Koryn Mattanah Hawthorne (born December 26, 1997) is an American contemporary Christian music and

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...

singer. Hawthorne was a finalist in

season 8 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

's singing competition ''

The Voice The Voice may refer to: Fictional entities * The Voice or Presence, a fictional representation of God in DC Comics * The Voice (''Dune''), a fictional ability in the ''Dune'' universe * The Voice, a character in the American TV series ''Cleo ...

'', at the age of 17, as a member on Pharrell Williams's team. After placing fourth on the show, Hawthorne got signed to

RCA Inspiration RCA Inspiration (formerly Verity Gospel Music Group) is a gospel music group operating under Sony Music. History Inception In late 2002, BMG completed the purchase of the Zomba Group for US$2.74 billion and as a part of that deal, acquired the ...

, a division of

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainme ...

dedicated to gospel music recordings. Her debut studio album, ''Unstoppable'', was released on July 13, 2018, and earned her multiple awards nominations, including two Grammy nominations.

Career

2015: ''The Voice''

Koryn Hawthorne auditioned for the eighth season of ''

'' singing

Emeli Sandé Adele Emily Sandé, ( ; born 10 March 1987), known professionally as Emeli Sandé, is a Scottish singer and songwriter. Born in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, and raised in Alford, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, by an English mother and a Zambian father ...

's "My Kind of Love". Both

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...

and Williams turned around. Hawthorne chose Aguilera as her coach. In the Battle rounds, Hawthorne faced Vance Smith, where they sang "

Love Me Harder "Love Me Harder" is a song by American singer Ariana Grande and Canadian singer the Weeknd from Grande's second studio album, '' My Everything'' (2014). It was written by the Weeknd, Max Martin, Savan Kotecha, Peter Svensson, Ali Payami and Be ...

", a duet by Ariana Grande and

The Weeknd Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. Known for his sonic versatility and dark lyricism, his music explores escapism, romance, and ...

. Hawthorne was chosen over Smith. During the Knockout rounds, she covered "

Try Try or TRY may refer to: Music Albums * ''Try!'', an album by the John Mayer Trio * ''Try'' (Bebo Norman album) (2014) Songs * "Try" (Blue Rodeo song) (1987) * "Try" (Colbie Caillat song) (2014) * "Try" (Nelly Furtado song) (2004) * " Try (Ju ...

" but lost to her opponent Kimberly Nichole. She was then stolen by Williams. During the Playoffs she sang

How Great Thou Art "How Great Thou Art" is a Christian hymn based on an original Swedish hymn entitled "" written in 1885 by Carl Boberg (1859–1940). The English version of the hymn and its title are a loose translation by the English missionary Stuart K. Hine ...

but was not chosen by the public, who could only save two artists from Williams' team. Williams, who could save one of his three remaining artists, chose her. The following week, she sang

Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of ''American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her debu ...

's "

Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" is a song by American recording artist Kelly Clarkson and the title song from her fifth studio album, '' Stronger'' (2011). Originally titled as "What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)", the song served as the album's ...

" and was saved by public voting. In the Top 10 she performed " Make It Rain" by

Foy Vance Foy Vance (born 1974) is a musician and singer-songwriter from Northern Ireland signed to Ed Sheeran's Gingerbread Man label. Vance has toured as a support act to British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran and his music has been featured on numerous ...

, reaching the third position on iTunes and debuting at the 84th position on Hot 100. The following week, she covered " Girl on Fire" by

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...

and was saved by the public. In the Top 6, Hawthorne showed her rock side covering

R.E.M R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternativ ...

's "

Everybody Hurts "Everybody Hurts" is a song by American rock band R.E.M. from their eighth studio album, '' Automatic for the People'' (1992), and released as a single in April 1993. It peaked at number 29 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and reached the top ...

