: the launch of Passion City Church in Atlanta. Christy sensed this was exactly the turn God had been preparing them for. When she told Nathan about the opportunity, there was no hesitation. "We need to put the house up for sale," he said. When their home sold in four days without even putting up a sign, Christy and Nathan saw it as divine confirmation. They moved to Atlanta in July 2008.

Amid boxes and daily life with her kids, Christy began recording song ideas into her iPhone. New melody lines came to her in the night. The songs kept coming, filled with passion, clarity, and purpose. What resulted was Life Light Up, her debut solo album produced by Nathan and released on sixstepsrecords. Christy described it as a "real-life at worship" kind of album, born out of a season of refocus and renewal.

"More than ever before, the songs I found myself writing were responses to things going on around us," she said. "I'd always written songs to sing over people, but these new songs are songs to sing with people, to lead people in worship. It was amazing confirmation, and out of that came a trust that I can still lead my generation and be a mom..."

One of the songs, "Life Light Up," was inspired by a Passion event in Boston. Christy remembered feeling unsure of how students would relate to her, wondering, "Are you sure, Lord, that you don't need somebody younger?" But her doubts were erased as she witnessed the hunger and expectancy on the faces of students worshiping with abandon. "My heart just exploded," she said. On the plane ride home, as the lights of Boston faded beneath her, she wrote what would become the album's title track, an anthem about lighting the world up with our lives for God's glory.

The opening song on the album, "No Not One," co-written with Brandon Heath, was a fresh, celebratory anthem rooted in the sound and spirit of worship. "I hadn't co-written too much except with Nathan, so I was a little nervous," Christy admitted. "But Brandon was a worship leader in Texas at the time, and we had a lot of the same ideas, playing off the old hymn. I knew it would be a really great song to lead."

Another standout, Christy's rendition of "A Mighty Fortress," became a stirring declaration of faith in uncertain times. "When you look at the world around us, you can't help but fear for your children," she shared. "So I needed a reminder of God's promises to us, that we will reign with him forever. That his kingdom is unshakeable. I want to lead my children in that kind of trust."

One of the most personal songs on the album, "My Master," was inspired by a sermon her father used to preach, about Hebrew slaves who, though freed, chose to stay with their master. Christy reflected, "It's not really a popular thing to call Jesus your Master in our prideful culture, but what a sweet relationship that can be and the joy of renewing that vow... 'I take your name and live in liberty... my life is yours forever...' That story has had such an impact on my life; it's such a precious one for me."

Following Life Light Up, Christy continued to release albums that carried both spiritual depth and intimate honesty. Her discography includes Into the Glorious (2012), Let It Be Jesus (2015, live), The Thrill of Hope (2016), Be Held: Lullabies for the Beloved (2017), This is the Hour (2023), and King Who Never Sleeps: Anthems For Rest (2025), each reflecting her desire to create music that inspires worship and draws hearts toward God.

In all of her work, whether as a worship leader, songwriter, or mother, Christy Nockels has lived out the words written on that childhood plaque. She gave her heart to Christ, and He truly has shown her where to go. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.