Rebecca Jean Fink (; born 26 July 1977), known professionally as Rebecca Jean or Rebecca St. James, is an Australian

Christian pop rock Contemporary Christian music, also known as CCM, Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christianity, Christi ...

singer, songwriter and actress. She began performing in Australia in the late 1980s and released her first full-length studio album in 1991. She was signed to

ForeFront Records ForeFront Records is a contemporary Christian music and Christian rock record label founded in 1987 by Dan R. Brock, Eddie DeGarmo, Dana Key, and Ron W. Griffin. It was purchased by EMI in 1996 from Dan R. Brock and Eddie DeGarmo, and is a divi ...

in 1993, releasing her major label debut the following year. St. James rose to fame in the late 1990s with her

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...

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 ...

albums ''

God In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...

'' and ''

Pray Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity or a deified a ...

'', the latter of which won a

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 ...

in 1999 for Best Rock Gospel Album, and her holiday album ''

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

''. The albums spawned multiple singles, including "

", "Go and Sin No More", and "Pray". Since then she has established herself as one of the most prominent musical artists in

Contemporary Christian music Contemporary Christian music, also known as CCM, Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christianity, Christi ...

(CCM), with four additional full-length studio albums: '' Transform'', ''

Worship God ''Worship God'' is the seventh studio album by Rebecca St. James, released on 26 February 2002. It is her highest charting album to date, peaking at No. 94 on the ''Billboard'' 200. The album produced the hit singles " Song of Love" and "Breathe ...

'', '' If I Had One Chance to Tell You Something'' and ''

I Will Praise You ''I Will Praise You'' is the ninth studio album by Christian pop singer Rebecca St. James. The album was released on 5 April 2011 on Reunion/ Beach Street/ Essential Records. It was announced on 3 January 2011 via St. James' official Facebook page ...

''. Staple songs such as "

Wait for Me Wait for Me may refer to: Albums * ''Wait for Me'' (Moby album), 2009 * ''Wait for Me'' (The Pigeon Detectives album), 2007 * ''Wait for Me'' (Susan Tedeschi album), 2002 * '' Wait for Me: The Best from Rebecca St. James'', a 2003 album Songs ...

", "

Reborn Reborn may refer to: Film *''Reborn'', a 2015 video produced by the Augustine Institute * ''Re:Born'' (film), a 2016 Japanese action film * ''Reborn'' (film), a 2018 American horror film Music * Reborn (band), a Moroccan death metal band Albums ...

", "

Song of Love Song of Love may refer to: * Song of love or love song, a song about falling in love * ''The Song of Love'' (1923 film) * ''Song of Love'' (1929 film), a film starring Belle Baker and Ralph Graves * ''The Song of Love'' (1930 film) * ''Song of ...

", " Alive", and "Shine Your Glory Down", have all been derived from these releases. She has earned nine No. 1 hits on Christian radio and has sold nearly two million albums since starting her career. St. James is also an accomplished author and actress. To date, she has released more than a dozen published books and appeared in eight films (including lead roles in ''

Sarah's Choice ''Sarah's Choice'' is a 2009 American direct-to-video Christian drama film directed by Chad Kapper. The film was the first lead film role for contemporary Christian singer-songwriter Rebecca St. James as the title character, along with Andrea ...

'' and ''A Strange Brand of Happy''), a musical stage show, and a ''

VeggieTales ''VeggieTales'' is an American Christian media, computer generated musical children's animation, and book franchise created by Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki under Big Idea Entertainment. The series sees fruit and vegetable characters retell ...

'' episode ("An Easter Carol"). She is also an outspoken

sexual abstinence Sexual abstinence or sexual restraint is the practice of refraining from some or all aspects of sexual activity for medical, psychological, legal, social, financial, philosophical, moral, or religious reasons. Sexual abstinence is distinct from ...

and

anti-abortion Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life or abolitionist movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in respo ...

advocate, a spokesperson for

Compassion International Compassion International is an American child sponsorship and Christian humanitarian aid organization headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, that aims to positively influence the long-term development of children globally who live in pove ...

