Judith Ann Robertson is an Anglo-French singer-songwriter who has lived in France since the 1980s. Converted at age 16, she wrote worship songs for Jeunesse en Mission (JEM) that became classics, such as Acclamez Dieu and Ouvrez les portes, before building a solo career in folk and folk-rock songwriting with a spiritual dimension.
Born in Birmingham, United Kingdom, to an English mother and a father of Scottish descent, Judith Ann Robertson was converted at 16 and went on to study modern languages and singing at the Birmingham Conservatoire. Passionate about France, she moved there as a young adult and never left. She became a founding member of several Christian associations, including Marche pour Jésus, Psalmodia Paris and Espoirs d'avenir.
It was during these years that she began writing songs in French, alongside Jeunesse en Mission (JEM), LTC and Flamme. Several of her songs, including Acclamez Dieu, Ouvrez les portes and Rebâtir ta maison, entered the JEM catalog and are still performed today by other worship groups. Since then, under the name Judith Ann Robertson Official, she has continued a solo career in folk and folk-rock songwriting that blends intimacy, spirituality and energy, in both French and English.
- Origin
- Birmingham, United Kingdom, living in France since the 1980s
- Style
- worship written for Jeunesse en Mission (JEM) and LTC, then folk and folk-rock songwriting with a spiritual dimension
- Active since
- the late 1980s, with the song Acclamez Dieu (1989)
- Good to know
- several of her JEM compositions were popularized by other performers, including Louange vivante and Sylvain Freymond, which is why her name is sometimes confused with theirs
How did Judith Ann Robertson get started?
Converted at 16 in her native England, Judith Ann Robertson first studied modern languages and singing at the Birmingham Conservatoire. Her love for France led her to move there as a young adult, a decision that would shape her life and ministry for years to come: she became a founding member of several French-speaking Christian associations, including Marche pour Jésus, Psalmodia Paris and Espoirs d'avenir.
It was within this associative context that she began writing directly in French, in connection with Jeunesse en Mission (JEM), LTC and Flamme. Her early songs, such as Acclamez Dieu in 1989, quickly entered the shared repertoire of French-speaking worship, catalogued under JEM reference numbers that made them easy for congregations to adopt.
What makes Judith Ann Robertson distinctive?
Her distinctiveness starts with her bilingual, bicultural path: English by birth, she has been writing in French for more than thirty years, with Celtic echoes inherited from her Scottish ancestry. Several of her songs, including Ouvrez les portes and Rebâtir ta maison, were taken up and popularized by other artists on the French-speaking worship scene, notably Louange vivante and Sylvain Freymond, making the songs better known than their own author.
Another distinctive feature: Judith Ann Robertson has not stayed confined to the collective worship repertoire alone. Under the name Judith Ann Robertson Official, she now pursues a career in folk and folk-rock songwriting with a spiritual dimension, with more personal songs in French and English, on themes such as communion, hope or current events, including a song dedicated to Ukraine.
Where to start discovering Judith Ann Robertson?
To discover her work, start with Acclamez Dieu, one of her earliest songs and one of the most widely sung, before listening to Ouvrez les portes, written for the collective album La trompette sonne. Rebâtir ta maison, about commitment to serving the church, rounds out this overview of her most notable compositions for French-speaking worship.
songs
Acclamez Dieu
song catalogued JEM 373, written in 1989 for the J'aime l'Éternel collection, a call to proclamation inspired by the psalms.
Ouvrez les portes
JEM 539, written for the collective album La trompette sonne (1996) with Sylvain Freymond and Rolf Schneider, here in a performance by Louange vivante.
Rebâtir ta maison
a song about commitment and the mission of the church, performed live by Louange vivante and Sylvain Freymond on the album Les cieux ouverts.
Discography
- 2025Douce communion· solo single, in the more personal register of her current folk career.
- 2023Citoyens et serviteurs
- 2022N'oublions pas l'éternité
- 2010Collection 2000 à 2010· compilation bringing together a decade of her worship compositions.
- Rebâtir ta maison· album bringing together several of her JEM songs from the 1990s, including the title track.
Read also
Frequently asked questions
Who is Judith Ann Robertson?
Judith Ann Robertson is an Anglo-French singer-songwriter, converted at 16 in England and later settled in France. In the 1990s, she wrote several worship songs for Jeunesse en Mission (JEM), before building a solo career in folk and folk-rock songwriting with a spiritual dimension.
What is Judith Ann Robertson's best-known song?
Acclamez Dieu (JEM 373, 1989) and Ouvrez les portes (JEM 539, 1996) are among her most widely sung songs in French-speaking congregations, often in versions performed by other groups such as Louange vivante.
Where can you listen to Judith Ann Robertson?
Her worship songs are catalogued by JEM Éditions, while her current solo career is available on Spotify, Apple Music and her official YouTube channel, Judith Ann Robertson Official.
Is Judith Ann Robertson a Christian?
Yes. Converted at 16, she was a founding member of several French-speaking Christian associations, including Marche pour Jésus and Psalmodia Paris, before writing songs for Jeunesse en Mission (JEM).
Are Judith Ann Robertson and Louange vivante the same thing?
No. Judith Ann Robertson is the author of several songs, such as Ouvrez les portes or Rebâtir ta maison, which Louange vivante and Sylvain Freymond later performed and popularized on their live recordings.
Does Judith Ann Robertson sing in English?
Yes. While most of her worship catalog is in French, her current solo career includes songs in both English and French, such as Eternity Is Now and its French counterpart N'oublions pas l'éternité.