" and Aerosmith's " Dream On". In the Top 5, after singing U2's " One" and the traditional song, " Oh Mary Don't You Weep", she was, alongside India Carney, in the bottom two. She sang Beyoncé's "

If I Were a Boy "If I Were a Boy" is a song written by BC Jean and Toby Gad and originally performed by Jean in 2008. The song gained international attention the same year in a version by the American singer Beyoncé, from her third studio album '' I Am... Sa ...

" for her last chance performance, being instantly saved over Carney. In the finale, Hawthorne performed "

It's a Man's Man's Man's World "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" is a song written by James Brown and Betty Jean Newsome. Brown recorded it on February 16, 1966, in a New York City studio and released it as a single later that year. It reached No. 1 on the '' Billboard'' R& ...

" by James Brown,

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

' "

We Can Work It Out "We Can Work It Out" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon. It was first issued as a double A-side single with "Day Tripper" in December 1965. It also appeared on the 1966 US release '' Yesterd ...

" with coach Williams and also her original song "Bright Fire", written by Williams. She finished in 4th place. Throughout the competition, Hawthorne's evolution as a singer caught the attention of the coaches. Adam Levine pointed out that never before in the history of ''The Voice'' had he seen "such a drastic, incredible, unbelievable journey". Williams compared her drive to succeed to that of Beyoncé. Abbeville Mayor Mark Piazza declared May 6, 2015 "Koryn Hawthorne Day" and presented her with the key to the city. : – Studio version of performance reached the top 10 on iTunes

2016–2017: Record deal and EP release

After finishing in fourth place on ''

'', Hawthorne got signed to

, a division of Sony Music dedicated to gospel music recordings, and started working on her debut material. In February 2016, she announced via Twitter she would be guest-starring on the fifth season of '' Mary Mary'', that first aired on March 3. On the reality TV show, Hawthorne got to know producer

Warryn Campbell Warryn Stafford Campbell, Jr. (born August 21, 1975) is an American record producer. He has worked with a number of gospel, hip hop and R&B artists. Campbell originally got his start as a session musician and producer under the tutelage of DJ ...

, who would later help to produce her original material. On March 6, 2016, the TV show '' Saints & Sinners'', in which Hawthorne recorded the song ''Saints & Sinners'' for the original soundtrack, was premiered on Bounce TV. In 2017, Hawthorne collaborated with Christian recording artist Branan Murphy on the single "All the Wrong Things". Following the appearance on ''Mary Mary'', Hawthorne made a guest appearance on OWN's TV show '' Greenleaf'', debuting "Won't He Do It", the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

from her debut material. ''Koryn Hawthorne – EP'', a four-track EP, was released on August 11, 2017. Hawthorne's vocals and delivery attracted Grammy Award-winning producers and songwriters Warryn Campbell, Makeba Riddick,

Bernie Herms Bernhard "Bernie" Herms (born March 26, 1972) is a Canadian composer, songwriter, and music producer in Nashville, Tennessee. He has received and been nominated for Grammy Awards, GMA Dove Awards, and GMA Canada Covenant Awards, due to his song ...

and Joaquin "The Bear" Bynum, who produced and penned her debut material. The EP earned Hawthorne two Stellar Gospel Music Awards nominations for New Artist of the Year and Contemporary Female Vocalist of the Year.

2018–2019: Debut album release and Grammy Awards nomination

Koryn's full-length debut, ''Unstoppable'', was released on July 13, 2018, and reached number 1 on the

Top Gospel Albums The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, pr ...

, while the album's lead single, "Won't He Do It", reached number 1 on Billboard's three main gospel charts. Hawthorne is the first woman to top four gospel charts simultaneously in five years as well as the longest number 1 female artist holder on Billboard's Hot Gospel Songs Chart. Alongside

Jeremy Camp Jeremy Thomas Camp (born January 12, 1978) is an American contemporary Christian music singer and songwriter from Lafayette, Indiana. He has released eleven albums, four of them RIAA-certified as Gold, and two live albums. Camp's original music ...

