Q&A with Shannon (Wexelberg) Adducci
Q: The songs on the LOVED CD clearly point to a lot of painful seasons of life you have walked through since your last recording. What made you decide now was the time to share these songs?
A: After walking through a painful divorce in 2016, I was exhausted and depleted. And while I continued leading worship and songwriting during that time, it was definitely more of a season of healing than a season of creative output. In 2018, I met and married my precious husband Joe Adducci (thus the new name), and while this was a time of great rejoicing, love, and redemption, it was also a season of much change and the combining of households. Just as we were getting more settled, my dad was suddenly diagnosed with Glioblastoma — the most aggressive form of brain cancer. In August 2020, he moved in with us, and I became his full-time caregiver until his passing in December 2021. It was an absolute privilege to love and care for him in our home, but it was still clearly not the right time for a new recording. But in 2022, I felt compelled to start writing. I also reached out to my producer Sal Oliveri, who was completely on board. I had such peace and confidence that the Lord was giving me a thumbs up. What was beautiful about God’s timing was that the songs I wrote that ended up on this new project were written not from a raw, empty, decimated place, but from a place of wholeness, honesty, and reclaimed ground. God had done so much in me over the course of those years, and I could create from a much healthier, yet still vulnerable, place.
Q: How difficult was it to write about the love of God after so much loss and pain?
A: There is always a temptation to pull away from the Lord during a season of profound pain, because we don’t understand why He isn’t intervening in ways we had hoped. We feel like we want to protect ourselves. I’ve definitely felt that way, and I’ve told Him so! But over time, if we are willing to sit with Him in the mess and trust Him in those vulnerable spaces, it’s almost as if His love becomes fuller and more multi-dimensional to us. This is a rich, tender place from which to write. As I penned the songs for my LOVED project, I didn’t shy away from expressing how the mystery of pain and loss are often intertwined with our experience of God’s love. It’s important to grapple with both, and I let myself process and experience all of it as I was writing. I believe this has actually been part of my healing.
Q: Is there something you have learned about God through all your transitions that you didn't realize before?
A: I am learning more about God’s desire and ability to continually redeem and restore that which the enemy has stolen or corrupted in our lives. Whether it’s childhood trauma, divorce, childlessness, health issues, betrayal, rejection, or abuse, God is always tenderly and intentionally redeeming. The redemption may not happen in the way we desire or in the timing we wish it would, but He is a God of restoration — in this life and in the kingdom to come. I am also learning to allow myself to be fully loved by Him, just as I am. Through the seasons of massive brokenness, it became more and more difficult to try to pull myself together and feel like I was the person God must want me to be—whole, anxiety-free, secure, fearless, and strong. Over the course of time, I realized He wasn’t requiring any of those things of me, but instead I was demanding them of myself. Not only does He not put ill-fitting, burdensome expectations upon me, but all those things I believed were a hindrance to my being acceptable and useful have now actually become a part of my worship and offering to Him. He wants all of me, and I don’t need to hold anything back. It was a transformative revelation, after all these years of walking with Him.
A: After walking through a painful divorce in 2016, I was exhausted and depleted. And while I continued leading worship and songwriting during that time, it was definitely more of a season of healing than a season of creative output. In 2018, I met and married my precious husband Joe Adducci (thus the new name), and while this was a time of great rejoicing, love, and redemption, it was also a season of much change and the combining of households. Just as we were getting more settled, my dad was suddenly diagnosed with Glioblastoma — the most aggressive form of brain cancer. In August 2020, he moved in with us, and I became his full-time caregiver until his passing in December 2021. It was an absolute privilege to love and care for him in our home, but it was still clearly not the right time for a new recording. But in 2022, I felt compelled to start writing. I also reached out to my producer Sal Oliveri, who was completely on board. I had such peace and confidence that the Lord was giving me a thumbs up. What was beautiful about God’s timing was that the songs I wrote that ended up on this new project were written not from a raw, empty, decimated place, but from a place of wholeness, honesty, and reclaimed ground. God had done so much in me over the course of those years, and I could create from a much healthier, yet still vulnerable, place.
