Koryn Hawthorne

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Koryn Hawthorne
Birth name	Koryn Mattanah Hawthorne
Born	(1997-12-26) December 26, 1997 (age 23)[1] Abbeville, Louisiana, U.S.
Genres	Contemporary Christian music gospel soul R&B
Occupation(s)	Singer
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	2007–present
Associated acts	Branan Murphy Lecrae Natalie Grant
Website	korynhawthorne.com

Koryn Mattanah Hawthorne (born December 26, 1997)^[1] is an American contemporary Christian music and gospel singer. Hawthorne was a finalist in season 8 of NBC's singing competition The Voice, at the age of 17, as a member on Pharrell Williams's team.^[2] After placing fourth on the show, Hawthorne got signed to RCA Inspiration, a division of Sony Music dedicated to gospel music recordings.^[3] 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 The Voice singing Emeli Sandé's "My Kind of Love".^[4] Both Christina Aguilera and Williams turned around. Hawthorne chose Aguilera as her coach. In the Battle rounds, Hawthorne faced Vance Smith, where they sang "Love Me Harder", a duet by Ariana Grande and The Weeknd. Hawthorne was chosen over Smith. During the Knockout rounds, she covered "Try" but lost to her opponent Kimberly Nichole. She was then stolen by Williams.

During the Playoffs she sang How Great Thou Art^[5] 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's "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" and was saved by public voting. In the Top 10 she performed "Make It Rain" by Foy Vance, reaching the third position on iTunes and debuting at the 84th position on Hot 100.^[6] The following week, she covered "Girl on Fire" by Alicia Keys and was saved by the public.

In the Top 6, Hawthorne showed her rock side covering R.E.M's "Everybody Hurts" 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" for her last chance performance, being instantly saved over Carney.^[7] In the finale, Hawthorne performed "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" by James Brown, The Beatles' "We Can Work It Out" with coach Williams and also her original song "Bright Fire", written by Williams. She finished in 4th place.^[8]

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.^{[citation needed]} Abbeville Mayor Mark Piazza declared May 6, 2015 "Koryn Hawthorne Day" and presented her with the key to the city.^[9]

  – Studio version of performance reached the top 10 on iTunes

Stage	Song	Original Artist	Date	Order	Result
Blind Audition	"My Kind of Love"	Emeli Sandé	March 3, 2015	4/2	Christina Aguilera and Pharrell Williams turned Joined Team Christina
Battle Rounds	"Love Me Harder" (vs. Vance Smith)	Ariana Grande	March 17, 2015	9/3	Saved by Coach
Knockout Rounds	"Try" (vs. Kimberly Nichole)	Pink	March 23, 2015	10/6	Defeated Stolen by Pharrell Williams
Live Playoffs (Top 20)	"How Great Thou Art"	Christian hymn	April 6, 2015	6	Bottom 3 Saved by Pharrell Williams
Live Top 12	"Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)"	Kelly Clarkson	April 13, 2015	9	Saved by Public Vote
Live Top 10	"Make It Rain"	Foy Vance	April 20, 2015	5	Saved by Public Vote
Live Top 8	"Girl on Fire"	Alicia Keys	April 27, 2015	8	Saved by Public Vote
Live Top 6	"Everybody Hurts"	R.E.M.	May 4, 2015	3	Saved by Public Vote
	"Dream On"	Aerosmith		9
Live Top 5 (Semi-finals) and Instant Save	"One"	U2	May 11, 2015	2	Bottom 2 Saved by Instant Save
	"Oh Mary Don't You Weep"	Traditional		7
	"If I Were a Boy"	Beyoncé	May 12, 2015	2
Live Finale	"It's a Man's Man's Man's World"	James Brown	May 18, 2015	1	4th place
	"We Can Work It Out" (with Pharrell Williams)	The Beatles		6
	"Bright Fire" (Original song)	Koryn Hawthorne		10

Non-competition performances

Episode	Performers	Song
16.4	Team Pharrell (Caitlin Caporale, Sawyer Fredericks, Koryn Hawthorne, Lowell Oakley, Mia Z)	"Say Something"
19.1	Top 10	"Rocket Man/Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting"
20.1	Pharrell Williams & his team (Sawyer Fredericks and Koryn Hawthorne)	"I Don't Want to Be"
21.2	Top 8 Girls (Hannah Kirby, Koryn Hawthorne, Kimberly Nichole, Meghan Linsey, India Carney)	"Wake Me Up"
26.3	Top 3 Girls (India Carney, Koryn Hawthorne, Meghan Linsey)	"Faithfully"
28.1	The Top 20	"Carry On/Some Nights"
28.4	Kelly Clarkson and Koryn Hawthorne	"I'd Rather Go Blind"
28.10	Koryn Hawthorne (with Caitlin Caporale, India Carney, Lexi Davila, Mia Z and Tonya Boyd-Cannon)	"Uptown Funk"

2016–2017: Record deal and EP release[]

After finishing in fourth place on The Voice, Hawthorne got signed to RCA Inspiration, a division of Sony Music dedicated to gospel music recordings, and started working on her debut material.^[10] 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, who would later help to produce her original material.^[11] 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.^[12] In 2017, Hawthorne collaborated with Christian recording artist Branan Murphy on the single "All the Wrong Things".^[13] Following the appearance on Mary Mary, Hawthorne made a guest appearance on OWN's TV show Greenleaf,^[14] debuting "Won't He Do It", the lead single 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 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.^[15]

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, 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, Matthew West and Rend Collective, 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.

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 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, performing her hit single "Won't He Do It".

In February 2019, the music video for "Unstoppable" was released, featuring Lecrae.

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.

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.

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, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Sunday Service Choir and Kanye West.

