Music Career
Zschech sang jingles for a number of international companies including McDonald's, KFC and Coca Cola, until she eventually joined the staff of Hillsong Church after penning "Shout to the Lord". She released a vinyl album in 1987 called "Make the Choice" and a cassette album in 1993 called Pearls & Gold.
Zschech and her husband have three daughters, Amy, Chloe and Zoe. In 2000 she had a miscarriage after 12 weeks.
In 2003, Zschech released her first official solo album, Kiss of Heaven. Change Your World followed in 2005. She has since released two albums, in 2011, called Simply Darlene and You Are Love. In addition to writing songs, she has written five books: Worship (1996), Extravagant Worship (2002), The Kiss of Heaven (2003), The Great Generational Transition (2009) and Revealing Jesus: A 365-Day Devotional (2013).
"Shout to the Lord"
Zschech composed "Shout to the Lord" in 1993 and it has become one of the most well-known modern worship songs, being sung by an estimated 25-30 million churchgoers every Sunday since the song's release. She wrote the song during a time of personal struggle. When she presented it to Hillsong's then-worship pastor, Geoff Bullock, she was so embarrassed that she asked him to face away from her as she played and sang.
"Shout to the Lord" was first recorded on People Just Like Us and has appeared on more than 200 different albums by numerous artists in multiple languages. It is also the title track for the first live album co-produced with Integrity Music featuring Zschech as a worship leader. It was Integrity Music's first album to feature a female worship leader. The album was nominated for the 1997 Dove Awards "Praise & Worship Album of the Year" at the Gospel Music Awards. The song was nominated in the 1998 Dove Awards "Song of the Year" category. It has been performed for the Pope at the Vatican and for the President of the United States.
On the global impact of "Shout to the Lord", Zschech said, "I can't take any credit for its impact. God decided to put his blessing on this song."
