May I Decrease: Inside the Heart of 20-Year-Old GRECA
- Sofia Nicotra
- 3 days ago
- 11 min read
Buckle up... because this is one of those interviews you'll want to slow down and savour.
GRECA may only be 20 years old, but the wisdom, honesty and depth she carries are far beyond her years. Throughout this conversation, she opens up about everything from growing up in Haiti and navigating seasons of uncertainty, to learning surrender, discovering her identity in Christ, and creating music that flows from an authentic relationship with Jesus.
So get ready to go beyond the songs and get to know the person behind the artist. We have no doubt you'll walk away encouraged, challenged, and inspired by the vulnerability she so generously shares.
For those discovering you through For The Glory for the first time, introduce us to GRECA. Who is the person behind the music, where are you based, and what are some of the moments that have shaped who you are today?
GRECA: Hi! My name is Greca. I'm 20 years old, and I live in New York City.
The moments that have shaped who I am began long before I realized they were shaping me. I grew up in Haiti before moving to the United States, and throughout my childhood I moved from house to house. My friends jokingly call me a nomad, but over time I've learned to see that as something to embrace rather than something to resent. Living with so much instability taught me how to adapt. It made me an observer, a survivor, and someone who can find home in more than just a place.
When I was young, I was raised by my grandparents while my mom worked to build a better life for us in the United States. A few years later, I joined her. Looking back, those experiences of separation, transition, and resilience became the foundation of who I am today.
At the same time, I don't think I've fully discovered who I am yet. This year, more than any other, has been a season of self discovery. Sometimes it feels like there are so many versions of me living inside one person, and I'm learning how to bring them together.
After dropping out of college this year, I found myself under an incredible amount of pressure. As difficult as it has been, I genuinely believe the Holy Spirit allowed this season for a reason. Without the pressure, I don't think I would have uncovered so many parts of myself that still needed to grow. This season has stretched me into becoming the woman I want to be. It has challenged my faith, my boundaries, my self-love, and the way I process my emotions.
One of my mentors once told me, "Smart people learn from their own mistakes, but wise people learn from the mistakes of others."
I aspire to be wise. But as I've entered my twenties, I've realized I've often had to be the "smart" person learning through my own decisions, mistakes, and experiences. It's not always easy, but those lessons are shaping the person I'm becoming.
So, if I had to answer what has shaped me, I would simply say life. The moments I've lived through. The people I've encountered. The people I've loved, the people I've lost, and the people I've gained. Every hardship, every blessing, every transition, and above all, my faith in Christ have all played a part in making me who I am today. And while my story is still
being written, I'm grateful for every chapter because each one has brought me closer to the woman God is calling me to become.
You’ve been in the worship space since you were just 9 years old, which is incredible! What is your favourite part about leading worship? And how has that foundation within the church shaped the way you approach your own music?
GRECA: I've been a backup singer for nine years, but I only began leading worship in 2025. Interestingly, that's also the same year I started releasing my own music.
One prayer has become the foundation of both: "God, may I decrease so that You can increase."
That's my favorite part of leading worship.
When I first started, I wanted everything to be perfect. I focused on the setlist, the musicians, the transitions, and creating the right atmosphere. While those things matter, I eventually realized that worship was never about creating an atmosphere, it was about making room for God to move.
The more I learned to step back and surrender, the more I witnessed Him transform hearts in ways I never could. I realized that riffs and vocal runs don't equal deliverance. You never know which lyric, which moment of silence, or even which note God will use to reach someone. Sometimes the breakthrough comes not from singing more, but from knowing when to be still.
That's the same mindset I bring into my music. I simply surrender.
Whether I'm writing from a place of joy, grief, doubt, or hope, I bring those emotions to God first. Then I turn them into songs that I hope feel like prayers, songs that remind people they're not alone and that there's always hope on the other side.
I've also learned that not every Christian song has to explicitly say "Jesus" or "God" to reflect Him. For me, it's about communicating the values that Scripture calls us to live by: hope, love, kindness, faith, honesty, and grace. Those are the messages that point people toward Christ.
