By Zac “Zedgie” Goerlitz
I believe there’s power in words. Speak truth. Speak life.
My debut album Heart to Heart tells a story of spiritual struggle and growth, reflecting my experiences since beginning post-secondary school. Hopefully, the lyrics and music relate to fellow Christians while encouraging believers who might feel spiritually stifled. Heart to Heart is a dialogue about the dominance of Western society and the role we play as believers within shifting cultural values.
The album is titled Heart to Heart because it is a genuine pouring out of my heart to the hearts of listeners, much like the intimate dialogue of friends. The name is also inspired by the famous words Ludwig van Beethoven wrote onto the title page of his Missa Solemnis: “from the heart, may it return again to the heart.” My stage name Zedgie is an initialism – Z – G.
Instrumentation varies between songs, and the album deliberately avoids genre classification. The idea is to have a song for everyone. People who have a wide range of musical interests may enjoy every song.
Some genres I represent include worship, folk, instrumental, video game, classical, Celtic, and electronic. We live in a diverse society, and my music tells that story sonically.
Music has the power to speak for itself, a line of thinking similar to that of pianist-composer Robert Schumann who, after a performance of a piano piece, responded to a question of meaning by performing the piece again without a speaking word in response. The lyrical songs on this album set a clear Christian tone; the instrumental pieces, however, offer side journeys and pensive transitions uninhibited by semantic meaning.
Listeners often like to hear a bit about the artist, so here’s a bit about me. I was raised in a Christian family that, though broken by divorce, has stayed tight throughout my life. My family remains a dearly loved and valued part of my life.
I came to know Jesus as a child but was baptized as an adult. Between worship services, small groups, and Bible studies I met many passionate and genuine believers who helped me in my faith journey. I highly recommend people stay connected with other believers. Iron sharpens iron. It’s a tough world and we need each other!
That said, things haven’t always been great for me. Having experienced my own failed marriage, I went through a period of deep depression that was the real dark point in my life. But God led me through it, and I began searching for new purpose. I found new inspiration in music. After a scary near-drowning and miraculous rescue, I found renewed vitality in my knowledge of God’s plan for my life.
I then rededicated my life to God and found the courage to face my fears. Some of those fears included public singing and speaking, and venturing far from home. In fact, until that year I had never sung in front of anyone except a couple friends when joking around.
Somehow I ended up entering a two-year diploma program in Vancouver, studying voice. Seven years later, I’m finishing a Master of Music degree at the University of Toronto, focusing on composition and production. I work as a singer every week either at church, opera choruses, choral concerts, or other gigs. There’s no telling what my future looks like of course, and I’ve merely followed the path set out before me. There are some days I feel I may have gone off course a long time ago—these are doubts many people hear in their minds. Ignore them.
I believe the Lord has good plans for all His people and will make a way for them. None of our problems, not even all our problems combined, are too big for God to wipe away in a moment. He is a star breather! Remember God always has a reason, and always has a way.