Kelontae Gavin (born March 28, 1999) is an American gospel singer and worship leader who is known for the gospel radio singles, “No Ordinary Worship” and “Higher.”Caramanica, Jon

“

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

”, New York, 13 May 2016. Kelontae Gavin on stage at Orleans Ballroom in Las Vegas

Early life and education

Gavin was born in

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

, but raised in

Summerville, South Carolina Summerville is a town in the U.S. state of South Carolina situated mostly in Dorchester County, South Carolina, Dorchester County, with small portions in Berkeley County, South Carolina, Berkeley and Charleston County, South Carolina, Charleston ...

, where he began to sing at Favor Ministries, a non-denominational church in Ridgeville at the age of four. He was a member of Bold Ministries International in

Moncks Corner, South Carolina Moncks Corner is a town in and the county seat of Berkeley County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 7,885 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 census. As defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, Moncks Corner is included within the Ch ...

. He attended Summerville High School. Upon graduation, Gavin stated he planned to serve as a minister at the Ark of Salvation Church in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, and pursue a degree in divinity and theology.

Career

He developed notoriety when a 2014 YouTube video of him singing the hymn, “I Won't Complain,” to a cafeteria worker at his former high school, went viral with over one million YouTube views.Harrison, Jenna-Ley
“Teen Making It Big In Gospel Music Industry”
“ The Summerville Journal Scene”, Summerville, 15 November 2016. In 2016, Gavin was discovered by star-maker manager, Marquis Boone of Marquis Boone Enterprises, who formed a partnership with Tyscot Records to issue the radio single “Higher” in the fall of that year. It was produced by Myron Butler, a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

-winning singer and songwriter. The song reached the Top 20 on ''

Billboard Magazine ''Billboard'' (stylized in lowercase since 2013) is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events and styles related to th ...

'''s Gospel Indicator chart in the spring of 2017. The song also earned the singer a

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

nomination in the category of Youth Project of the year in January 2018. Gavin's radio single, "No Ordinary Worship," reached No. 4 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Gospel Songs chart in March 2019 while his debut album, "The Higher Experience," made its debut at No. 2 on the Top Gospel Albums chart in spring of 2018. ”Asker, Jim
"Andy Mineo's `Arrow' Shoots Straight Onto Top Christian Albums, Maranda Curtis Crowns Top Gospel Albums"
''

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 advertis ...

'', New York, 10 May 2018. The project was given 4/5 stars by Bob Marovich in a ''Journal of Gospel Music'' review that spotlighted the radio single. “`No Ordinary Worship' is no ordinary worship song and is likely to become Gavin’s signature song," Marovich wrote. "The most robust piece on the album, it’s a deep southern soul-style ballad that benefits greatly from impassioned singing, sassy responses from the BGVs, and an over-the-top sax solo."Marovich, Bob
"Kelontae Gavin - The Higher Experience"
'' Journal of Gospel Music'', Chicago, 10 May 2018.

Discography

Albums

* ''The Higher Experience'' (2018) * ''The N.O.W. Experience'' (2021) * ''Testify'' (2023)

Singles

Awards and nominations

, - , 2018 , Higher (EP) , Youth Project of the Year (

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

) , , - , 2019 , Kelontae Gavin , , New Artist of the Year (

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

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 ceremonies presented annually and have been held in Nashville, Tennessee excep ...

) ,

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gavin, Kelontae 1999 births Living people American child singers 21st-century African-American male singers American gospel singers 21st-century American singers American Christian clergy Musicians from Charleston, South Carolina People from Summerville, South Carolina Singers from South Carolina 21st-century American male singers