Heather Payne
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| Heather Payne | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Heather Lynaye Floyd |
| Born | January 18, 1970 |
| Origin | Abilene, Texas, United States |
| Genre(s) | Contemporary Christian music |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | 1991–2008 |
| Label(s) | Word Records |
Heather Lynaye Floyd Payne (born January 18, 1970) is a founding member of Contemporary Christian music group Point of Grace. She announced her retirement from the group in June 2008. She has won 8 Dove Awards with Point of Grace.
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[edit] Background
Payne was born and raised in a Christian home. At age 9 she started asking questions about a personal relationship with the Lord. As she learned about the love of Christ and His sacrifice for humanity, she accepted Him into her heart. She and her sister were raised with a strong sense of right and wrong. She made a decision to remain sexually pure until she was married. Payne was born in Texas, but attended middle school and high school in Norman, Oklahoma, where she met Denise Masters and Terry Lang. She developed her vocal abilities at an early age; her first solo was in church when she was three years old. Her mother accompanied her as she sang the old hymn "Fill Me Jesus." In high school, she sang in the show choir, which required dancing as well as singing. The dancing didn't come as naturally to her as the singing did, but she did her best. After graduating from high school she went to Ouachita Baptist University to study vocal performance. She was also reunited with Terry and Denise during her first year at Ouachita. The three of them sang together in the Ouachitones, a group made up of fourteen women. Within the group, the girls performed as a trio. One night, they decided to spend their summer vacation driving around and singing in churches. After Denise's roommate Shelley Phillips joined, Say So was born. They travelled all summer long, and sang together during the weekends while in school. They recorded an independent album, and really did not have any plans of pursuing a record deal, but after one member's grandparents signed them up to go to the Christian Artists Seminar in Estes Park, CO, they ended up winning the Overall Grand Prize in the Group competition and caught the ear of several record companies. They ended up signing with Word Records and moved to Nashville, TN to begin work on their debut album.
[edit] Point Of Grace
Payne has achieved much success with Point of Grace, with 8 Dove Awards, 17 Dove nominations, 2 Grammy nominations, 6 Gold Albums, 2 Platinum albums and 27 #1 singles, as well as national media exposure in television including The View, "Entertainment Tonight", "Donny & Marie", "CNN Worldbeat", "Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee" and "CBS This Morning". Payne has written 7 books as a member of Point of Grace and has also joined her fellow group mates appearing in Women of Faith conferences. In 2002, the group developed the Girls of Grace conferences. Aimed at teenage girls, the two-day event's sole purpose is to encourage girls in their walks with God, in every aspect of their lives. Since the beginning of their career, Point of Grace has been very candid and frank about their beliefs and principles, one of the strongest being the issue of sex before marriage. Early in her career, Payne would take a moment on stage at each of their concerts, when she would encourage her listeners to save sex for marriage, making a commitment to God to remain pure in that aspect. She has become a role model for many teenage girls struggling with this issue. Payne is also known for her wide vocal range and her Mariah Carey-like vocal techniques, including use of the whistle register, which she uses in songs like "I'll Be Believing". In June 2008, Payne announced her retirement from the group, basing her decision on the need to spend time with her four children and support her husband's ministry. The remaining members have since continued on as a trio.
[edit] Personal life
Payne married her husband, Brian Payne on April 30, 1999. She was the last of the original quartet to be married. They have four children: Ella Riley, born September 16, 2002; Nathaniel Graham, born September 12, 2004; Seth Hudson, born April 17, 2006; and Ava Corinne, born November 12, 2007. They currently reside in Louisville, KY where Brian is getting his PhD in Systematic Theology.
[edit] Other activities
Payne, along with Denise Jones, Shelley Breen, Terry Jones and Leigh Cappillino, has proudly supported Mercy Ministries of America, a non-profit organization for women who face life-controlling issues such as self-mutilation, sexual abuse, and unplanned pregnancies. They have also supported True Loves Waits, which encourages young people to remain sexually pure until marriage, and recently began showing support for Compassion International.
