Francesca Battistelli

Christian singer-songwriter Francesca Battistelli wanted to be a performer since childhood, and at age 15 she joined the all-girl mainstream pop group Bella. ∙ Her first studio album, My Paper Heart, went Gold and featured the hit “I’m Letting Go,” a top song on Christian radio in 2008. ∙ In 2009, she made her debut appearance on the Winter Jam Christian music tour, where she met her future husband and manager, Matt Goodwin. ∙ Battistelli won three Gospel Music Association Dove Awards in 2011, including Artist of the Year and Female Vocalist of the Year. ∙ Two of her albums, 2011’s Hundred More Years and 2014’s If We’re Honest, reached the Top 20 of the Billboard 200 chart. ∙ The singer made her Grand Ole Opry debut in 2014, performing her Grammy-nominated song “Free to Be Me” and the hit “This Is the Stuff.” ∙ She won a Grammy Award in 2016 for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song for the single “Holy Spirit.”