Janice Patrice Gaines Work ID No. 883470768 ISWC No. T9068932105 (''née'': Reddick; born May 22, 1981), is a

Stellar Award A Stellar Award is an award presented by SAGMA to recognize achievements in the gospel music industry.Sagma
The Stell ...

and

GMA Dove Award A Dove Award is an accolade by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the Christian music industry. The awards are presented annually. Formerly held in Nashville, Tennessee, the Dove Awards ...

-nominated American

urban contemporary gospel Urban/contemporary gospel is a modern subgenre of gospel music. Although the style developed gradually, early forms are generally dated to the 1970s, and the genre was well established by the end of the 1980s. The radio format is pitched prima ...

singer and songwriter. Her debut singles, "Wait On You" and "The Break-Up Song," were released as an

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

album on April 14, 2015. Her debut album, "Greatest Life Ever," released on Motown Gospel, was produced by

GRAMMY The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

Award-winning producer

LaShawn Daniels LaShawn Ameen Daniels (December 28, 1977 – September 3, 2019) was an American songwriter, vocal producer and arranger known for his songwriting credits on songs by artists such as Brandy, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Destiny’s Child, Michael Jacks ...

. and debuted in the Top 10 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' Top Gospel Albums chart.

Early and personal life

Gaines was born, Janice Patrice Reddick, in

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, Missouri, on May 22, 1981, but raised in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

. She grew up singing in church, where her father was a Methodist minister, Lawrence Lewis Reddick III, and her mother, a singer-songwriter/musician, Jacquelyn Reddick-Jones (''née'', Merriwether), and she has a brother, Jon. As a teenager, Gaines was the youngest member of the Memphis-based community choir O'Landa Draper & The Associates. Gaines attended

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational liberal arts college in the United S ...

in Oberlin, OH, during which time she sang background vocals for R&B singer

Howard Hewett Howard Hewett Jr. (born October 1, 1955) is an American singer–songwriter. Hewett rose to fame as the lead vocalist of the group Shalamar. In 1985, he left the group to pursue his solo career, but he later returned to the group in 2001. He sig ...

. Following college, Gaines attended

Ashland Theological Seminary Ashland Theological Seminary is a seminary in Ohio. It is located at 910 Center Street in Ashland, Ohio, with another site located in Cleveland, Ohio. The seminary has students and faculty representing over 30 denominations and over 4100 alumni. ...

, where she received a Masters of Divinity, before moving to New York City to teach seventh-grade math in the Bronx. She presently resides in

Franklin, Tennessee Franklin is a city in and county seat of Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. About south of Nashville, it is one of the principal cities of the Nashville metropolitan area and Middle Tennessee. As of 2020, its population was 83,454 ...

, with her husband, Erik Justin "E.J." Gaines.

Music career

In 2010, Janice Gaines began touring the nation as a member of the Worship Team for

Women of Faith Women of Faith is a global ministry (87 countries) Christian, providing digital media, resources and events to encourage and equip women to experience a deeper relationship with Jesus. It has staged non-denominational A non-denominational person ...

, a Christian-based live events organization. Following the 2012 release of her debut single, "One Day," Gaines caught the attention of Motown Gospel president Ken Pennell, who later signed her to a recording agreement. In December 2014, Janice Gaines was featured on the ''Motown Christmas'' album, singing a duet with

Award-nominated R&B/soul singer

Kem (singer) Kim Owens (born July 23, 1969), better known by his stage name Kem, is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B/soul music, Soul Singing, singer–songwriter and record producer, producer. Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Kem was raised near Detroit, Michi ...

on the song "Bethlehem." In 2015, Motown Gospel released two singles from Janice Gaines-- "Wait On You" and "The Break-Up Song". "Wait On You" peaked at No. 21 on ''

Billboard's ''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the music ...

'' Hot Gospel Songs chart. Her debut album, ''Greatest Life Ever,'' produced by

Award-winning producer

, was released on October 9, 2015, and debuted at No. 7 on ''

'' Top Gospel Albums chart. In 2016, Janice Gaines earned her first

nomination for her debut single, "Wait On You," in the Contemporary Gospel/Urban Recorded Song of the Year category. In 2017, Gaines earned her first

Stellar Award A Stellar Award is an award presented by SAGMA to recognize achievements in the gospel music industry.Sagma
The Stell ...

nomination for Contemporary Female Vocalist of the Year.

Discography

;Singles

Awards

GMA Dove Awards

Stellar Awards

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaines, Janice 1981 births African-American Christians Musicians from Memphis, Tennessee 21st-century American singers Living people American gospel singers Musicians from St. Louis Oberlin College alumni Singers from Missouri 21st-century African-American musicians