Tanya Riches is a singer, songwriter

Songwriter

A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...

, choir conductor

Conducting

Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...

, lecturer

Lecturer

Lecturer is an academic rank. In the United Kingdom, lecturer is a position at a university or similar institution, often held by academics in their early career stages, who lead research groups and supervise research students, as well as teach...

 and pastor

Pastor

The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....

 residing in Sydney

Sydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. Originally publishing her works through Hillsong Church

Hillsong Church

Hillsong Church is a Pentecostal megachurch affiliated with Australian Christian Churches and located in Sydney, Australia. The church's senior pastors, Brian and Bobbie Houston, began the church in 1983 as the Hills Christian Life Centre in Baulkham Hills...

, she authored popular title 'Jesus What a Beautiful Name' at the age of 15, which reached the top #10 Christian congregational songs in Australia, charting also in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and many other nations. During her time at Hillsong she also wrote other songs such as 'Hear Our Prayer' recorded by the Hillsong United

Hillsong United (band)

The Hillsong United band is an Australian praise and worship band that originated as a part of Hillsong Church. The band tours the world, performing at the various Hillsong church locations as well as general concert venues. They compose the songs for their own performances and for the other...

 band on the album 'Everyday' and 'King of Love' recorded by the Hillsong Band on the album 'Hope'. Both albums reached gold status in Australia. She administrated Hillsong's United Live Youth Band along with Reuben Morgan

Reuben Morgan

Reuben Morgan is the worship pastor and one of several worship leaders and songwriters alongside Darlene Zschech at the Hillsong Church in Sydney, Australia. He has written songs such as "Eagles Wings", "Hear Our Praises", "I Give You My Heart", "My Redeemer Lives" and "Mighty to Save", which won...

 and Marcus Beaumont until 2003 when Joel Houston

Joel Houston

Joel Timothy Houston is a musician, songwriter and pastor, best known as leader of the Sydney-based worship band Hillsong United, the youth worship band of Hillsong Church....

 became music director and lead singer of United. Her songs have been sung in Australian congregations since 1996.

In 2003 Tanya became the lead singer of popular Christian Indie band 'Speaking of Sarah', she toured Australia's main Christian

Christian music

Christian music is music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence, and lament, and its forms vary widely across the world....

 festivals, main staging at Blackstump and Easterfest (formally known as AGMF) before the band broke up citing "... it was time for a few of the guys to get serious about their work and family commitments, and it was just impossible to put the hours into the band that they had been up until that point.". She attended North Shore Christian Centre as the creative pastor, releasing an EP 'King Above Us All' but returned to Hillsong in 2010 and is currently underway in production of a solo album. She is an occasional lecturer at Pentecostal Theological College Alphacrucis. and has written academic articles on Hillsong Music.

Tanya is married to singer/songwriter Tim Sheerman, and is now studying her PhD at Fuller Theological Seminary, L.A.