Tasha Layton (born October 27, 1982) is an American

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 Christian faith and s ...

singer, songwriter and author. Layton had her first CCM radio hit in 2019 with her debut radio single "Love Lifting Me". However, her second radio single, "Into the Sea (It's Gonna Be OK)" released in 2020, has been labelled her breakthrough song, and has seen her elevated into the ''

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'' Top 5 Female Christian Artists in 2020. In 2021, her single "Look What You've Done" became her first top ten single on the ''

Hot Christian Songs Hot Christian Songs is a music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It ranks the popularity of Christian songs using the same methodology developed for the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, the magazine's flagship songs c ...

chart and her first number one

Christian Airplay Christian Airplay is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States since June 21, 2003. This chart lists the 50 most-listened-to records played on multiple Christian radio stations across the country as monitored by Ni ...

single. A ''

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'' segment introduced her as "one of the fastest rising stars in Christian music". In 2022, her debut album "How Far" was released in May. The title track has become her first top five single on the ''Billboard'' Hot Christian Songs chart and her second number one Christian Airplay single.

Early life and education

Layton is originally from

Pauline, South Carolina Pauline is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. It was first listed as a CDP in the 2020 United States census, 2 ...

. She grew up Southern Baptist and converted to

Assemblies of God The Assemblies of God (AG), officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 144 autonomous self-governing national groupings of churches that together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination."Assemblies of God". ...

when she was young. While she was a teenager, her church had undergone a split and she had struggles with her faith. She changed her college major from music to religion and tried out multiple religions. She eventually returned to Christianity after attending a small church about an hour away. After graduation from college, she moved to California and enrolled at The King's Seminary in

Van Nuys Van Nuys () is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Home to Van Nuys Airport and the Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley. History In 1909, t ...

, Los Angeles, California where she got her

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and divi ...

degree. During that time, Layton worked as a worship leader for four years and began working as a

session vocalist Session may refer to: Bureaucracy and law *Session (parliamentary procedure) *Session (Presbyterian), a governing body in Presbyterian polity *Court of Session, the supreme civil court of Scotland *Executive session, a portion of the United Stat ...

in the city.

Career

In 2010, she auditioned for

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of ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

'', reaching the third round of its Hollywood week and was sent home. Shortly after, she auditioned for and landed a background singer position for

Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her Camp (style), campy style, she has been ...

, and spent the next four years doing session recordings and tours. She also worked on songs used at

Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney in ...

Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (, ; "Circus of the Sun" or "Sun Circus") is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Ju ...

, and

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. Afterwards, she moved to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

to pursue a solo music career, and in 2013 become an instructor at

Trevecca Nazarene University Trevecca Nazarene University (TNU) is a private Nazarene liberal arts college in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1901. History TNU was founded in 1901 by Cumberland Presbyterian minister J. O. McClurkan as the "Pentecostal Literary ...

. Layton signed to

BEC Recordings BEC (Brandon Ebel Company) Recordings is a Christian rock record label that is an imprint of Tooth & Nail Records. The label was formed in 1997 in partnership with the EMI Christian Music Group. The label promotes bands with more adult Christia ...

, and on September 5, 2018, released her first single and lyric video, "I Belong to You". In October, she released the single "Love Lifting Me". "Love Lifting Me" reached the top 25 on both the ''

and Christian AC Airplay charts. In July 2019, she released her debut EP entitled ''Love Running Wild''. In April 2020, Layton released her second radio single, "Into The Sea". It reached number 12 on the ''Billboard''

chart. In April 2021, she released the single "Look What You've Done", and on June 11, an EP of the same name. In December, the song reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Christian Airplay chart.

Personal life

Layton is married to musician and producer Keith Everette Smith. They have two children.

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

Singles released to radio

As featured artist

Other charting tracks

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Layton, Tasha Living people 1982 births 21st-century American singers 21st-century Christians 21st-century American women singers American Idol participants American performers of Christian music Singers from Los Angeles Singers from South Carolina Performers of contemporary Christian music Singers from Nashville, Tennessee