By Kierstin Casella (2006) The first thing you notice about JJ Heller is a wide grin that stretches across her face and welcomes you in as a friend, whether you've known her for years or are shaking her hand for the very first time. These days especially, the twenty-five year old west coast native has a lot to be happy about. In March 2006, she independantly released her third record (scheduled for national release in November 2006), Only Love Remains, showcasing her pure, penetrating voice, and opening the door to a bold new range of songs. JJ, along with her husband Dave (who serves as guitarist, manager, and co-writer) recorded the distinctive album at Nashville's Sputnik Sound with Grammy-winning producer Mitch Dane (Jars of Clay, Bebo Norman.) "I found that JJ has an unadulterated approach to song writing. ...show more

By Kierstin Casella (2006) The first thing you notice about JJ Heller is a wide grin that stretches across her face and welcomes you in as a friend, whether you've known her for years or are shaking her hand for the very first time. These days especially, the twenty-five year old west coast native has a lot to be happy about. In March 2006, she independantly released her third record (scheduled for national release in November 2006), Only Love Remains, showcasing her pure, penetrating voice, and opening the door to a bold new range of songs. JJ, along with her husband Dave (who serves as guitarist, manager, and co-writer) recorded the distinctive album at Nashville's Sputnik Sound with Grammy-winning producer Mitch Dane (Jars of Clay, Bebo Norman.) "I found that JJ has an unadulterated approach to song writing.

Her songs actually spoke to me, where a lot of Christian music is the same message with different words," explains Dane. "[JJ and Dave] live their art, and I never felt like they were trying too hard to be something they weren't." In addition to JJ and Dave's prominent talents, Only Love Remains features Bryan Sutton (Dixie Chicks, The Chieftains) on mandolin, guitar and banjo; David Henry (Over the Rhine) on cello; Ben Shive (Andrew Peterson) on piano; Andy Hubbard (Little Big Town, Fernando Ortega) on drums, Aaron Sands (Jars of Clay) on bass; with Jeremy Casella (singer/songwriter) and Andrew Osenga (Caedmon's Call) on guitars/backing vocals. Only Love Remains follows Heller's 2005 EP, Collection of Thoughts, and her debut release, Songs That I Know (2004.) JJ began her career nearly six years ago at San Jose Christian College where she dabbled in songwriting and performed at local coffeehouses. After graduating, JJ and Dave got married and relocated to Phoenix to pursue music full time.

In August of 2006, they moved to Nashville, TN where they currently reside. The combination of Dave's business sense and creative input, and JJ's loose artistic style drives their success. "We're definitely two halves of a whole," she explains. "I write the bulk of the lyrics and Dave is the editor and arranger, making the songs more effective. ...show less