, the sister of Joel and Luke Smallbone, who comprise the band For King & Country, and the wife of

Foster the People Foster the People is an American indie pop band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 2009. Its members are singer Mark Foster, guitarist Sean Cimino, and keyboardist Isom Innis. Foster founded the band in 2009 after spending several years in ...

's former bassist Jacob "Cubbie" Fink.

Early life

Rebecca St. James was born Rebecca Jean Smallbone on 26 July 1977 in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...

to parents David and Helen Smallbone. She moved to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

, after her father's job relocation, in 1991, where she was raised with a sister, Libby, and five brothers, Ben, Dan, Joel, Josh, and Luke.

Career

Musical beginnings (1990–1995)

In 1990, at twelve years of age, St. James opened shows for CCM artist

Carman In Celtic mythology, Carman or Carmun was a warrior and sorceress from Athens who tried to invade Ireland in the days of the Tuatha Dé Danann, along with her three sons, Dub ("black"), Dother ("evil") and Dian ("violence"). She used her magica ...

during his Australian tour. The following year she released an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...

album, '' Refresh My Heart'', in Australia under the stage name "Rebecca Jean". Soon after its release, her family moved to the United States where her father received a job offer. She signed with

and took her stage name at the label's request. In 1994 she released her major label debut: ''

Rebecca St. James Rebecca Jean Fink (; born 26 July 1977), known professionally as Rebecca Jean or Rebecca St. James, is an Australian Christian pop rock singer, songwriter and actress. She began performing in Australia in the late 1980s and released Refresh My H ...

''. She also released the '' Rebecca St. James: Extended Play Remixes'' EP in 1995.

''God'' and ''Pray'' (1996–1999)

On 25 June 1996, St. James released her third studio album ''

'', led by the

title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album or film in which it appears. In the Korean music industry, the term is used to describe a promoted song on an album, akin to a single, regardless of the song's title. Title track may a ...

. The album took her music in a new direction, focusing more on rock. It debuted to positive reviews and debuted at 200, and peaked at 168 on the ''Billboard'' 200. It also charted at No. 10 on the ''Billboard'' Heatseekers chart and No. 6 on ''Billboards Contemporary Christian chart. In 1997, she was nominated for a

Grammy Award for Best Rock Gospel Album The 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 m ...

for ''God'' and in 2005 the album was

certified gold Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

for selling over 500,000 copies. To promote the album, St. James released a devotion book, ''40 Days with God: A Devotional Journey'', in 1996. In 1997, St. James released the sequel to her devotional book: ''You're the Voice: 40 More Days with God''. On 7 October of the same year, she released her fourth studio album and first holiday album, ''

''. The album charted at No. 12 on ''Billboards

Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers are "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new an ...

chart and No. 14 on the Top Contemporary Christian chart. On 20 October 1998, St. James released her fifth studio album, ''

'', which debuted to mixed reviews. The album managed to chart at No. 168 on the ''Billboard'' 200, and No. 5 on both the Heatseekers Chart and the Contemporary Christian Chart. The album won a

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 pres ...

in 1999 for Best Rock/Gospel Album, and, in 2006, it was RIAA-certified gold for selling over 500,000 copies. Also in 1998, St. James contributed to the CCM compilation album '' Surfonic Water Revival'' with the song "Gold Coast". In 1999, St. James released " Yes, I Believe In God" to radio only, in memory of the lives lost at the

Columbine shooting On April 20, 1999, a school shooting and attempted bombing occurred at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado, United States. The perpetrators, 12th grade students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, murdered 12 students and one teacher ...

