Heather Payne

Background

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 and sang her first solo in church at age three, her mother accompanying 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. 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 14 women. The three performed as a trio within the larger group. 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, then sang together during the weekends while in school. They recorded an independent album, not seriously planning to pursue a record deal, but after one member's grandparents signed them up to go to the Christian Artists Seminar in Estes Park, Colorado, they won the Overall Grand Prize in the Group competition and caught the attention of several record companies. They ended up signing with Word Records and moved to Nashville, Tennessee to start work on their debut album.

Point Of Grace

Payne achieved much success with Point of Grace: 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 wrote 7 books as a member of Point of Grace and appeared in Women of Faith conferences as a member of the group on several occasions. In 2002 the group developed the Girls of Grace conferences.

Since beginning their career, Point of Grace has been very frank about their beliefs and principles, one of the strongest being the issue of premarital sex. 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.

Solo career

Payne became a solo artist and signed with Stylos, label of both Sandi Patty and Ben Utecht. Her first solo outing was the song "Reach The Day," which she wrote with Scott Krippayne, to honor a young friend of hers who has battled Neuroblastoma since age three. It debuted on Louisville's WJIE 88.5 station on May 21, 2010. A number of singles were released to raise money for Neuroblastoma research. [1] Payne also recorded a duet with Sandi Patty ("When Life Gets Broken") for her album, The Edge Of The Divine

Payne's first solo album, Sweet Exchange, released September 2010 on Stylos. [2] An album featuring classic hymns with modern, worshipful choruses, Sweet Exchange is a very personal project for Payne. In an in-depth interview with CBN.com, she explained her hope for the record. "My heart is in this record, that it would become something churches could do," she says, "that the body of Christ would be edified and lifted up and brought to the places gratefulness for what God has done for them in Christ."

Personal life

Payne married Brian Payne on April 30, 1999. 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 Assistant Professor of Expository Preaching and Pastoral Leadership at Boyce College. [3]

Other activities

Along with Denise Jones, Shelley Breen, Terry Jones, and Leigh Cappillino, Payne 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 Love Waits, which encourages young people to remain sexually pure until marriage, and they have recently begun showing support for Compassion International.