Kelontae Gavin – Hold Me Close

Gospel Recording Artist, Kelontae Gavin. Photo courtesy MBE/Tyscot.

Gospel sensation Kelontae Gavin is set to preview his new single, “Hold Me Close” via a virtual listening party Friday, April 24 at 8p.m. on Instagram.

The 21-year-old Stellar and Dove Award nominee was discovered after a video of him singing the traditional gospel classic, “I Won’t Complain” by the late Paul Jones in his high school cafeteria went viral. The video achieved over 1 million views on YouTube 6 years ago.

The new single, “Hold Me Close” is from Kelontae’s new forthcoming album, THE NOW EXPERIENCE, (N.O.W. = No Ordinary Worship). It is scheduled for release this Fall.

Just to fill some of you in on all things Kelontae Gavin, the multi-award nominated song “No Ordinary Worship” by the social media whiz and multi-octave singer/songwriter /preacher put him on the map. The single debuted at number two on the Billboard Gospel charts in 2018, brought souls to tears and made him a rising star in the Gospel music world. The traditional gospel song was truly an unexpected soul-stirring pleasure coming from such a youthful and exuberant young soldier for Christ. “No Ordinary Worship” was released over two years ago and still resonates with audiences. The song was on the South Carolina resident’s debut album, The High Experience.

The new single, “Hold Me Close” was written by the well-mannered millennial. He wrote it out of his personal experiences with God. He is both humbled by and excited about the song, “Man three years ago, I wrote that song. I was maybe 17 or 18. Man, I’ll never forget it, I was in a hard season…I was kind of over the church thing,” said Kelontae.

He remembers feeling frustrated and burned out, “I was doing things for God, but I wasn’t with God. And I could hear God for other People, but I couldn’t hear God about my life. And like Proverb says – False balance is not good. So “Hold Me Close” is that song that is going to encourage the listener out there.”

Kelontae says he believes “Hold Me Close” could not have come out at a better time and sends it out to all souls needing encouragement and needing God to hold you close, especially to the first responders and those who have lost loved ones during this COVID 19 era. “We cannot see God – but it’s gonna encourage someone (told hold on to God.)”

Wise enough to know to how strike while the iron is still hot, Kelontae and his team are working on finishing his book, and a documentary about his discovery, from that faithful day a friend video-recorded him signing that song in the cafeteria, to it going viral, to being signed to a record deal in 2015 by Marquis Boone, followed by unimaginable stardom and the birth of his national ministry.

From his first hit “No Ordinary Worship,” to  his latest, “Hold Me Close,” Kelontae Gavin, shows no signs of slowing down. He’s on a mission to save souls for Christ.

To hear more of the conversation with Kelontae Gavin and me about his hard season, being burned out and his frustration with not having his biological father with him growing up, listen to the Lin. Woods Gospel Entertainment Podcast. Click below to listen. Follow. Subscribe on iTunes or GooglePlay.

Social Connections

Instagram
@linwoods96
@kelontae_gavin