Koryn was nominated for the Best Gospel/Inspirational Award on BET’s annual Soul Train Awards 2020, competing against long-time artists Bebe Winans, Kirk Franklin, Marvin Sapp, PJ Morton and The Clark Sisters.

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: 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 Etta James, Mary J. Blige, Tina Turner, Michael Jackson, Lauryn Hill, Fred Hammond, Mary Mary, Kirk Franklin, among others.

Discography[]

Studio albums[]

List of studio albums with selected chart positions

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions	Sales
		Top Gospel Albums
Unstoppable	Released: July 13, 2018 Label: RCA Inspiration Format: CD, digital download, streaming	1	US: 100,000
I AM	Released: September 18, 2020 Label: RCA Inspiration Format: CD, digital download, streaming	1	TBA

EPs[]

List of EPs with selected chart positions

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
		Top Gospel Albums
Koryn Hawthorne – EP	Released: August 11, 2017 Label: RCA Inspiration Format: Digital download, streaming	19

Singles[]

As lead artist[]

List of singles as lead artist with selected chart positions

Year	Title	Peak chart positions			Certifications	Album
		US Gospel	Gospel Digital	Gospel Airplay
2017	"Won't He Do It"	1	1	1	RIAA: Gold[16]	Unstoppable
	"Speak the Name" (featuring Natalie Grant)	14	3	—
2019	"Unstoppable"	3	5	5
	"Enough"	23	11	—		Overcomer (Music from and Inspired by the Original Motion Picture)
2020	"Pray"	12	1	—		I AM
	"Speak to Me"	1	1	1
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Other charted songs[]

List of singles as lead artist with selected chart positions

Year	Title	Peak chart positions		Album
		Hot Christian Songs	Gospel Digital
2020	"How Great"	41	—	I AM
	"Know You" (featuring Steffany Gretzinger)	—	10

Promotional singles[]

Year	Título	Album
2018	"Down Goes Rome"	Unstoppable

As featured artist[]

List of singles as featured artist with selected chart positions

Year	Title	Peak chart positions			Album
		Hot Christian Songs	Christian Airplay Songs	Gospel Digital
2017	"All The Wrong Things" (Branan Murphy featuring Koryn Hawthorne)	46	32	—	Who Am I?
2018	"Down Like That" (Aaron Cole featuring Koryn Hawthorne)	—	—	—	Cole Season (Playlist)
2021	"We All Need Jesus" (Danny Gokey featuring Koryn Hawthorne)	—	—	3	Jesus People
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Releases from The Voice[]

Albums

Title	Details	Peak positions
		US
The Voice: The Complete Season 8 Collection	Released: May 19, 2015 Label: Republic Records Formats: Digital download	85

Competition singles

Year	Title	Peak chart positions						Album
		US	Hot R&B Songs	R&B Digital Songs	Hot Gospel Songs	Christian Digital Songs	Hot Christian Songs
2015	"My Kind of Love"	—	—	—	—	—	—	The Voice: The Complete Season 8 Collection
	"Try"	—	—	—	—	—	—
	"How Great Thou Art"	—	—	—	1	—	—
	"Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)"	—	—	—	—	—	—
	"Make It Rain"	84[17]	22	—	—	—	—
	"Girl on Fire"	—	—	—	—	—	—
	"Everybody Hurts"	—	—	—	—	—	—
	"Dream On"	—	—	—	—	—	—
	"One"	—	—	—	—	—	—
	"Oh Mary Don't You Weep"	—	—	—	—	1	8
	"It's a Man's Man's Man's World"	—	15	—	—	—	—
	"Bright Fire (Original song)"	—	—	12	—	—	—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Awards and nominations[]

Billboard Music Awards[]

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2019	Koryn Hawthorne		Nominated
	Unstoppable	Top Gospel Album	Nominated
	"Won't He Do It"	Top Gospel Song	Won
2020	Koryn Hawthorne	Top Gospel Artist	Nominated
2021	Koryn Hawthorne	Top Gospel Artist	Nominated
	I AM	Top Gospel Album	Nominated
	"Speak to Me"	Top Gospel Song	Nominated

GMA Dove Awards[]

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2018	Koryn Hawthorne	New Artist of the	Nominated
	"Won't He Do It"	Contemporary Gospel/Urban Recorded Song of the Year	Won
2019	Koryn Hawthorne	Gospel Artist of the Year	Nominated
	"Won't He Do It"	Song of the Year	Nominated
	"Unstoppable"	Contemporary Gospel Recorded Song of the Year	Nominated
	Unstoppable	Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year	Won
2020	Koryn Hawthorne	Best Gospel/Inspirational Award	Nominated
2021	"Speak to Me"	Song of the Year	Pending
		Contemporary Gospel Recorded Song of the Year	Pending

Grammy Award[]

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2019	"Won't He Do It"	Best Gospel Performance/Song	Nominated
2020	"Speak the Name"	Best Gospel Performance/Song	Nominated

NAACP Image Awards[]

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2019	Koryn Hawthorne	Outstanding New Artist	Nominated
	Unstoppable	Outstanding Gospel Album (Traditional or Contemporary)	Won
2021	I AM	Outstanding Gospel/Christian Album	Nominated

Stellar Gospel Music Awards[]

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2018	Koryn Hawthorne	New Artist of the Year	Nominated
		Contemporary Female Vocalist of the Year	Nominated
2019		Artist of the Year	Nominated
		Albertina Walker Female Vocalist of the Year	Nominated
		Producer of the Year	Nominated
		Contemporary Female Vocalist of the Year	Nominated
	"Won't He Do It"	Song of the Year	Nominated
		Music Video of the Year	Won
	Unstoppable	Contemporary CD of the Year	Nominated

Soul Train Awards[]

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2020	Koryn Hawthorne	Best Gospel/Inspirational Award	Nominated

References[]