. The song was later released on the album '' Wait for Me: The Best from Rebecca St. James''. Also in 1999, St. James released a video on VHS, '' No Secrets'', featuring interviews of her and her family, behind-the-scenes footage and the music video for the song "Pray". In addition to her own projects, St. James took part in a CD release, ''Heaven & Earth: A Tapestry of Worship'', which featured female Christian artists such as

Nichole Nordeman Nichole Ellyse Nordeman (born January 3, 1972) is an American contemporary Christian singer and songwriter. Biography Nordeman was raised in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where she played the piano in church. She got her start when she entered ...

and

Jennifer Knapp Jennifer Lynn Knapp (born April 12, 1974) is an American-Australian folk rock, and contemporary Christian musician. She is best known for her first single "Undo Me" from her debut album, ''Kansas'' (1998), and the song "A Little More" from her ...

. The album was released in November 1999 and features two songs by St. James; "As We Wait" and "River of Life". She also contributed a remix of her song "Omega" to the CCM compilation ''Listen:Louder''.

''Transform'', ''Worship God'' and ''Wait for Me: The Best from Rebecca St. James'' (2000–2004)

In June 2000, St. James released a cover of the song "

Shout to the Lord "Shout to the Lord" is a praise and worship song written by Christian worship leader Darlene Zschech in 1993. A popular worship power ballad, it was published by Hillsong Music Australia. On 9 April 2008, "Shout to the Lord" was the closing s ...

" on the CCM compilation album ''Eterne: Never Be the Same''. The song was later made available on St. James' live record, ''Live Worship: Blessed Be Your Name'', as an embedded hidden track. On 24 October 2000, St. James released her sixth studio album, '' Transform''. The album charted at No. 166 on the ''Billboard'' 200, No. 7 on the Heatseekers Chart, and No. 14 on the Contemporary Christian Chart. The album garnered positive reviews and featured the songs "

" and "

". Also in 2000, St. James made a cameo in the film '' Left Behind: The Movie''. A year later, the devotional book, ''40 Days with God'' was re-released with a new layout and five new devotions. Also in 2001, St. James contributed to the CCM compilation album ''The Prayer of a Jabez'' with the song "Lead Me Away", which is a duet with

Michael Tait Michael DeWayne Tait (born May 18, 1966) is an American contemporary Christian music artist. Michael Tait met Toby McKeehan in 1984 when he was in high school. Both Toby and Michael met Kevin Max while attending Liberty University in the late 19 ...

. In 2002, to promote the single "

Wait For Me Wait for Me may refer to: Albums * ''Wait for Me'' (Moby album), 2009 * ''Wait for Me'' (The Pigeon Detectives album), 2007 * ''Wait for Me'' (Susan Tedeschi album), 2002 * '' Wait for Me: The Best from Rebecca St. James'', a 2003 album Songs ...

" from ''Transform'', St. James released the book '' Wait for Me: Rediscovering the Joy of Purity in Romance'', which went on to sell over 100,000 copies and spawn a

journal A journal, from the Old French ''journal'' (meaning "daily"), may refer to: *Bullet journal, a method of personal organization *Diary, a record of what happened over the course of a day or other period *Daybook, also known as a general journal, a ...

and

study guide Study guides can be broad based to facilitate learning in a number of areas, or be resources that foster comprehension of literature, research topics, history, and other subjects. General topics include study and testing strategies; reading, w ...

. The song and book promotes

before marriage, and St. James has since become a major spokesperson for the subject. On 12 February 2002, St. James released a cover of the Keith Green song "Your Love Broke Through" on the compilation album ''Your Love Broke Through: The Worship Songs Of Keith Green''. The song is a duet with

Phil Keaggy Philip Tyler Keaggy (born March 23, 1951) is an American acoustic and electric guitarist and vocalist who has released more than 55 albums and contributed to many more recordings in both the contemporary Christian music and mainstream markets. H ...