I believe God isn't only present in our victories. He's also present in our honesty. Even in our hardest moments, when we're afraid, angry, confused, or hurting, He welcomes us to bring those emotions to Him. I think He's pleased when we choose to pray instead of pretending, because authentic faith isn't about hiding our struggles; it's about trusting God enough to share them with Him.
Your music carries such a strong sense of intimacy and prayer. When you sit down to create, where do your songs usually begin? Is it a moment with God, a Scripture, a personal experience, a melody, or something else?
GRECA: My music always begins with surrender. It’s so funny but lately whenever I’m about to create or lead worship I always God may I decrease so you can increase.
You’ve shared a love for prayer chants and moments of spontaneous worship. Are there any specific prayer chants, ministers, or worship leaders that have deeply impacted your faith journey and shaped the way you encounter God?
GRECA: Yes, Dunsin Oyeka, Sunmisola Agbebi, as well as WHEN YOUNG PEOPLE PRAY. Are some of my favorite prayer chants and ministers!
Your song “Child of God” came with such a beautiful and powerful music video. One thing that really stood out was the use of physical movement and dance to help tell the story. Can you tell us more about the heart behind that song and what inspired that creative direction? Is dance something you’ve been involved in before?
GRECA: I actually am not a dancer, but I definitely to inspiration from David. This was more than a music video as it was really me connecting with my community. I had asked my friend from high school to help me. I think I say this a lot, but surrender and to live by faith, not by sight and let God decide, and when you surrender your will and commit to God‘s will the plans that he has for you which are plans to prosper you and not to harm you and plans to give you hope in the future will come into fruition.
We love your most recent release 'Alright' (and the cover art is amazing!).
It’s such an uplifting and joyful song. Can you tell us a bit about the heart behind this song and why you felt this was the right time to release it?
GRECA: I recently got baptized in 2024 and I wanted to create a song to not only explore a new sound but to uplift people as a young Christian that gave their life to Christ and the thing is that it is all right. That’s the memo of this song and I really enjoy creating this with my friends and my community and people from Church.
You’re only 20 years old and already building something really special. When you look ahead 10 years from now, what do you hope your music career looks like? What kind of impact are you praying God allows you to have?
GRECA: That’s the thing... I’m only 20, and when I think about what success might look like 10 years from now, more than anything, I hope I’m still myself. I hope I’ve grown without losing who I am, and that I’ve developed a sound that feels honest and true to me.
If it’s God’s will, I hope my music reaches people not just in a way where they can relate to the songs, but where they can relate to my testimony, too. I hope that through my story and my music, someone can find hope, encouragement, or even a reason to keep going.
Ten years from now, I’ll be 30, and honestly, that feels so far away right now. But I know those years will come, and I hope that by then, I’m closer to becoming the person God created me to be. I hope I’m still learning, still growing, still striving, and still willing to be shaped along the way.
More than anything, I just hope for a fulfilled life, a life I can look back on without many regrets. I hope I can see the fruit of the work I put in, the sacrifices I made, and the seeds I planted along the way. I hope everything I’ve sown, by God’s grace, produces something meaningful not just for me, but for the people I’m blessed to reach.
I don’t know exactly where I’ll be 10 years from now, and I don’t want to pretend that I do. I just hope that when I get there, I can look back and be grateful for how far God has brought me, and grateful that I kept going.
Your Haitian heritage is such a beautiful part of your story. How has your culture and background influenced who you are as a person and as an artist?
GRECA: My Haitian heritage has definitely shaped me in ways I’m still discovering. I think a lot of who I am my resilience, my values, the way I carry myself, and the importance I place on family comes from being Haitian and from the way I was raised.
There’s also something really special about growing up with a culture that has so much history, strength, and pride. It reminds me that I come from people who have endured a lot, and that gives me a deeper appreciation for where I’m from and for the opportunity I have to create.
As an artist, I think my background naturally finds its way into my music, even when I’m not intentionally trying to put it there. It influences the way I tell stories, the emotions I bring into my music, and the perspective I have on life. I don’t ever want to feel like I have to separate being Haitian from being an artist. It’s a part of me, and I think the more comfortable I become in who I am, the more that will naturally be reflected in my sound.