Matthew West Matthew Joseph West (born April 25, 1977) is an American contemporary Christian musician, singer-songwriter, and actor. He has released five studio albums and is known for his songs " More", "You Are Everything", and " The Motions". He was nom ...

and

Rend Collective Rend Collective (formerly known as Rend Collective Experiment) is a Northern Irish Christian folk rock worship band originating from Bangor, Northern Ireland. The current lineup consists of Gareth Gilkeson, Chris Llewellyn, Ali Gilkeson, Patr ...

, she was one of the attractions of the Christian music's summer concert event ''Summer Lights Tour'', which started on July 12, 2018, in Detroit and ended on July 22, 2018, in

Corbin Corbin may refer to: People * Corbin (given name) * Corbin (surname) * Corbin (musician), American singer Buildings * Corbin Building, a historic building located at 192 Broadway in New York, US * Corbin Cabin, a log structure in Shenandoah ...

. On July 26, 2018, Aaron Cole's new single, "Down Like That", in which Koryn is featured, was released. Later this year, Hawthorne was nominated for the 49th Annual GMA

Dove Awards 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 Award ...

in two categories: New Artist of the Year and Contemporary Gospel/Urban Recorded Song of the Year for her debut single "Won't He Do It", and won the latter. In November 2018, Hawthorne took the stage on

Soul Train Awards The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual music awards show which previously aired in national broadcast syndication, and honors the best in African-American culture, music and entertainment. It is produced by the makers of '' Soul Train'', the ...

, performing her hit single "Won't He Do It". In February 2019, the music video for "Unstoppable" was released, featuring

Lecrae Lecrae Devaughn Moore (born October 9, 1979), mononymously known as Lecrae, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record and film producer, record executive, actor, and entrepreneur. He is the president, co-owner and co-founder of the i ...

. Koryn Hawthorne received a nomination for Best Gospel Performance/Song ("Won't He Do It") on the 61st

Grammy Award 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 pr ...

. She also received seven

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

nominations and two

NAACP Image Awards The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...

nominations, having won one from each award. Later this year, she was nominated for the Billboard Music Awards 2019, in three categories. In August 2019, Koryn contributed to '' Overcomer'' soundtrack with the single "Enough". Hawthorne was nominated for Best Gospel Performance/Song ("Speak the Name") on the 62nd Grammy Awards, making it her second Grammy nomination. In December 2019, Koryn's debut single "Won't He Do It" was officially certified

Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

2020–present: ‘’I AM’’

On July 24, 2020, Koryn released "Pray", the lead single from her second album, which reached number 1 on Billboard's Gospel Digital Song Sales chart. On August 7, the album's second single, "Speak to Me", was released. Hawthorne's album, ‘’I AM’’, was released on September 18, 2020. For the second year in a row, Koryn Hawthorne was nominated for ''Billboard'' Top Gospel Artist category alongside

Kirk Franklin Kirk Dewayne Franklin (born January 26, 1970) is an American songwriter, choir director, gospel singer, and rapper. He is best known for leading urban contemporary gospel ensembles such as The Family, God's Property, and One Nation Crew (1NC) ...

, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Sunday Service Choir and

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

. Koryn was nominated for the Best Gospel/Inspirational Award on

BET Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...

’s annual

2020, competing against long-time artists Bebe Winans,

Marvin Sapp Bishop Marvin Louis Sapp Sr. (born January 28, 1967) is an American Gospel music singer-songwriter who recorded with the group Commissioned during the 1990s before beginning a record-breaking solo career. Sapp is also the founder and former seni ...

PJ Morton P.J. Morton (born Paul Morton Jr.; March 29, 1981) is an American Grammy winning musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. Since 2012, he has been one of the keyboardists, alongside Jesse Carmichael, for the pop rock band Maroon 5. Mor ...

and

The Clark Sisters The Clark Sisters are an American gospel vocal group consisting of five sisters: Jacky Clark Chisholm (born 1948), Denise "Niecy" Clark-Bradford (born 1953), Elbernita "Twinkie" Clark (born 1954), Dorinda Clark-Cole (born 1957), and Karen Cla ...