. Two weeks later, on 26 February 2002, St. James released her seventh studio album, ''

''. The album debuted to extremely positive reviews and charted at No. 94 on the ''Billboard'' 200, marking St. James' first Top 100 album, and No. 5 on the Contemporary Christian chart. She released a DVD to promote the album 19 November 2002, that featured

music videos A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

, interviews, etc. On 25 March 2003, after 10 years with

, St. James released her first compilation project, '' Wait for Me: The Best from Rebecca St. James'', which features 16 of her most popular songs and two new ones, including "I Thank You" which managed to peak at No. 2 on ''Billboards Hot Christian Songs chart. The album failed to make the ''Billboard'' 200, but charted at No. 16 on the Contemporary Christian chart. On 24 February 2004, St. James released her first live album, ''Live Worship: Blessed Be Your Name'', which included seven new songs and two studio-recorded songs. The album peaked at No. 187 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and No. 12 on the Top Christian Albums chart. Later that year, St. James released a compilation album, ''The Best of Rebecca St. James'', and her book ''SHE: Safe, Healthy, Empowered: The Woman You're Made to Be''. Also in 2004, St. James starred in the stage musical ''

!Hero ''!HERO'' is a 2003 Christian rock opera about Jesus. It is based on the question, "What if Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania?". After the original tour in 2003 ended, it was released on DVD, CD, and was written into a trilogy of novel ...

'' as a modern day

Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to his crucifixion and resurre ...

(as Maggie). St. James later lent her voice to the

episode "An Easter Carol" as Hope the Music Box Angel. She also took part in a pop/rock

album, ''Veggie Rocks!'' and covered "The VeggieTales Theme Song" for the album. The same year, St. James appeared as a guest vocalist on records by

Dennis Jernigan Dennis Jernigan is a singer-songwriter of contemporary Christian music. He is native to Oklahoma, and headquarters a music-based Christian ministry from there. Jernigan now lives in Muskogee, Oklahoma, with his wife and their nine children. Je ...

and

Newsboys Newsboys (sometimes stylised as newsboys) are a Christian rock band founded in 1985 in Mooloolaba, Queensland, Australia, by Peter Furler and George Perdikis. Now based in Nashville, Tennessee, the band has released 17 studio albums, 6 of which ...

. She co-performed the songs "Faithful Friend" and "Blessed Be Your Name", respectively.

''If I Had One Chance to Tell You Something'', film debut, and ''aLIVE in Florida'' (2005–2007)

After taking a

hiatus Hiatus may refer to: * Hiatus (anatomy), a natural fissure in a structure * Hiatus (stratigraphy), a discontinuity in the age of strata in stratigraphy *''Hiatus'', a genus of picture-winged flies with sole member species '' Hiatus fulvipes'' * G ...

from recording music, St. James returned to the

studio A studio is an artist or worker's workroom. This can be for the purpose of acting, architecture, painting, pottery (ceramics), sculpture, origami, woodworking, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, industrial design ...

in early 2005 to record new songs. On 24 October 2005, the first single from the album, " Alive", was released. The song managed to chart at No. 3 on R&R's CHR Chart and No. 13 on ''Billboard''s Hot Christian Songs Chart. Her eighth studio album, '' If I Had One Chance to Tell You Something'', was released on 22 November 2005. The album debuted to fairly positive reviews. It charted at No. 14 on ''Billboards Top Christian Albums Chart, but failed to make the ''Billboard'' 200. On 1 July 2005, St. James released a Teen Edition of her book, ''SHE'' and on 1 October 2005, she released another book: ''Sister Freaks: Stories of Women Who Gave Up Everything For God''. Also in 2005, St. James contributed a song, "Lion", to the album '' Music Inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'', and released a cover of the

Christmas carol A Christmas carol is a carol (a song or hymn) on the theme of Christmas, traditionally sung at Christmas itself or during the surrounding Christmas holiday season. The term noel has sometimes been used, especially for carols of French or ...

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" is an English Christmas carol that first appeared in 1739 in the collection ''Hymns and Sacred Poems''. The carol, based on , tells of an angelic chorus singing praises to God. As it is known in the modern era, it f ...

