Nashville, Tennessee-based singer/songwriter JJ Heller rose to success with albums like 2008's Painted Red and 2010's When I'm with You, showcasing her atmospheric and contemplative faith-based country-folk songs which call to mind both Christian artists like Sara Groves and Jill Phillips and secular ones like Patty Griffin and Alison Krauss. Recording, writing, and performing with her longtime collaborator and husband, David Heller, she has managed to keep a foot in the mainstream, maintaining a steady presence on the folk and Christian charts and placing songs on several high-profile TV shows and commercials. In the latter half of the 2010s, she began an ambitious monthly singles club, launched a podcast, and released a trio of albums devoted to love songs and lullabies culminating in 2021's I Dream of You, Vol. 3. She also authored a children's book.

A native of San Jose, California, Heller began writing songs during her college years, joining a local band that was active on the coffeehouse scene. Her future husband, David Heller, was also a member and soon the two spun their creative partnership off into JJ's solo project. She made her debut in 2004 with, Songs That I Know, establishing her thoughtful folk-pop sound and strong Christian themes. Subsequent albums like Only Love Remains (2006) and The Pretty and the Plain (2007) further developed Heller's introspective style, though it was a song from her fourth album, Painted Red (2008), that would prove to be her commercial breakthrough. Reaching number 13 on Billboard's Christian songs chart, "Your Hands" set the stage for 2010's When I'm with You, which charted on both the Christian and folk album charts. An acoustic album, Deeper, arrived a year later and, in 2012, Heller got another boost when her song "When I'm with You" was covered by Jennifer Love Hewitt's character on the TV series The Client List. Another song, "Control," from the album Loved, appeared on a 2013 episode of One Tree Hill. Recording at a prolific pace, Heller's next two albums, 2014's I Dream of You and 2015's Sound of a Living Heart, both fared well on the folk and Christian charts, further proving her crossover appeal. Unto Us, Heller's first Christmas LP and second holiday-themed release following 2007's Wake Up the World EP, arrived in 2016.

Starting in 2017, Heller began issuing a new single to streaming services on the first Friday of every month, a project that has continued into the next decade. She also launched her podcast, Instrumental, which explores the nuances of big and small events in life. For her next project, Heller delivered a follow-up to her 2014 release with I Dream of You, Vol. 2 (2018), a second set of lullabies. A third volume in this series arrived in 2021, this time focused on covers of classic love songs and geared more toward adults. A collaboration with illustrator Alyssa Petersen resulted in Heller's first children's book, Hand to Hold, in the summer of that year. ~ James Christopher Monger