Wide Eyed by Nichole Nordeman

Wide Eyed is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Nichole Nordeman, released on September 22, 1998 by Star Song Records and Sparrow Records. After winning a songwriting competition hosted by the Gospel Music Association in 1998, Nordeman signed a record deal with Star Song and Sparrow and began to work on her debut record. A ten-song set, Wide Eyed sees her collaborating with Mark Hammond to co-write the tracks for the album, which he also produced. Describing it as having a piano-driven sound, Nordeman cites the facet of honesty as the Wide Eyed's main theme — using theological and philosophical concepts to write its lyrical content. Upon its release, Wide Eyed received a moderate amount of positive response to music critics. Nordeman's lyrics and vocal performance received particular praise, while criticism targeted the musical accompaniment. The album had a modest amount of commercial success. After entering the Billboard Christian Albums chart at number 16, Wide Eyed went on to sell over 130,000 copies in the United States. All of its singles, "To Know You", "Who You Are", "I Wish the Same for You", and the title track, became top 40 hits on the Christian adult contemporary radio. To support Wide Eyed, Nordeman embarked on The a Tour as an opening act for the musical groups Avalon and Anointed.