The musical partnership of Christa Wells and Nicole Witt really began way back in 2007 when the two were scheduled by their publishers to work together as co-writers for a day. They had no idea that two years later, in 2009, they would begin touring together as independent artists. That initiated a sisterhood wherein the two supported one another on and offstage, as writers, artists, and friends. They have performed in various types of venues, from listening rooms and living rooms to conferences, retreat centers and theaters. In fall 2009, they had the opportunity to open for Matt Nathanson and Indigo Girls at Hopefest in North Carolina.
They perform on each other’s songs, Christa primarily on piano and vocals and Nicole on fiddle and vocals. The distinctions between Christa’s folky-piano-pop and Nicole’s country-bluegrass style gives their collaborative work a uniquely textured sound for the simple instrumentation. In 2011, Wells and Witt collaborated with bestselling author Ann Voskamp (One Thousand Gifts) to host an intimate retreat in North Carolina for women who desire to make art. They named the retreat “In the Image of the Maker” and were inspired to write a song for the event called “Image of God.”
The song was received with unexpected enthusiasm, which led the two to write a few more songs suited for corporate worship, a deviation from their individual genres, while remaining true to their musical roots. Those first five songs were captured on the Image of God EP, released as “Christa Wells & Nicole Witt” in December 2011.
In 2012, Wells and Witt decided it was time to release a full-length album under a joined name – More Than Rubies – inspired by Proverbs 3:15 which declares that “wisdom is more precious than rubies.” Since their common purpose in writing and performing is to speak truth in song, this resonated with them deeply.
The resulting self-titled album, releasing in April 2013, includes newly-mastered versions of the original five Image of God songs along with six others (five written by one or both of them and a sixth, “10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)” written by Matt Redman and Jonas Myrin).
Christa Wells grew up in a military family and began exploring music and songwriting through piano at an early age. When she and Nicole Witt met, she was living in North Carolina and had established herself as a songwriter whose gift for poignant lyricism had led to collaborations with artists such as Plumb, Natalie Grant, Point of Grace, Selah and Sara Groves. In 2006, Christa was recognized as GMA “Songwriter of the Year” for her song “Held,” released by Natalie Grant on her Awakening album. Christa has released two solo albums, Frame the Clouds and How Emptiness Sings.
Nicole Witt grew up in Missouri playing piano and violin and has since added guitar and glockenspiel to her resume. She has earned national acclaim in bluegrass, country and Christian music, writing for artists such as Point of Grace, George Strait, Diamond Rio, Rodney Atkins, American Idol’s Lauren Alaina, and Balsam Range. In 2011, Nicole accepted the International Bluegrass Music Award for “Song of the Year” for “Trains I Missed” by Balsam Range and won the International Songwriting Competition (country division). In the midst of all that writing, she also recorded six full-length albums.
From the beginning, Wells and Witt have shared a desire to make music that matters, that stretches beyond entertainment but also stretches the parameters of popular worship music. They strive to be listeners first, and then to create music that reflects the Gospel and communicates honest experience in a fresh and artful way.
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