Twenty-six years after "I Believe" introduced ZOEgirl's declaration of faith, Alisa Childers, Kristin Schweain and Chrissy Katina are preparing to release "I Still Believe" on October 30, 2026. Born from their anniversary reunion, the new single carries the perspective of lives shaped by challenges, questions and spiritual growth. For Katina, it also marks a deeply personal milestone: her first songwriting contribution since her singing voice returned after years of autoimmune-related difficulties. In this interview, Schweain and Katina discuss reconnecting with their original creative team, finding worship in silence and offering encouragement to listeners whose faith has been tested.
Q: Alisa, Kristin and Chrissy, what brought the three of you back together for ZOEgirl's 25th anniversary, and when did reconnecting become a conversation about making new music?
Chrissy: We have stayed in touch throughout the years but really thought it would be special to celebrate 25 years with a song together! I stayed in touch with Nick Barre, who worked at Sparrow Records while we were recording and touring together in the early 2000s. Our kids were in theater shows together in recent years, so I would see him from time to time. One day I mentioned our idea to him about releasing a song and he was so excited to help us get the ball rolling! We then reached out to two people we loved working with and were a huge part of the ZOEgirl sound - Tedd T and Lynn Nichols. We told them about our idea to release a song and they were just as excited to make it happen! We are so thankful that God brought the team back together for this moment.
Q: How have your individual musical styles and strengths changed since your early ZOEgirl days, and what does each of you bring to the group now?
Kristin: I think time and life experience have definitely shaped and strengthened our individual styles over the years. We each brought a different style to the table back then, which I think is part of what made our ZOEgirl sound. I would say that still applies today, along with a furthered level of maturity as musicians, vocalists, and writers as well... strength, growth, and development that just comes with time.
Q: "I Still Believe" revisits the declaration behind your first radio single, "I Believe." What does the word "still" mean to each of you after twenty-six years, and what did you want this song to express that the original could not?
Kristin: We felt it would be comforting for us to write something that ties where we were then to where we are now. We have individually walked through many seasons during the years we weren't putting out music together. We have each faced struggles and challenges and have come out of those times further strengthened and assured in our faith, which was a wonderful well to draw from. When we sang I Believe all of those years ago, we were very sincere, but had yet to walk through what would lie ahead for each of us. I Still Believe acknowledges some sincere moments of testing and struggle, but finds resolution by saying in the choruses, "I still believe, I still love Your Word with all my heart, I still believe it's true. I still believe. You get me through the darkest doubt. I still believe in You."
Q: Take us inside the writing and recording process. What came first, how did you shape the sound, and was there a moment in the studio when you realized this reunion had become something more than nostalgia?
Kristin: Born out of a conversation where Alisa shared with us that as she travels and speaks, she encounters so many people asking her if Chrissy and I, after all of this time, are still Christians. So, first came the idea to share that we still believe. We reached out to producer Tedd T, who had produced much of our music, and Lynn Nichols, who had been our A&R and played guitar on almost every song. The girls and I kicked around some different lyric ideas, and brought a chorus and some verse lyric ideas to our studio session with Tedd and Lynn. Tedd immediately took the chorus idea and began playing with some sounds and other ideas to shape the structure. Lynn sat with his guitar, and we were off! That day was definitely a beautiful moment of nostalgia for all of us, almost as if so many years hadn't really passed. It was just such a meaningful day, and as the song and our conversations/connections continued, we felt it was an opportunity and gift to see what else God might have in store.
Q: Your announcement speaks about questions, struggles and spiritual growth. What experiences are you comfortable sharing that tested your faith, and how did they influence the words you felt able to sing honestly today?
Chrissy: Back in 2010 I developed some autoimmune issues and out of nowhere my voice got very weak. It became just about impossible to sing - even just a worship song during church- After a few lines of a verse or chorus, my voice grew so tired and my range was almost completely gone. I felt like a runner who had lost her legs. It was a very sad and frustrating time in my life. Singing was all I ever knew and to have that taken away was almost too much to bare. Even songwriting became almost impossible, because I couldn't sing my ideas out loud. I prayed for God to heal my voice so many times...No answer. At least that is what I thought.
One Sunday morning as I tried so hard to sing along at church, I heard God say to me STOP. I don't want you to sing right now. I want you to LISTEN. I closed my eyes and listened to the music and the people around me singing, and I worshipped quietly at my seat. For so long I had looked at singing with ZOEgirl as my form of worship. However, it was to help lead others into worship, not necessarily for me to hear from and connect with God-that day at church, I learned to worship Jesus in my silence. I stepped back from trying to do it my way. God didn't need my voice to be heard so in the quiet, as the "noise" was turned down, Jesus to spoke to me, and it was truly the gift I didn't know I needed. I put down music and picked up a camera, and for the next 14 years, God allowed me to capture the love of people and families through the lens. I have loved being a photographer. It has brought me so much joy to magnify God in this new and creative way.
In the fall Of 2024- my voice returned! I am truly thankful for the valley of quiet God gave me. It grew me in so many ways and ultimately strengthened my faith and relationship with Him.
Our new single, "I Still Believe", is the first song I have had a hand in writing since my voice returned, and it has become my new anthem! I hope it will encourage others as much as it has encouraged me!
Q: What would you say to an original ZOEgirl listener who now struggles to declare "I still believe," and how do you hope this release will open a conversation with them?
Chrissy: First of all l, I would give them a big hug and remind them of the one and only true God who loves them, despite how they feel or where they are at in this life. It's okay and completely normal to have doubts at times, but it's what we do with the doubt that matters. Let it be the thing that drives you to search for answers. Dive deeper into God's word and continue to ask Him to bring it to life! Be still and quiet with God and give yourself space to hear from Him. God's love for us supersedes anything this world has to offer. "I Still Believe" is reminder to all of us - Jesus gave up everything just to be with us, and no matter how badly we have messed up through the years, or where we are at in our journey, that will never change.
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