Transforming the Journey of Motherhood Into Music
Late-night rocking-chair prayers after her fourth child sparked Renee (O’Neal) Sallee’s songwriting. Now the Cedarville alum, performing as Renee Leanne, is sharing her debut worship album “Lift Your Eyes” (Nov. 2024) on Spotify and Apple Music.
Renee (O’Neal) Sallee would never have predicted that the whispered prayers and lessons she learned in the quiet hours of motherhood would lead to her writing and recording a music album.
A mother of four and musician from Largo, Florida, Sallee uses her music to encourage women navigating the joys and challenges of life and faith. Her songs, inspired by her own journey through the past 10 years of motherhood, reflect themes of hope, trust and worship in difficult seasons.
How Renee Sallee Began Songwriting After Her Fourth Child
Sallee’s journey into songwriting began unexpectedly. A 2010 graduate of Cedarville University with a degree in early childhood education and a minor in music, she spent years leading worship, directing vocal ensembles and working behind the scenes. She never anticipated writing her own songs — until the birth of her fourth son.
“There were many hours of being up all night in a rocking chair with a baby,” said Sallee. “That is where the Lord met me and encouraged my heart, and that is where a lot of the songs were born.”
“Lift Your Eyes” Album Release and Meaning Behind the Title Song
That moment eventually grew into “Lift Your Eyes,” her first album, released in November 2024 under her artist name, Renee Leanne. Sallee wrote, recorded and produced the project within one year, allowing her to celebrate the release of the album on her son’s first birthday.
“The Lord led me through the entire process,” Sallee said. “I was reading the passage about the Israelite King Jehoshaphat in Chronicles. The city of Jerusalem is surrounded, and God's people are about to fall to the enemy, but Jehoshaphat gathers the people together to pray. He leads this beautiful prayer and ends with the lines: ‘We don’t know what to do, but our eyes are on you.’ Reading that, I thought, ‘Those words should become a song!’ That was the moment when the Holy Spirit placed songwriting on my heart.”
Faith, Depression and Miscarriage Themes in Her Lyrics
While the songs are rooted from Sallee’s experience of motherhood, she intentionally writes lyrics that allow listeners to see their own stories reflected. She does not shy away from heavy topics such as depression and miscarriage. Instead, she approaches them with honesty and hope.
“It’s a good song when you tell your story and leave it vague enough that the listener can hear their own story,” said Sallee. “Through your story, others can see the truth about God in their individual circumstances.”
Sallee often shares her music in worship settings, particularly during women’s nights of encouragement at churches. There, she pairs songs with Scripture and personal stories, emphasizing worship as a source of renewed perspective and strength.
“You don’t necessarily have to be a mama to be blessed by the songs that blessed me,” Sallee said. “The album also reminds listeners that intentional time in worship changes your perspective and gives you power from the Lord through the Holy Spirit to do the work he has for you to do, no matter what season it is.”
Through connections with executive producer John Forystek, producer and audio engineer Nathan Zwald and Nashville musicians David McMillan and Gary Prim, Sallee recorded the album at the Michael W. Smith Center at Liberty University. “Lift Your Eyes” is available on Spotify and Apple Music.
For Sallee, however, the songs are not about performance or production but about meeting God in ordinary moments. What began as quiet hours in a rocking chair with a restless baby has become a way to remind others to lift their eyes and find hope beyond their circumstances.
About Cedarville University
Cedarville University, an evangelical Christian institution in southwest Ohio, offers undergraduate and graduate residential and online programs across arts, sciences and professional fields. With 7,265 students, it is among Ohio's largest private universities and is ranked among the nation’s top five evangelical universities in the Wall Street Journal’s 2026 Best Colleges in the U.S. Cedarville is also known for its vibrant Christian community, challenging academics and high graduation and retention rates. Learn more at cedarville.edu.