. On February 2021, Hawthorne was nominated for the Best Gospel/Christian Album on NAACP Image Award. Koryn was also nominated for the third year in a row for the Billboard Music Awards 2021, in three categories. Her single "Speak to Me" was nominated for two categories on the 52nd

GMA Dove Awards 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 Award ...

: Song of the Year and Contemporary Gospel Recorded Song of the Year.

Influences

Hawthorne cites a variety of artists as her main influences and inspirations, including Jt, Etta James,

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the " Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue before ...

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

Lauryn Hill Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. She is often regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, as well as being one of the most influential musicians of her generation. ...

Fred Hammond Frederick William Hammond (born December 27, 1960) is an American gospel singer, bass guitar player, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most popular figures in contemporary gospel music. He is known for using a variety of differe ...

, Mary Mary,

, among others.

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

Singles

As lead artist

Other charted songs

Promotional singles

As featured artist

Releases from ''The Voice''

;Albums ;Competition singles

Awards and nominations

American Music Awards

, - , 2021 , Koryn Hawthorne , Favorite Gospel Artist ,

Billboard Music Awards

, - , rowspan="3" , 2019 , Koryn Hawthorne , , , - , Unstoppable , Top Gospel Album , , - , "Won't He Do It" , Top Gospel Song , , - , 2020 , Koryn Hawthorne , Top Gospel Artist , , - , rowspan="3" , 2021 , Koryn Hawthorne , Top Gospel Artist , , - , I AM , Top Gospel Album , , - , "Speak to Me" , Top Gospel Song ,

GMA Dove Awards

, - , rowspan="2" , 2018 , Koryn Hawthorne , New Artist of the , , - , "Won't He Do It" , Contemporary Gospel/Urban Recorded Song of the Year , , - , rowspan="4" , 2019 , Koryn Hawthorne , Gospel Artist of the Year , , - , "Won't He Do It" , Song of the Year , , - , "Unstoppable" , Contemporary Gospel Recorded Song of the Year , , - , ''Unstoppable'' , Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year , , - , 2020 , Koryn Hawthorne , Best Gospel/Inspirational Award , , - , rowspan="2" , 2021 , "Speak to Me" , , Song of the Year , , , - , ''I Am'' , , Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year , ,

Grammy Award

, - , 2019 , , "Won't He Do It" , , Best Gospel Performance/Song , , , - , 2020 , , "Speak the Name" , , Best Gospel Performance/Song , ,

NAACP Image Awards

, - , rowspan="2" , 2019 , Koryn Hawthorne , Outstanding New Artist , , - , Unstoppable , Outstanding Gospel Album (Traditional or Contemporary) , , - , 2021 , I AM , Outstanding Gospel/Christian Album ,

Stellar Gospel Music Awards

, - , rowspan="2" , 2018 , , rowspan="6" , Koryn Hawthorne , , New Artist of the Year , , , - , Contemporary Female Vocalist of the Year , , , - , rowspan="7" , 2019 , , Artist of the Year , , , - , Albertina Walker Female Vocalist of the Year , , , - , Producer of the Year , , , - , Contemporary Female Vocalist of the Year , , , - , rowspan="2" , "Won't He Do It" , , Song of the Year , , , - , Music Video of the Year , , , - , Unstoppable , , Contemporary CD of the Year , , , -

Soul Train Awards

, - , 2020 , Koryn Hawthorne , Best Gospel/Inspirational Award ,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hawthorne, Koryn 1997 births Living people 21st-century African-American women singers Singers from Louisiana American contemporary R&B singers American soul singers American gospel singers The Voice (franchise) contestants 21st-century American singers Participants in American reality television series 21st-century American women singers