"Darlene Zschech was born in Brisbane, Australia, where she began performing in a weekly children's television show at the young age of 10. The burgeoning singer began performing with several local gospel groups before starting as a session singer in Sydney, lending her vocals to jingles for McDonalds, KFC and Coca Cola. At age 15 Zschech decided to make a lifelong religious commitment that saw her working with the Hillsong Church in Sydney (which Zschech and her husband Mark continue to support to this day.) The Hillsong Church, which has a congregation of over 18,000, has had an international reputation for its musicians and vocalists since its recording beginnings in the early ‘90s, and Zschech is responsible for producing the music released by Hillsong Music Australia.Each week countless churchgoers sing ""Shout to the Lord,"" a famous chorus for which Zschech is perhaps most famous for as a songwriter. The song, which has been covered by numerous recording artists, is the title track for Zschech's first live album, co-produced with Integrity Music. Shout to the Lord features the well-known female worship leader and was nominated for the Dove Album of the Year award in 1997 and Song of the Year (for the title song) at the Dove's 1998 award show. In 2000 the Doves nominated Zschech for Songwriter of the Year, most likely due to her contribution to over 70 songs published by Hillsong Music Australia alone.Change Your World, Zschech's first solo album, was released in 2005 and features the production of David Holmes and Andy Sorenson. Despite the immense musical influence of Zschech, her main commitment is with her faith. Zschech and her husband are co-directors of the Hillsong Conference, the annual music and leadership conference of the church and the couple began ""Hope-Rwanda"" after a 2004 trip to Central Africa."
