LUMBERTON — For decades gospel singer Kim Person has been waiting for that big break.
“I’ve always been told ‘You just wait. Your time is gonna come,” said Person, a Lumberton native.
Five albums later, that time came recently with her nomination for two 2020 Stellar Awards.
“It’s just a blessing to finally be able to get the recognition,” she said. “This is like the gospel Grammy’s, the gospel BET Awards.”
Rising gospel artists Koryn Hawthorne and Jonathan McReynolds will pair to host the milestone 35th Stellar Awards in Las Vegas at The Orleans Arena on March 27. The show will premier on BET Networks on Palm Sunday, which is April 5.
A Stellar Award, which is presented by Steller Awards Gospel Music Academy, SAGMA, recognizes achievements in the gospel music industry. The annual presentation ceremony features performances by prominent gospel artists, and the presentation of those awards that have a more popular interest.
Central City Productions made the announcement on Jan. 21 of Person nominations in the categories of New Artist of the Year and Contemporary Female Vocalist of the Year.
“I was just overjoyed,” Person said. “My sister came to my house and we just fell over the floor.
“It was like a dream come true not only for me but for all of my family. This is what we’ve always wanted.”
Person turned heads with her first four albums “You Are My Everything,” “Sincerely Yours,” “Speak Life,” and “Just Believe,” but her fifth album, “The Journey,” generated the most buzz when it was released in January 2019. Released via KLP Entreprises LLC, a record, publishing, booking, and management company, “The Journey,” was produced by musical producers Cedric Thompson, Phillip Bryant and Sean Keys. It is available now for streaming and download.
Person landed a No. 48 position on Billboard’s 2019 Year-End Top Gospel Albums List for the award-winning nationally distributed project. She was also awarded The Shirley Caesar Music Outreach Award at the 2019 Lamplighter Awards, hosted by WNNL 103.9 The Light at the Duke Energy Center for The Performing Arts in Memorial Auditorium.
“‘The Journey’ is a victory over some things that I had to overcome to keep living,” Person said. “That’s how life is. You just have to keep moving.
“That’s what ‘The Journey’ is all about — overcoming some obstacles, overcoming challenges I’ve had to face and giving God the glory and giving it back to the world.”
To be nominated for a Stellar Award, the artist’s information must be sent to SAGMA members meeting a list of criteria, including charting in the top 25 or at least four weeks on at least two of the Nielsen charts — Billboard, SoundScan and BDS — during the eligibility period.
“The Journey” peaked at No. 2 on the Gospel Album Sales chart and maintained a Top 25 position for 22 weeks, a Top 10 position for five weeks and made an appearance in the Top 25 on the all-genre Top Heatseekers Albums chart.
The voting process for narrowing down the final nominees consists of two separate ballots. The first round ballot includes eligible entries as determined by the nominating committee of SAGMA. Top entries for each category from the first ballot will move forward to the final ballot. During the final voting process, the general public — including fans — are the voting body for the second and final ballot to determine the Stellar Award winners.
“To be able to do this with the world and they see the same thing my hometown saw is a blessing,” Person said. “It’s a blessing to be received by the public and by the world.”
Person said it was her Lumberton roots and the support of her hometown that helped mold the artist she is today. She first began singing in the church..
“I’ve been singing since the age of 2,” Person said. “People would come from miles and miles to see the little girl with the big voice.”
She progressed to pageants, talent shows and performing regionally.
“It’s just something I’ve always done and something I’ve always worked to perfect,” she said.
A performance at a talent show during the Robeson County Regional Agriculture Fair in 1988 is one of the more memorable events that solidified what she would do with her life. Person, only 16 at the time, sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”
“The power went out at the fair during the talent show and I just kept singing,” Person said. “That’s when I knew this is something I wanted to do.”
She went on win four Apollo Awards and was recognized by the city of Lumberton with a key to the city.
She thanks her mother Annie Knowlin for where she is today.
“Over 10 years ago someone asked her ‘What was her dream?’ and she answered it was ‘for my daughter to be on the Stellar Awards’ so for all that to happen full circle is blessing,” Person said. “She’s my superstar. All of this is possible because she believes in me.”