". In early 2006, St. James embarked on her ''If I Had One Chance To Tell You Something Tour'' with fellow Christian group

BarlowGirl BarlowGirl was an American Christian rock and CCM all-female band from Elgin, Illinois. The band was composed of sisters Alyssa (lead vocals, bass guitar, keyboards), Lauren (co-lead vocals, drums) and Rebecca (guitar, backing vocals) Barlow. ...

. She also recorded "America", the theme song for the

National Day of Prayer The National Day of Prayer is an annual day of observance held on the first Thursday of May, designated by the United States Congress, when people are asked "to turn to God in prayer and meditation". The president is required by law () to sign a ...

. It was released to iTunes on 2 May 2006. She also recorded a cover of

Chris Tomlin Christopher Dwayne Tomlin (born May 4, 1972) is an American contemporary Christian music singer, songwriter, and worship leader from Grand Saline, Texas, United States, who has sold over 7 million records. He is a member of Passion Conferences an ...

's song "Forever" for the album '' WOW Worship: Aqua''. The same year, ForeFront Records put together a compilation album, ''The Early Years'', that covered ten songs from her earliest releases: ''Rebecca St. James'', ''GOD'' and ''Pray''. Aside from music, St. James made her major character film debut in ''Unidentified'' as Colleen in 2006. In 2007, ForeFront Records took live footage and recordings from the ''If I Had One Chance... Tour'' and released '' aLIVE in Florida'', a CD/DVD collection on 20 March. The album features 14 live songs and an exclusive remix of "You Are Loved". The album charted at No. 43 on ''Billboards Top Christian Albums Chart. At the time of the album's release, it was announced that St. James has sold over 1.8 million albums to date.

Musical hiatus and film career launch (2008–2010)

In the midst of a musical hiatus, ForeFront Records put together a two-disc compilation album, '' The Ultimate Collection'', which was released 11 March 2008. Another compilation, ''

Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

'', was released later that year on 18 October 2008. On 3 September 2008, St. James released another book: ''Pure: A 90-Day Devotional for the Mind, Body, & Spirit''. In late 2008, St. James announced she would star as the lead role in ''

'', a film that was released to DVD on 17 November 2009. It includes "Little One", a song by St. James. The song was released almost two years later on 2 September 2011. The film received good reviews from Christian movie critics. Although on musical hiatus, on 16 April 2009, St. James released "You're Alive" to iTunes as an advance single for her ''Resurrection Worship: Songs of Hope'' album. Then, in June 2009, she released "Wish" to her MySpace page. Aside from these brief musical endeavours, St. James' book ''Loved: Stories of Forgiveness'' was released on 1 September 2009. On 19 August 2009, Christian Cinema reported that St. James had wrapped up filming a new film, '' Rising Stars'', which was released on 22 October 2010. On 19 October 2010, St. James released her version of "

O Little Town of Bethlehem "O Little Town of Bethlehem" is a Christmas carol. Based on an 1868 text written by Phillips Brooks, the carol is popular on both sides of the Atlantic, but to different tunes: in The United States, to "St. Louis" by Brooks' collaborator, Lewis ...

" on the album ''The Essential Christmas Collection''.

''I Will Praise You'', continued film career, and first novels (2011–2016)

On 18 November 2010, St. James announced that she had parted ways with

and would be releasing a new worship album in April 2011 via Beach Street/

Reunion Records Reunion Records is a contemporary Christian record label based in Brentwood, Tennessee, that operates under the Provident Label Group. The label was founded in 1982, by Dan Harrell and Mike Blanton. History The label was formed by Amy Grant's ...

. Her ninth studio album, ''

'', was released on 5 April 2011. It was preceded by the single "Shine Your Glory Down", which was released to Christian radio on 11 February. The album was met with positive reviews from Christian music critics and was highly successful, debuting at No. 18 on ''

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 adverti ...

