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”