Artists - Freddie
Colloca
If you haven’t heard the name Freddie Colloca (“ko-yo-ka”) before, then
you have no idea what you’ve been missing. Freddie has spent
the better part of his life stirring-up the people of both the Spanish
and English speaking worlds with his music and his passion for God.
An Argentinean born and Miami raised Pastor’s son, Freddie has spent
his life immersed in music. From his father’s ministry to the
largely Hispanic Hialeah neighborhood where Freddie grew up, the sounds
of all genres of music echoed and burned their way into his heart and
his soul. Is it any wonder that by the age of 14 he was
already playing the keyboards in his church’s band?
At 15 Freddie became the worship leader, and has never looked
back. Although he has been compared to performers and artists
such as Ricky Martin, Enrique Iglesis and Marc Antony because of his
musical abilities and style, it quickly becomes apparent that there’s
something very different about Freddie Colloca.
“I want to bring audiences to their feet in celebration and to their
knees in worship of our great God” Freddie explains.
“Although I’m flattered by comparisons to so many great artists,
truthfully I hope one day I could be compared to David, or one of the
other great men of the Bible – I want to be a man after God’s own heart
who encourages other people to give their lives fully to God as well.”
And Freddie is doing just that – living an example before people and
inspiring others to do the same. Through it all, his humility
and awe for a God who would chose him still ring loud and
clear. In his song “You Chose My Heart” Freddie wrote “In all
my dreams, I never could imagine all you have for me. In all
my life, I’ll never understand just what you saw in me, for I was so
unworthy. Yet from the very start, You showed your love when
you chose my heart.” It’s the stark honesty of his lyrics,
the haunting truths they speak to our very souls, coupled with the his
own unique Latin style that start your pulse beating, your feet moving
and cause your heart to cry out in praise to God.
Planning to follow his father into the ministry, Freddie graduated from
high school and began Bible College studies at the Miami branch of
Trinity International University, pursuing a four-year bachelor's
degree program. His carefully charted course took something of a detour
however, when after two years of college, he met renowned Hispanic
praise & worship leader Marcos Witt, who invited Freddie to
spend a year of intensive musical studies at his school, the Center of
Musical Dynamics in Mexico City.
Freddie returned to Miami after 12 months of study in Mexico with Witt.
He finished his degree at Charity, well-versed in biblical studies, and
well into a career of music ministry as a worship leader, performer and
recording artist. With two well-received independent albums to his
credit-which he'd recorded in his last two years of college-and a
steady schedule of performing in and around the Miami area, Freddie
built a considerable local following.
An offer from Miami’s One Voice Records to sign with them caused
Freddie’s career to shift into overdrive. His third album,
Mas que Un Sentimiento come out, then came a nomination for Spanish
Language Album of the year and a dazzling performance at the Gospel
Music Association’s (GMA) Dove Awards in 2001 – and people began to
seriously look in Freddie’s direction.
An English-language version of the critically acclaimed album soon
followed, retitled Dance el Ritmo. Freddie’s whirlwind year
2001 also included a performance a the GMA’s prestigious yearly music
seminar in Estes Park, Colorado, and a slot with NewSong and the
Newsboys on the 20-city Winter Jam Tour. His reach to the
masses increased dramatically when he was chosen by the Christian
Broadcasting Network (CBN) to host the Latin version of it’s popular
music video series, One Cubed, airing for an international
Spanish-speaking audience of over 25 million, and growing.
In 2002 came a Dove Award nomination for the song “Dance el Ritmo”
another Dove performance, and the merger of One Voice records with
Provident Music Distribution. Next came his real
break-through CD “Unconditional”, with the dynamic song “Savior, My
Savior” that made it to number 3 on the nation’s billboard
charts. Another Dove nomination, this time for “Mas Que Un
Sentimiento” and another Dove performance, and it seemed that
Freddie’s career would see no end.
Then Provident Music folded, and with it’s closing came another
dramatic turn for Freddie. Although he was still well known,
still hosting One Cubed, and still had the desire, talent and drive to
continue to celebrate God and help others to as well, without the
backing of a label everything slowed down. Rather than focus
on what once had been, Freddie poured himself into his work within the
local church, into his worship ministry and his youth group – and he
continued to write songs that spoke of his passion for God.
Now, after 3 years of searching, writing, singing and growing, Freddie
is again ready to hit the scene with his new CD which hit
stores July 20. Rather than following in his footsteps from
the past, this CD is a worship driven CD, focusing in on Freddie’s
heart’s cry to bring others into the presence of the holy God, and to
be changed by meeting Him there.
As he reflects on the journey of these past years and all God has
taught him and done for him in his life, Freddie’s heart cry continues
to be “More than I can imagine, more than I could ever dream.
You are more than enough, You have given me love. Jesus you
are more to me”
