Koryn Hawthorne
Koryn Hawthorne
Popular
About
Becoming a recording artist is the one plan the 22-year-old Koryn has followed since she was a child growing up in Abbeville, Louisiana. Singing in her family’s church, Lighthouse for Jesus, she also listened to everyone from Mary Mary and Kirk Franklin to the aforementioned Bllge and Michael Jackson. Making her public debut at a talent showcase in Las Vegas — and winning — Koryn began auditioning for America’s Got Talent, X Factor and American Idol by age 11.
But it was on The Voice that Koryn’s raw, versatile vocals caught the ear of GRAMMY®-winning producer/artist Pharrell Williams (who compared her career drive to Beyoncé’s). After ascending to the finalist level and winning fourth place during season eight of the NBC TV series, Koryn signed with RCA Inspiration.
Debut album Unstoppable reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums chart, yielding the No. 1 Gold-certified single “Won’t He Do It” and the No. 3 title track. The former was originally conceived and written for the soundtrack of Greenleaf, a drama about a megachurch minister and his family now in its final season on the OWN Network.
Set to host the 35th anniversary of the Stellar Gospel Awards, Koryn won her first Stellar Award in 2019 for Music Video of the Year on behalf of “Won’t He Do It.” She’s also a two-time Dove Award winner for Unstoppable (2019 Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year) and “Won’t He Do It” (2018 Contemporary Gospel/Urban Recorded Song of the Year). Her “Speak the Name” garnered a 2019 GRAMMY® nod for Best Gospel Performance/Song, while “Won’t He Do It” gave Koryn her first 2018 GRAMMY® nomination in 2018 under the same category. Her additional industry accolades include the Billboard Music Awards (2019 win for Top Gospel Song/”Won’t He Do It”) and NAACP Image Awards (2019 win for Outstanding Gospel Album, Traditional or Contemporary/Unstoppable).
A self-professed warrior for God, Koryn hopes I Am “will affect people’s hearts with songs that are like prayers working in their lives. That’s why I’ll never get tired of singing.”