Q: How difficult was it to write about the love of God after so much loss and pain?
A: There is always a temptation to pull away from the Lord during a season of profound pain, because we don’t understand why He isn’t intervening in ways we had hoped. We feel like we want to protect ourselves. I’ve definitely felt that way, and I’ve told Him so! But over time, if we are willing to sit with Him in the mess and trust Him in those vulnerable spaces, it’s almost as if His love becomes fuller and more multi-dimensional to us. This is a rich, tender place from which to write. As I penned the songs for my LOVED project, I didn’t shy away from expressing how the mystery of pain and loss are often intertwined with our experience of God’s love. It’s important to grapple with both, and I let myself process and experience all of it as I was writing. I believe this has actually been part of my healing.
Q: Is there something you have learned about God through all your transitions that you didn't realize before?
A: I am learning more about God’s desire and ability to continually redeem and restore that which the enemy has stolen or corrupted in our lives. Whether it’s childhood trauma, divorce, childlessness, health issues, betrayal, rejection, or abuse, God is always tenderly and intentionally redeeming. The redemption may not happen in the way we desire or in the timing we wish it would, but He is a God of restoration — in this life and in the kingdom to come. I am also learning to allow myself to be fully loved by Him, just as I am. Through the seasons of massive brokenness, it became more and more difficult to try to pull myself together and feel like I was the person God must want me to be—whole, anxiety-free, secure, fearless, and strong. Over the course of time, I realized He wasn’t requiring any of those things of me, but instead I was demanding them of myself. Not only does He not put ill-fitting, burdensome expectations upon me, but all those things I believed were a hindrance to my being acceptable and useful have now actually become a part of my worship and offering to Him. He wants all of me, and I don’t need to hold anything back. It was a transformative revelation, after all these years of walking with Him.
Q: Your vocals are very emotive in all the songs. Were there any songs that you struggled getting through during recording?
A: The song I remember actually having to stop in the studio, while I broke down to cry, was “Jet Stream” which is the song I wrote for my dad. Dad was a retired Navy and Air National Guard fighter pilot who flew F4 Phantoms, A4’s and A7’s. He flew off the U.S.S. Enterprise during the Vietnam War. The gift of having him live with us the last eighteen months of his life, while he valiantly fought the ravages of brain cancer, was something I would never trade. Writing a song for him that celebrates his military service, his courageous battle with cancer, his zest for life, and his final flight to Jesus was a tremendous honor. There were definitely other times I felt on the verge of crying while recording —“Good to Me” and “He Loves You More” (the song I wrote for my son) —but mostly I felt passionate and intensely connected to the lyrics and message I was conveying. Songs are bookmarks of sorts, and I found myself unconsciously flipping through the catalog of how the Lord found me in such sweet and profound ways, as I wrote and recorded all the songs.
Q: What do you hope listeners will take away from these songs?
A. My prayer is that they will feel seen, found, and deeply loved by the Lord, just as they are. I want listeners to know they are not defined by the things that have happened to them or the things that continue to be such a struggle. They are defined by their beloved-ness. I long for my listening friends to not shy away from expressing their whole selves to the Lord. He welcomes it all. From these places of deep security in Christ, we are truly transformed, and we can live from a place of utter belonging. That is my prayer.
A: The song I remember actually having to stop in the studio, while I broke down to cry, was “Jet Stream” which is the song I wrote for my dad. Dad was a retired Navy and Air National Guard fighter pilot who flew F4 Phantoms, A4’s and A7’s. He flew off the U.S.S. Enterprise during the Vietnam War. The gift of having him live with us the last eighteen months of his life, while he valiantly fought the ravages of brain cancer, was something I would never trade. Writing a song for him that celebrates his military service, his courageous battle with cancer, his zest for life, and his final flight to Jesus was a tremendous honor. There were definitely other times I felt on the verge of crying while recording —“Good to Me” and “He Loves You More” (the song I wrote for my son) —but mostly I felt passionate and intensely connected to the lyrics and message I was conveying. Songs are bookmarks of sorts, and I found myself unconsciously flipping through the catalog of how the Lord found me in such sweet and profound ways, as I wrote and recorded all the songs.