Hot Christian Albums Top Christian Albums is a weekly chart published in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the best-performing Christian albums in the United States. Like the ''Billboard'' 200, the data is compiled by Nielsen Soundscan based on each album's weekly ...

chart and later peaking at No. 9. It also peaked at No. 153 on the ''Billboard'' 200, her highest charting effort after ''Worship God''. Her ninth book, ''What Is He Thinking?'', hit shelves on 26 September 2011."RSJ News"
Forefront Records. St. James continued her film career in 2011 with ''

Suing the Devil ''Suing the Devil'' is a 2010 Christian thriller film which was released in 2011. It was written and directed by Tim Chey and stars Malcolm McDowell and Tom Sizemore. Plot Luke O'Brien (Bart Bronson), a washed-up salesman turned night law ...

''. '' The Frontier Boys'' followed in 2012. St. James starred in ''A Strange Brand of Happy'', a romantic comedy film that was released on 13 September 2013. The film revolves around Joyce, a single Christian life coach who falls for an agnostic client. It began filming on 15 August 2011 in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...

, and was released on 13 September 2013. On 12 March 2013, St. James announced via Facebook that she was publishing ''The Merciful Scar'', her first Christian novel, co-authored with Nancy Rue. It was released on 10 September 2013. She also narrated the documentary ''Mother India: Life Through the Eyes of the Orphan'', which was released on 23 April 2013. ForeFront Records released a compilation album on 7 January 2014. The CD was released as ''Icon'', while the

iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...

version was released as ''Best of Rebecca St. James''. Her second novel, ''Sarah's Choice'', an adaptation of the 2009 film of the same name in which St. James starred, was released on 27 May 2014, while her third novel, ''One Last Thing'', was released on 10 March 2015. Both books were co-authored by Nancy Rue. St. James' film career continued into 2015 with '' Faith of Our Fathers'', which featured St. James portraying a car-stealing Australian hitchhiker. She also made a brief cameo in the 2016 film '' Priceless'', which was written, produced, and edited by her brother

Joel Smallbone Joel David Smallbone (born 5 June 1984) is an Australian singer and actor. He is a member of the Christian pop duo for King & Country along with his brother Luke Smallbone. He played the role of James Stevens in the 2016 film '' Priceless''. E ...

, who also starred in the film.

Return to touring, ''Dawn'', and ''Kingdom Come'' (2017–present)

After several years of musical hiatus, St. James recorded and released a cover of "Amazing Grace", with her brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone of the band for King & Country. The song was released in October 2017. She also toured with for King & Country and

Casting Crowns Casting Crowns is a contemporary Christian and Christian rock band started in 1999 by youth pastor Mark Hall, who serves as the band's lead vocalist, as part of a youth group at First Baptist Church in Downtown Daytona Beach, Florida. They late ...

on a Christmas tour, and released a live duet with for King & Country of their song " The Proof of Your Love". St. James later joined the "Greatest Hits Live" tour from November 2018 and continued through May 2019, with

Point of Grace Point of Grace is an all-female contemporary Christian music vocal group. The current trio consists of Shelley Breen, Denise Jones, and Leigh Cappillino. The group started out as a quartet in 1991, with original members Breen and Jones, as wel ...

Avalon Avalon (; la, Insula Avallonis; cy, Ynys Afallon, Ynys Afallach; kw, Enys Avalow; literally meaning "the isle of fruit r appletrees"; also written ''Avallon'' or ''Avilion'' among various other spellings) is a mythical island featured in the ...

Nicole C. Mullen Aileen Nicole Coleman-Mullen, known professionally as Nicole C. Mullen, (born January 3, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, and choreographer. She was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. Music career While studying at Christ for the N ...

Bob Carlisle Robert Mason "Bob" Carlisle (born September 29, 1956) is an American Contemporary Christian singer and songwriter. He performed with several bands, most notably Allies and Billy Thermal, before launching a solo career where he received a Grammy ...

and

NewSong NewSong is an American contemporary Christian music group that was founded in 1981, at Morningside Baptist Church in Valdosta, Georgia. They have had twelve GMA Dove Award nominations, and one Grammy Award Nomination. They are also the foun ...

