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Kelontae Gavin facts for kids

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Kelontae Gavin (born March 28, 1999) is a talented American gospel singer and worship leader. He is well-known for his popular gospel songs like “No Ordinary Worship” and “Higher.”

Kelontae Gavin on stage at Orleans Ballroom in Las Vegas
Singer Kelontae Gavin performs at an awards event in Las Vegas.

Early Life and Education

Kelontae Gavin was born in Charleston, South Carolina. He grew up in Summerville, South Carolina. He started singing at Favor Ministries, a church in Ridgeville, when he was only four years old. He was also part of Bold Ministries International in Moncks Corner, South Carolina.

Kelontae went to Summerville High School. After graduating, he shared his plans to serve as a minister at the Ark of Salvation Church in Atlanta, Georgia. He also wanted to study divinity and theology, which is the study of religious faith.

Music Career Highlights

Kelontae became famous in 2014 because of a YouTube video. In the video, he was singing the hymn “I Won't Complain” to a cafeteria worker at his old high school. This video became very popular and was watched over one million times!

In 2016, a music manager named Marquis Boone discovered Kelontae. Boone worked with Tyscot Records to release Kelontae's song “Higher” that same year. A Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter, Myron Butler, produced the song. “Higher” became a Top 20 hit on Billboard Magazine's Gospel Indicator chart in 2017. This song also earned Kelontae a Stellar Award nomination for Youth Project of the Year in 2018.

Kelontae's song, "No Ordinary Worship," reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot Gospel Songs chart in March 2019. His first album, "The Higher Experience," debuted at No. 2 on the Top Gospel Albums chart in spring 2018. A music reviewer, Bob Marovich, gave the album 4 out of 5 stars. He said that “`No Ordinary Worship' is no ordinary worship song and is likely to become Gavin’s signature song."

Kelontae Gavin
Kelontae Gavin with fellow singer Erica Campbell.

Music Albums and Singles

Here are the albums and singles Kelontae Gavin has released:

Albums

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

Singles

Song Title Year Chart Positions
Gospel Airplay Top Singles
"Higher" 2016 23
"No Ordinary Worship" 2018 5

Awards and Nominations

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2018 Higher (EP) Youth Project of the Year (Stellar Awards) Nominated
2019 Kelontae Gavin New Artist of the Year (2019 Dove Awards) Nominated
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