Erik Nieder started writing songs when he was just 13 years old. The Texas native spent the sweltering summers of his youth attending church camp with his friends. Those pivotal weeks at camp were transformative for his faith — especially as he started leading worship and penning lyrics about God.
While attending college at Texas A&M, the singer/songwriter helmed worship for Aggie Baptist Student Ministry. During the summers, he’d return to Pine Cove Christian Camp in Texas to lead both original songs and well-known worship anthems for campers.
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“One of my greatest joys is seeing the Lord use songs to challenge and encourage hearts for His glory,” he shares. “I am a firm believer that the power of a melody, coupled with the truth of the Gospel, is a force that can be used to change the world.”
For the past 10 years, Nieder has been working out his faith through words and melodies and putting it out into the world in the hopes that his three-minute musings might make even the smallest of differences. The now 33-year-old released his first full-length album, “Secret of the Burning Heart,” in 2013. A unique blend of worship, folk and pop, Nieder’s music is hallmarked by a distinct vocal and on-point lyricism. Known for songs like “Faithful,” “Thank You (Famine or Feast)” and “People of God,” his latest release, “Miracle Maker,” became the singer’s third complete studio set when it bowed earlier this year.
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A father of two, he currently serves on staff at Watermark Community Church, a leading congregation located in the heart of the DFW metroplex. There he serves as both a worship leader and a creative director for Watermark Music — the church’s songwriting and recording ministry. Furthermore, the Dallas-based artist continues to spend his summers at camp — namely Kanakuk Kamp in Branson, Missouri — a camp that holds personal meaning for his wife, Callie, who grew up attending Kanakuk and often accompanies her husband on vocals.
As an independent artist, over the past decade, Nieder has established himself as a thoughtful songwriter, a respected worship leader and a gifted storyteller.
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“To be honest, it’s not the music that excites me the most. I love the music, but what fuels my soul is the relationship that the music brings. And more importantly, the purpose behind the songs that we sing,” Nieder attests. “Nothing can perform soul surgery quite like a song can. And no one can heal a heart quite like Jesus can.”
