Battistelli:  It came from the song of the same name, which I wrote with Ian and Tony Wood. It’s a metaphor for the human heart and the fact that it’s very fragile and can be stepped on or torn apart. God is the only one who can fully redeem us, and He washes us white as snow again from everything that’s gone wrong or the hurt we may feel. … The title of the album is also meant to say, “This is my heart and it’s paper; it’s not made out of steel.” It’s my life story, and it’s vulnerable because that’s a risky thing for the world to see.

CMCentral:  Part of your story deals with spending an extensive time in musical theater. What was your initial exposure to the arts?

Battistelli:  I saw my first show at age 6 on Broadway, which was The Secret Garden, and it inspired me to audition for a community theater production of The Sound of Music. My parents have a long history with professional theater, but my mom hadn’t [tried out] in years and wound up coming with me to the audition. We both ended up being cast in the dinner theater show, and I was involved in several things like that. I was homeschooled a lot of the time, but it wasn’t like I was just sitting at home—I was earning life experiences. It was so cool because my parents never pushed anything on me, and if anything, they were like, “Are you sure?” But it’s a dark world, and they always encouraged me to be salt and light in it.

CMCentral:  How do you hope your music will minister to the church and beyond?

Battistelli:  This record already caught some pretty cool attention in the mainstream world. Not all the songs overtly say “God” in them, which some people may be critical of, but to me, worship is whatever you do to glorify the Lord and the gifts He’s given [you]. … If someone buys the whole album, they’ll get to hear the last song “Time in Between,” which has the most obvious message of the gospel, allowing me to be evangelistic as well as blessing the church.

For more information, please visit to francescamusic.com.

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**This interview first published on August 26, 2008