Emma Nissen, a vocal performance major, overcame a vocal cord injury and followed a prompting to serve a mission. She shares her journey of sharing her music in unexpected ways. The podcast also explores the importance of faith, trust, and love in relationships, and the power of inviting the Spirit into our lives.
Emma Nissen found a new way to share her music and fulfill her mission by embracing unexpected opportunities.
Music has been a unifying force in Emma Nissen's family, bringing them together and shaping their lives.
Deep dives
BYU Online High School offers three different diploma programs
BYU Online High School offers three different diploma programs: full-time semester-based enrollment, the flex program, and the Adult Education Diploma Program. Students in grades 9 through 12 can enjoy fun online activities, clubs, free tutoring, live online classes, and much more.
Emma Nissen, a Swedish-American songwriter with a God-given gift
Emma Nissen is a Swedish-American songwriter with a rich, deep voice and a musical family background. She started writing songs during her missionary service for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Since then, she has written over 30 secular songs and several Christian songs. Emma's music has touched people around the world, and she believes that her songs are inspired by God.
Emma's strong family support and musical upbringing
Emma Nissen grew up in a family that valued and embraced music. Her father, a talented musician himself, wrote songs for animated short films and had an incredible voice. Her mother's side of the family brought in piano and accordion skills and a love for classical music. Emma's brothers also contributed to the musical environment, playing the piano and filling the house with beautiful music. Music brought their family together and continues to be a cherished part of their lives.
Emma's experience with faith reconstruction
Emma has gone through phases of questioning and reconstruction in her faith journey. Instead of viewing these moments as faith crises, she prefers to see them as opportunities for growth and understanding. She believes that trusting oneself and having patience and love are essential during these times. Emma emphasizes the importance of love, light, trust, and faith in one's relationships with God and others.
In her freshman year as a vocal performance major, Emma Nissen received devastating news. Just nine weeks into her studies, she learned that her vocal cords were damaged and required surgery. She very easily could’ve felt, in that moment, that everything she’d worked for was falling apart. But she remembered a prompting she had earlier that week—a prompting to serve a mission—and how she’d told the Lord if he’d create a window of time for her to serve, she’d go. So she went and the rest, as they say, is history. On this week’s episode, we talk with Emma Nissen about how God’s window opened a door for her to share her music in a way she never could’ve dreamed possible.
Show Notes
2:16- A Musical Family 10:00- God Opens a Window 14:49- Music On a Mission 37:08- Faith Reconstruction 49:43- Guided 51:49- What Does It Mean to Be All In?
“I like to think that the Spirit and I can banter.” —Emma Nissen