Steffany Gretzinger (November 8, 1984) is a Christian music singer-songwriter and ensemble vocalist with Bethel Music, In Redding California. She released her first solo album, The Undoing, with Bethel Music in 2014. The album was a Billboard magazine breakthrough release, reaching number twenty in the magazine's Billboard 200, and also gained top five status among Christian and independent albums in September 2014.
Career
Featuring
Steffany Gretzinger works mainly as a worship leader with Bethel Music, a part of Bethel Church in Redding, California, where she has been involved in three of Bethel Music's releases, including on background vocals for Be Lifted High (2011, as Steffany Frizzell), including singing One Thirst with fellow Bethel collective member Jeremy Riddle.She also performed background vocals on fellow Bethel Music member William Matthews' release, Hope's Anthem (2011, as Steffany Frizzell).
Another release from such a gathering that was very well received was The Loft Sessions (2012, again as Steffany Frizzell), where she was a featured vocalist and composer (and performed background vocals). The Loft Sessions was live recording made "over several nights of worship sessions" in a rustic, refurbished loft, on which she was featured singing You Know Me (solo) and My Dear (with Hunter Thompson). That same year, she was featured on the album For the Sake of the World, singing the hit song Closer. She joined Bethel again with substantial work on their release of Tides (2013), also released internationally (e.g., on the Onimusic label in Brazil), with her songs Letting Go and Be Still.
Solo
Gretzinger's first solo album, The Undoing (2014), presented her singing eleven original praise and worship pieces, accompanied by guitar and piano, and was released in August by Bethel Music. The album was a Billboard magazine breakthrough release, and appeared on the Top Christian Albums chart at No. 2, the Independent Albums chart at No. 5, and the Billboard 200 chart at No. 20.
Since recording The Undoing, Gretzinger has been featured on two further Bethel Music albums, You Make Me Brave (2014) singing her song We Dance, and Have It All (2016) singing her song Pieces, the latter of which was also featured on fellow Bethel member Amanda Cook's release, Brave New World (Amanda Cook album) (2015).
On March 9, 2018, Bethel Music announced the release of Steffany Gretzinger's second full-length studio project, "Blackout", as well as releasing the lead single, 'Save Me'. "Blackout" was released on March 29, 2018 and debuted #1 on iTunes in the Christian & Gospel genre, as well as #3 overall.
Style
Gretzinger's contributions at Bethel Music is to a sound that has been described as being distinct from that of other such Christian worship groups, for instance, with their creating a sound landscape (paisagem sonora) that is "colorful, progressive, and sometimes explosive, drawing heavily on analog synthesizers and pulsating beats" (colorida, progressiva, e às vezes explosiva; baseando-se pesadamente em sintetizadores analógicos e ritmos pulsates) for the album, Tides, in 2013.
With regard to her personal and solo style, Gretzinger's songwriting and singing has been described as powerful by Steve Leggett at AllMusic.com, who characterizes her choice of instrumental production in The Undoing as "stripped-down, intimate piano and guitar".
Biography
Steffany Gretzinger is married to Stephen Gretzinger. They have one child, and live in Redding California, where she is a worship pastor at Bethel Church. Gretzinger has been engaged in worship ministry since childhood and grew up in a musical household. Her mother was involved in the Christian music industry in Nashville, TN, as a writer. Steffany Gretzinger attended the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry in 2008. This information is accurate as of April 2017.
Discography
Albums
Singles
See also
References
Further reading
Longs, Herb (March 4, 2017). "Bethel Music To Release New Album "Starlight" April 7". The Christian Beat. Retrieved April 1, 2017. Bethel Music is gearing up to release a new album this spring! Starlight, Bethel Music's first full-length live recording, is tentatively set to drop on April 7th, with pre-orders starting on March 17th. This powerful performance features guest worship leader Francesca Battistelli on "There's No Other Name," plus more anthems of worship with Bethel artists Jenn Johnson, Steffany Gretzinger, Amanda Cook, and others.
Clarks, Jessie (October 17, 2016). "Bethel Music's Jonathan David & Melissa Helser Receive First Dove Award". The Christian Beat. Retrieved April 3, 2017.
Yap, Timothy (August 12, 2014). "Bethel Music's Steffany Gretzinger Readies Solo Worship Album 'The Undoing'". Hallels. Retrieved April 3, 2017.
Hillrich, Stephen (May 22, 2014). "Following the Latest from Bethel Music". Papyrus. Greenville, IL: Greenville College. Retrieved April 3, 2017.
Cummings, Tony & Geil, Mark D. (May 4, 2014). "Bethel Music: The powerful worship ministry from Bethel Church, California". CrossRhythms.co.uk. Retrieved April 3, 2017. CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
Sparks, Larry (April 24, 2014). "Review: Experience One of the Most Powerful and Prophetic Worship Albums of the Decade". Charisma News. Retrieved April 3, 2017.
Cook, Carlton & Frizzell-Gretzinger, Steffany (April 28, 2014). "We Dance (Official Lyric Video)—Steffany Frizzell Gretzinger and Bethel Music, You Make Me Brave" (video). Crossmap.com. Retrieved April 3, 2017. CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
Geil, Mark D. (April 25, 2014). "You Make Me Brave—New Music From Bethel". Christian Today. Retrieved April 3, 2017.
Yap, Timothy (April 17, 2014). "Bethel Music, 'You Make Me Brave' Album Review". Hallels. Retrieved April 3, 2017.
Campbell, Stacy & Frizzell, Steffany (August 3, 2013). "Steffany Frizzell's 90 second testimony—Powerful" (video). MoralScienceClub.com. Retrieved April 3, 2017. CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
Campbell, Stacy & Frizzell-Gretzinger, Steffany (August 3, 2013). "Always Getting Closer" (video). Plaigia.com. Retrieved April 3, 2017. CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
"Bethel Online School of Worship Launches January 2013". Christian Today. December 19, 2012. Retrieved April 3, 2017.
External links