Koryn Hawthorne

 Genre: Christian, Inspirational, Pop    Record Label: RCA Inspiration

Koryn Mattanah Hawthorne (born December 26, 1997) is an American contemporary Christian/gospel singer, songwriter, and recording artist. The Louisiana-born beauty burst onto the music scene at 17, when she stole the nation’s heart as a finalist in season 8 of NBC’s singing competition The Voice. After placing fourth on the show, Hawthorne got signed to RCA Inspiration, a division of Sony Music dedicated to gospel music recordings.

Like most youth, Koryn grew up singing in church. For her, that church was her family’s Lighthouse for Jesus ministry in Abbeville, Louisiana. Unlike most youth, however, her first public appearance took place on a talent showcase in Las Vegas, where she won top honors in her category. From that point on, her parents began looking for other ways to build their daughter’s music resume.

Along the way, Koryn listened and learned from the likes of Tina Turner, Etta James, Mary J. Blige, and especially Michael Jackson—“I used to watch The Jacksons: An American Dream all the time,” she says. On the gospel side, her inspirations were Fred Hammond, Mary Mary, and Kirk Franklin, among others. By age eleven, she was auditioning for top television singing competitions, such as America’s Got Talent, X Factor and, eventually, American Idol.

Koryn Hawthorne

As a contestant, Koryn wanted to sing gospel on American Idol but the producers advised her she wouldn’t make it very far if she did. Nevertheless, she felt in her heart that singing gospel on the show was the right thing to do. She ignored the warning, sang gospel. .and ultimately got sent home early. The experience left Koryn so discouraged that when her mother learned that The Voice was holding auditions in New Orleans for its Season 8 competition, she didn’t want to go. “My family is very supportive,” she says, “and my stepdad, he kind of pushed me to go.”

In more ways than one, this time was the charm. Garnering praises with her talents and evolution as an artist during the competition, at just seventeen years old Koryn made it to the finals of The Voice and was part of Pharrell Williams’ team. She recalls: “The first thing Pharrell said to me is, ‘We’ve GOT to do gospel,’ which was incredible! So the first chance we got, I did ‘How Great Thou Art.’”

More than anything, The Voice helped Koryn shape the vision of her artistry. “For me, The Voice wasn’t about choosing the best songs, or picking songs to best demonstrate my vocal range, but about choosing songs with the best message,” she says. “I thought, ‘God gave me this platform and I need to inspire people, even if I’m not here to win.’”

From singing in the church to her rise competing on NBC’s The Voice, to having a number one gospel single, Koryn Hawthorne appears unstoppable.  In 2017, she released a self-titled EP,  followed by her first full-length album, Unstoppable, which was released on July 13, 2018, on RCA Inspiration, and earned her multiple awards nominations, including two Grammy nominations. The purpose of Koryn’s EP and the new album has been to firmly establish her distinctive sonic and lyrical mix.

Her first hit single, “Won’t He Do It,” was originally written and conceived for the soundtrack of Greenleaf, the television drama on Oprah Winfrey’s OWN Network.

In 2019, Koryn Hawthorne received a nomination for Best Gospel Performance/Song (“Won’t He Do It”) on the 61st Grammy Award. She also received seven Stellar Awards nominations and two NAACP Image Awards nominations, having won one from each award. Later this year, she was nominated for the Billboard Music Awards 2019, in three categories.

source: Wikipedia, Koryn’s Facebook

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