Who is Amy Grant? Amy Grant is an American singer born in 1960 in Augusta, Georgia, considered the pioneer of contemporary Christian pop. Discovered as a teenager by Word Records, she first made her mark in Christian music before conquering the pop charts in the 1990s with the album Heart in Motion. She has won six Grammy Awards.
Amy Grant grew up in Nashville in a family of doctors and discovered music as a teenager. Spotted while recording a demo in a local studio, she signed with the Christian label Word Records before she even turned sixteen and released her first album in 1977. With Age to Age in 1982, she became the first Christian artist to have an album certified platinum, earning her the nickname queen of contemporary Christian music.
Starting with the album Unguarded in 1985, Amy Grant expanded her audience toward mainstream pop, culminating in the international success of Heart in Motion in 1991, driven by the hit Baby Baby. Without ever turning her back on her Christian music roots, she has since moved back and forth between a pop career and worship albums, including several hymn collections. Married to country singer Vince Gill since 2000, she remains one of the most awarded artists in American Christian music, with six Grammy Awards.
- Origin
- Augusta, Georgia, USA
- Style
- Contemporary Christian pop, with gospel and country roots
- Active since
- 1977, with her self-titled debut album
- Good to know
- Six Grammy Awards, more than twenty Dove Awards, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
How did Amy Grant get started?
Amy Grant grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, in a family of doctors with little connection to the music world. As a teenager, she recorded a demo at a local studio out of curiosity; the sound engineer played it for the Christian label Word Records, which offered her a contract before she even turned sixteen. Her first album came out in 1977, while she was still in school.
The real turning point came with Age to Age in 1982, carried by the song El Shaddai: the album became the first Christian music record certified platinum in the United States. Amy Grant then established herself as the leading figure of a still-young genre, contemporary Christian music, before gradually broadening her style toward a more pop sound.
What makes Amy Grant stand out?
Amy Grant is the first artist from Christian music to achieve a genuine breakthrough on the mainstream pop charts, notably with the 1991 album Heart in Motion and its hit Baby Baby, a number one on the Billboard Hot 100. This dual career, between worship and pop, opened the way for a whole generation of American Christian artists seeking to reach a wider audience without giving up their faith.
Far from breaking with her beginnings, she has also returned several times to albums more explicitly centered on worship and hymns, such as Legacy... Hymns and Faith in 2002. Her personal journey, marked by her remarriage to country singer Vince Gill and open heart surgery in 2020, feeds much of her recent songwriting on fragility and gratitude.
Where should you start with Amy Grant?
El Shaddai remains the signature song of her early days in contemporary Christian music. Thy Word, written with Michael W. Smith, has become a worship classic sung in countless churches. Baby Baby, her biggest pop hit, shows a lighter side of her career and remains her best known song with the general public.
songs
El Shaddai
from the album Age to Age (1982), Amy Grant's first major success in contemporary Christian music.
Thy Word
co-written with Michael W. Smith, it has become a classic worship song sung in countless churches.
Baby Baby
a number one single on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1991, from the album Heart in Motion.
Discography
- 2026The Me That Remains
- 2013How Mercy Looks from Here
- 2002Legacy... Hymns and Faith
- 1997Behind the Eyes
- 1994House of Love
- 1991Heart in Motion
- 1988Lead Me On
- 1985Unguarded
- 1982Age to Age
Read also
Frequently asked questions
Who is Amy Grant?
Amy Grant is an American singer born in 1960 in Augusta, Georgia, considered the pioneer of contemporary Christian pop. Discovered as a teenager by Word Records, she went on to conquer the mainstream pop charts in the 1990s without abandoning her Christian roots.
Is Amy Grant a Christian?
Yes. Amy Grant built her entire career on contemporary Christian music before expanding her audience toward pop, and she has regularly returned to worship and hymn albums throughout her career.
What is Amy Grant's most famous song?
Baby Baby, released in 1991, remains her biggest hit with the general public. El Shaddai and Thy Word are her best known songs in Christian circles and are still sung in countless churches today.
Where can you listen to Amy Grant?
Her discography is available on streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and Deezer, as well as on her official YouTube channel and her website amygrant.com.
How many Grammy Awards has Amy Grant won?
Amy Grant has won six Grammy Awards over the course of her career, mostly in gospel categories, along with more than twenty Dove Awards given by the Gospel Music Association.
Has Amy Grant found success outside Christian music?
Yes, starting in the mid-1980s, she became one of the rare artists from Christian music to reach the top of the American pop charts, notably with the 1991 album Heart in Motion.