Q: What do you hope listeners will take away from these songs?
A. My prayer is that they will feel seen, found, and deeply loved by the Lord, just as they are. I want listeners to know they are not defined by the things that have happened to them or the things that continue to be such a struggle. They are defined by their beloved-ness. I long for my listening friends to not shy away from expressing their whole selves to the Lord. He welcomes it all. From these places of deep security in Christ, we are truly transformed, and we can live from a place of utter belonging. That is my prayer.
About Shannon Adducci:
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Shannon (Wexelberg) Adducci has released six full-length recordings over a career that has spanned over 25 years. She has garnered three #1 radio hits along with numerous top 10 singles. She has worked with numerous ministries and artists including Women of Faith, Revive Our Hearts, The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Paul Baloche, Jared Anderson, Integrity Music, Maranatha! Music, Focus on the Family, Our Daily Bread, Radio Bible Class, and Lifeway Worship, among others. She received her B.A.A.S degree in Theology and Christian Ministries from Dallas Baptist University and also graduated from Christ for the Nations Institute in Dallas, TX with an emphasis in Theology and Worship. She currently leads worship at Family of Christ in Monument, Colorado. For more information visit www.shannonadduccimusic.com.
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Shannon describes the songs on LOVED: |
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“Loved” (title song)
I wrote this during a time when I desperately needed to remember and re-remember that the most important thing about me (and you!) is the fact that I am unconditionally loved and accepted by my King. The end. That is my identity. That is your identity.
“Good to Me”
I wrote this from a place of fragile hope and gratitude, as I looked back over the landscape of my life and was reminded He has been nothing but good. Even when we don’t feel it, even though we trudge through mountains and dark valleys, He is always working for us, never against us.
“Deep Down”
I remember moments of curling up in a ball, desperate to hear from God and knowing He was so strong and capable. But, for whatever reason, I couldn’t sense Him in those moments nor see Him moving the way this daughter wanted or needed. This was the cry of my heart during those seasons.
“Hope Springs Up”
Sometimes life, as we know it, crumbles to the ground. Mine did. I remember feeling like my life and my sense of safety and wholeness had been obliterated. But there in the midst of it all was Jesus sitting with me in the rubble. He was my hope and my wholeness—my hope springing up.
“Just One Jesus”
When I really sit and contemplate how transformative just one encounter with any facet of Jesus can be (both now and throughout Scripture), I am floored, humbled and amazed. He’s the only One who can change us—truly change us. He’s the One the existence of our entire universe and beyond hinges upon—past, present and future! And he’s the ONLY one who deserves our awe and eternal worship. He’s the one our broken world and hearts need so badly. There is JUST ONE JESUS—and HE is the Center of it all.
“I’m Gonna Love You”
I wrote this after a time of wrestling and experiencing an intense feeling of inadequacy. The Lord showed me, through a series of events, that to love Him with all my heart, mind and strength meant that it was okay (and even desirable) to bring ALL I am to Him. The good, the bad, the ugly. That’s how I can best love Him—not by waiting until I think I’ve somehow arrived and then approaching Him tentatively, hoping I can hold it together. He wants it all. I want to love Him that way.
“He Loves You More”
As a Mom, I wrote this for my son, who has walked through some very challenging times over these last years. As a parent, my heart was simultaneously breaking and desperately needing to surrender and trust his care to the Lord. After all, as much as I love my son, the Father loves Him so much more. Every parent can relate to this song.