. On 10 January 2019, St. James announced that she was writing music for a new album with frequent collaborator Tedd T. and that she had signed with Heritage Music Group, an imprint of

Bethel Music Bethel Music is an American music label and worship movement from Redding, California, originating out of Bethel Church where they started making music in 2001. Bethel Music has grown from being a local church music ministry to a global outreach ...

. On 29 April 2020, St. James announced via

Facebook live Facebook is a social-network service website launched on February 4, 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg. The following is a list of software and technology features that can be found on the Facebook website and mobile app and are available to users of t ...

that her new album would be titled ''Dawn,'' although she later clarified in an

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

post that ''Dawn'' would be an EP rather than a full-length record. The EP's first single, " Battle Is the Lord's", was released on 12 June 2020 and features guest artist Brandon Lake. ''

Dawn Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the appearance of indirect sunlight being scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc has reached 18° below the observer's ...

'' was released on 24 July 2020. On 28 August 2020, St. James was featured on the acoustic version of for KING & COUNTRY's single " Together", which also featured

Cory Asbury Cory Hunter Asbury is an American Christian musician, worship pastor, songwriter, and former member of the Bethel Music collective. Starting as an intern with the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, Missouri, in 2005, Asbury's career a ...

. On 22 October 2021, St. James released the single " Kingdom Come" featuring her brothers for KING & COUNTRY. The song is the lead single from her tenth studio album, '' Kingdom Come'', which was released 25 March 2022. The second single from the album, "Praise", was released on 18 February 2022.

Personal life

St. James is originally from Australia but moved with her family to the United States at age 14. She currently resides in

. Two of her brothers, Joel and Luke Smallbone, formed the band for King & Country. On 3 January 2011, she announced her engagement to

's now former bassist Jacob "Cubbie" Fink, a Colorado native and a missionary to South Africa. Fink proposed on Christmas Day 2010 at St. James' family's farm in Franklin. They married on 23 April 2011, at the

Junípero Serra Museum Presidio Park is a city historic park in San Diego, California. It is the site where the San Diego Presidio and the San Diego Mission, the first European settlements in what is now the Western United States, were founded in 1769. In 1773 the ...

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. On 4 October 2013, St. James announced that they were expecting their first child and on 18 February 2014, she gave birth to their daughter Gemma Elena Fink. St. James gave birth to a second daughter, Imogen Watson Fink, on 11 May 2018. St. James announced on 29 April 2020 that she was 21 weeks pregnant with her third child. In August 2020, St. James gave birth to a son, River Jack.

Awards

*2000:

for

Best Rock Gospel Album The 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 m ...

– ''

'' *2002:

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 Awar ...

for Special Event Album of the Year – ''Prayer of Jabez'' *2004: GMA Dove Award for Special Event Album of the Year – ''

'' *2006: GMA Dove Award for Special Event Album of the Year – '' Music Inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe''

Discography

*1991: '' Refresh My Heart'' *1994: ''

'' *1996: ''

'' *1997: ''

'' *1998: ''

'' *2000: '' Transform'' *2002: ''

'' *2005: '' If I Had One Chance to Tell You Something'' *2011: ''

'' *2022: '' Kingdom Come''

Bibliography

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:St. James, Rebecca 1977 births Living people 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women writers 20th-century Australian women singers 20th-century Australian women writers 20th-century Baptists 21st-century American women singers 21st-century American singers 21st-century American women writers 21st-century Australian women singers 21st-century Australian women writers 21st-century Baptists American women singer-songwriters American performers of Christian music Australian Baptists Australian emigrants to the United States Australian expatriate actresses in the United States Australian women singer-songwriters Australian performers of Christian music Baptists from Tennessee Beach Street Records artists Celibacy advocates Christian music songwriters ForeFront Records Grammy Award winners Musicians from Nashville, Tennessee Musicians from Sydney Performers of contemporary Christian music Reunion Records artists Singer-songwriters from Tennessee