I’m still young, and I’m still figuring out what my identity as an artist fully looks like. But I’m grateful that my Haitian heritage is one of the things I get to carry with me as I figure it out.
If God promised that your audience would never grow beyond the people listening today, what would change about the way you create?
GRECA: Actually, funny enough, I think it would change a lot but probably not in the way you’d think. And honestly, I think that’s part of why I’ve slowed down with releasing music lately.
Sometimes I find myself going back and forth between creating what I genuinely want to create and thinking about what might work, what might trend, or what people might respond to. I’m human, so I do catch myself comparing sometimes. But if God told me that my audience would never grow beyond the people listening today, I think my music would become a lot more free. I’d create from a place of not really caring whether something blows up or not. I wouldn’t be thinking, “Is this going to get streams? Is this going to reach more people?” I’d just be making the music that’s in me.
And honestly, I think that’s part of why I’ve been embracing solitude lately. I’m trying to get back to creating from a place that isn’t driven by an audience, numbers, or expectations, but by the Spirit. I want to make music because I have something to say, because I feel something, because God gave me something to express.
So if I knew the audience would never grow, I think I’d actually create more freely. And maybe that’s something I’m learning to do even now create as though I have nothing to prove and nothing to gain, and just be faithful to what God has placed in me.
For every young creative reading who feels called by God but doesn’t know what the next step is, what encouragement would you want to leave them with?
GRECA: The skill, the gift, the thing you’re most afraid to share is probably the very thing the Lord wants you to share. And I would also say: don’t make God your niche make God the center of your calling.
As young Christians, I think sometimes we feel like we have to put the word “Christian” or the word “God” in front of every gift He’s given us. But I’ve been learning that maybe it’s not always about putting a label on what you do. Maybe Christianity and God can be seen through your skill, through your character, and through who you are as a person.
Once you let go of your fear, let go of what people might think, and truly spend time with God in the secret place, I think you begin to realize that what He placed inside of you is bigger than you. There’s something in you that you were created to give, and sometimes the only thing standing between you and sharing it is fear.
So whatever it is you feel called to do whether it’s music, art, business, writing, or something completely different don’t wait until you feel fearless. Start while you’re still afraid.
And even with the things you want to accomplish in your personal life, prove to yourself that you are bigger than your fear. Not because you’re strong enough on your own, but because you don’t have to let fear have the final say.
Stay close to God. Stay in the secret place. Be faithful with what He’s already put in your hands. And don’t be afraid to share the gift that scares you the most. It might be the very thing He gave you to share with the world.
What have you got coming up? Anything we should keep our eyes out for?
GRECA: Keep your eye out for authenticity. I’ve really been in a secret place lately, taking the time to create music that feels genuinely true to me. Nothing performative, nothing forced, and nothing made just to fit into a specific box or follow what’s already working.
I’m just allowing myself to make music that reflects my sound, my life, my emotions, and my experiences. I think people will hear a version of me that’s more honest than ever before. So I’d say, keep your eye out for that. I’m not necessarily trying to become something different I’m just becoming more comfortable with who I already am.
The Putting You On Segment: what’s one Christian or faith-adjacent song you’ve been loving lately that people should check out?
GRECA: FAITH by Jaz Karis has been on repeat lately. It has become the motto of how I want to live my life... “as long as I got faith in myself and I will get me there. And now I trust with God’s help. That I will get me.” It reminds me that it takes not only God but yourself to achieve the things that you want to.
Wow... This was genuinely one of the most memorable Artist of the Month interviews we've ever had the privilege of conducting.
Not simply because of GRECA's music, but because of the way she answered every question with honesty, vulnerability, and a willingness to let us into the real story behind the songs. She invited us into the lessons God has been teaching her, the wrestles she's still navigating, and the hope she's found in surrendering it all to Christ.
If this is the artist she is at just 20 years old, we can't help but imagine what God could do through her over the next decade. We're excited to watch the journey unfold.
Go show GRECA some love. Stream her music, follow her journey, encourage her online, and keep her in your prayers. We have a feeling this is only the beginning!
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Go read up on all of our other artist interviews on our blog! 🔗