“Jet Stream”
I started writing this the first couple months after my Dad passed away, because I felt so compelled to remember and honor him in some special way, as I processed his passing. I put it on a shelf for a while. But I finished it the morning after I saw “Top Gun (Maverick)” in May. My Dad, a Navy fighter pilot who flew off the USS Enterprise was like no other. Something about what I experienced during that movie was inspiring, and the Lord used it to propel the rest of this song into the world! I can finally sing this (mostly) without crying (no promises).
“Redeemer”
This song chronicles the road I’ve been walking—the road each of us has walked at some point and will likely again— where we look back at the disaster in our rear-view mirror and now see how our Redeemer has been putting the pieces back together again in new, creative, unexpected, miraculous ways. For those sitting in the rubble, I hope this song brings deep hope and worship.
“I Love Our Life”
I wrote this song for my husband Joe who deserves a thousand love songs. I imagine other couples slow dancing to this one. But if they don’t, Joe and I will for sure! Our life is simple, but it is grand.
I wrote this during a time when I desperately needed to remember and re-remember that the most important thing about me (and you!) is the fact that I am unconditionally loved and accepted by my King. The end. That is my identity. That is your identity.
“Good to Me”
I wrote this from a place of fragile hope and gratitude, as I looked back over the landscape of my life and was reminded He has been nothing but good. Even when we don’t feel it, even though we trudge through mountains and dark valleys, He is always working for us, never against us.
“Deep Down”
I remember moments of curling up in a ball, desperate to hear from God and knowing He was so strong and capable. But, for whatever reason, I couldn’t sense Him in those moments nor see Him moving the way this daughter wanted or needed. This was the cry of my heart during those seasons.
“Hope Springs Up”
Sometimes life, as we know it, crumbles to the ground. Mine did. I remember feeling like my life and my sense of safety and wholeness had been obliterated. But there in the midst of it all was Jesus sitting with me in the rubble. He was my hope and my wholeness—my hope springing up.
“Just One Jesus”
When I really sit and contemplate how transformative just one encounter with any facet of Jesus can be (both now and throughout Scripture), I am floored, humbled and amazed. He’s the only One who can change us—truly change us. He’s the One the existence of our entire universe and beyond hinges upon—past, present and future! And he’s the ONLY one who deserves our awe and eternal worship. He’s the one our broken world and hearts need so badly. There is JUST ONE JESUS—and HE is the Center of it all.
“I’m Gonna Love You”
I wrote this after a time of wrestling and experiencing an intense feeling of inadequacy. The Lord showed me, through a series of events, that to love Him with all my heart, mind and strength meant that it was okay (and even desirable) to bring ALL I am to Him. The good, the bad, the ugly. That’s how I can best love Him—not by waiting until I think I’ve somehow arrived and then approaching Him tentatively, hoping I can hold it together. He wants it all. I want to love Him that way.
“He Loves You More”
As a Mom, I wrote this for my son, who has walked through some very challenging times over these last years. As a parent, my heart was simultaneously breaking and desperately needing to surrender and trust his care to the Lord. After all, as much as I love my son, the Father loves Him so much more. Every parent can relate to this song.
“Jet Stream”
I started writing this the first couple months after my Dad passed away, because I felt so compelled to remember and honor him in some special way, as I processed his passing. I put it on a shelf for a while. But I finished it the morning after I saw “Top Gun (Maverick)” in May. My Dad, a Navy fighter pilot who flew off the USS Enterprise was like no other. Something about what I experienced during that movie was inspiring, and the Lord used it to propel the rest of this song into the world! I can finally sing this (mostly) without crying (no promises).
“Redeemer”
This song chronicles the road I’ve been walking—the road each of us has walked at some point and will likely again— where we look back at the disaster in our rear-view mirror and now see how our Redeemer has been putting the pieces back together again in new, creative, unexpected, miraculous ways. For those sitting in the rubble, I hope this song brings deep hope and worship.
“I Love Our Life”
I wrote this song for my husband Joe who deserves a thousand love songs. I imagine other couples slow dancing to this one. But if they don’t, Joe and I will for sure! Our life is simple, but it is grand.