Moriah Smallbone
Birth nameMoriah Castillo Peters[1]
Born (1992-10-02) October 2, 1992[2]
Pomona, California, U.S.[3]
GenresContemporary Christian, pop rock
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar
Years active2008–present
LabelsReunion
Spouse(s)Joel Smallbone
Websitewww.moriahsmallbone.com

Moriah Smallbone[4] (born Moriah Castillo Peters, October 2, 1992) is an American contemporary Christian singer and songwriter born in Pomona, California and raised in Chino, California and Ontario, California. In 2012, Smallbone released the album I Choose Jesus, her first full-length studio album. She previously worked under the name "Moriah Peters".

Background

Moriah Castillo Peters was born on October 2, 1992,[5] in Pomona, California.[3] Her father is Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Anthony Moreno Peters and her mother is Patricia Castillo Peters;[6][7] she has an older sister named Bianca and younger brother named Anthony Ezra.[3][6] Smallbone grew up in the California inland towns of Chino and Ontario.[3]

Smallbone started writing songs at the age of 13 and played the guitar since she was young.[8] Smallbone "had dedicated herself to the leadership of God at the age of 14 and can still remember her heart's genuine prayer of, 'God, I just want to be used by you.'"[9]

Smallbone attended Don Antonio Lugo High School in Chino, California, where she achieved a 4.1 Grade Point Average, which earned her a scholarship to Cal State-Fullerton.[10] She planned to use the scholarship for law school with the end goal of becoming an entertainment lawyer.[10] However, she felt compelled by God to become a Christian singer. She was initially uncomfortable about her "froggy" voice, but after hearing Jaci Velasquez, she never felt that way about her voice again.[10] McKay compared her voice to that of Natalie Grant and Nichole Nordeman.[11] Because her dad is a jazz bass player, her musical influences are varied and include Chaka Khan, Stevie Wonder and Steely Dan.[10]

Smallbone auditioned for American Idol, but the judges—Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, and Avril Lavigne—were harsh to her because of her wholesome image, telling her to experience life ("kiss a boy") before entering the music industry.[10][12] Smallbone had a 'no kissing' rule and believed in waiting for marriage to kiss anyone.[11] Touched by the values she portrayed at the audition, a random stranger introduced Smallbone to Wendi Foy,[10] who helped her make a three-song demo to market to record labels in Nashville.[10] As a result, Smallbone joined Reunion Records on August 11, 2011.[10][13] On April 17, 2012, Smallbone released the album I Choose Jesus.

Smallbone was the singing voice of Vanna Banana on the VeggieTales movie Princess and the Popstar.[10][14]

During the writing phase of the I Choose Jesus album project Smallbone wrote 50 songs.[15] Her inspiration for the album came from a myriad of places "including her family, her own relationship with Christ and experiences she's walked through with other young girls while leading her high school Bible study."[15]

Her second album, Brave, was released July 15, 2014.[16] "You Carry Me" was the lead single from the album.

She appeared in her first film, Because of Gracia, that was released in 2017.

Personal life

Smallbone is of Mexican-French heritage.[8] Smallbone married Joel Smallbone, from the band for King & Country, on July 7, 2013.[17] They now reside in Nashville, Tennessee together.[3] Though she previously worked under the name "Moriah Peters", Smallbone now goes by her husband's surname.[4][18]

Tours

Smallbone was on The Hurt & The Healer tour with MercyMe and fellow artist Chris August, where she was the opening act for the two.[15][19] Smallbone also toured with Tenth Avenue North, Audrey Assad, and Rend Collective Experiment in 2012 and 2013, during the "Struggle Tour". In August 2014 she was on the Air1 Positive Hits Tour.

Discography

Albums

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions
Title Album details Peak chart positions
US
Christ.
[20]		 US
Heat.
[21]
I Choose Jesus
  • Released: April 17, 2012
  • Label: Reunion
  • Format: CD, digital download
 23 11
Brave
  • Released: July 15, 2014
  • Label: Reunion/Essential
  • Format: CD, digital download
 9 –
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart

EPs

List of extended plays
Title Album details
Live from the Quarry
  • Released: December 3, 2021
  • Label: Cathedral Company
  • Format: CD, digital download

Singles

Year Title Peak chart positions Album
US
Christ.
[22]		 US
Christ.
Air.
[23]
2012 "I Choose Jesus" 23 I Choose Jesus
"Well Done" 24
2014 "You Carry Me" 20 17 Brave
2015 "Brave" (feat. Andy Mineo) 29 24
2021 "Known, Seen, Loved" — — Live from the Quarry
"Trust" — —
"Worth" (feat. Joel Smallbone) — —
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart
YearTitleArtistAlbum
2018"Pioneers"For King & CountryBurn the Ships

References

  1. ↑ Peters, Moriah. "Peters Moriah Castillo". ASCAP. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
  2. ↑ Peters, Moriah (October 3, 2011). "The finale of My Birthday". Twitter. Retrieved April 15, 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Staff(s) (July 14, 2014). "10 Questions with ... Moriah Peters". allaccess.com. All Access. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  4. 1 2 Clarks, Jessie (March 6, 2023). "Courtney + Moriah Smallbone Preview 'Unsung Hero' Movie". The Christian Beat. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  5. ↑ State of California. "Moriah Castillo Peters, Born 10/02/1992 in California". californiabirthindex.org. California Birth Index. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  6. 1 2 Peters, Moriah (November 28, 2013). "Tweet". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  7. ↑ Peters, Moriah (May 13, 2014). "Facebook post". facebook.com. Facebook. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  8. 1 2 Peters, Moriah. "Moriah Peters - About". MoriahPeters.com. Retrieved April 16, 2012.
  9. ↑ Peters, Moriah (March 28, 2011). "About Moriah Peters". Facebook. Retrieved April 15, 2012.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Somers, Liz (April 16, 2012). "Moriah Peters ignores "American Idol" advice". Denver Post. Retrieved April 16, 2012.
  11. 1 2 McKay, Ace (April 16, 2012). "Moriah Peters releases 'I Choose Jesus' (Ear 2 Ear)". Alabama Live. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
  12. ↑ Spirit 105.3 (January 26, 2012). "Moriah Peters Shares About Her American Idol Experience". YouTube. Retrieved April 16, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  13. ↑ Provident Label Group (August 11, 2011). "Moriah Peters Joins Provident Label Group Family of Artists". Jesus Freak Hideout. Retrieved April 16, 2012.
  14. ↑ IMDb (2011). "Veggietales: Princess and the Popstar". IMDb. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
  15. 1 2 3 The Times Record (April 20, 2012). "New artists snag spots on Camp, MercyMe tours: Moriah Peters chooses Jesus". The Times Record. Archived from the original on June 1, 2016. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  16. ↑ Gelwicks, Roger (July 13, 2014). "Moriah Peters, "Brave" Review". Jesusfreakhideout.com. Jesus Freak Hideout. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  17. ↑ Dinger, Anna. "For King & Country's Joel Smallbone Married Moriah Peters On July 7 [Photo] : Articles". MusicTimes. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
  18. ↑ St Cyr, Sylvia (September 20, 2021). "WATCH: Moriah (Peters) Smallbone releases new music after 7 years". CHVN 95.1FM. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  19. ↑ Davis, Doug (March 29, 2012). "MercyMe: Christian band brings 'Hurt and the Healer' to 'Boro". The Tennessean. Retrieved April 16, 2012.
  20. ↑ Billboard (May 5, 2012). "Christian Albums: Week of May 05, 2012". Billboard. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
  21. ↑ Billboard (May 5, 2012). "Heatseekers Albums: Week of May 05, 2012". Billboard. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
  22. ↑ "Moriah Peters (Hot Christian Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 1, 2019. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  23. ↑ "Moriah Peters (Christian Airplay)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 1, 2019. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
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