Moriah Smallbone

Last updated

Moriah Peters Smallbone
Birth nameMoriah Castillo Peters [1]
Born (1992-10-02) October 2, 1992 (age 31) [2]
Pomona, California, U.S. [3]
Genres Contemporary Christian, pop rock
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter, actor
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar
Years active2008–present
Labels Reunion
Spouse(s) Joel Smallbone
Website www.moriahofficial.com

Moriah Smallbone [4] (born Moriah Castillo Peters, October 2, 1992) is an American actress, and Latin country artist from Nashville, Tennessee. Working previously under the name "Moriah Peters", she is a singer and songwriter born in Pomona, California who was raised in Chino, California and Ontario, California. Since 2023, she has been a cast member of the streaming television series, The Chosen , portraying Bathsheba, one of the wives of King David.

Contents

Early life

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]

Career

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.[ citation needed ] She will play Loyce Whiteman in the film Reagan .

In 2023, Smallbone was cast as Queen Bathsheba, the wife of King David of Israel, in the streaming television series, The Chosen . She has appeared in two episodes, one in the final episode of Season 3 and in the third episode of Season 4. [17] [18]

Personal life

Smallbone is of Mexican-French heritage. [8] Smallbone married Joel Smallbone, from the band for King & Country, on July 7, 2013. [19] 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] [20]

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] [21] Smallbone also toured with Tenth Avenue North, Audrey Assad, and Rend Collective Experiment in 2012 and 2013, during the "Struggle Tour".[ citation needed ] In August 2014 she was on the Air1 Positive Hits Tour.[ citation needed ]

Discography

Albums

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions
TitleAlbum detailsPeak chart positions
US
Christ.
[22] 		US
Heat.
[23]
I Choose Jesus
  • Released: April 17, 2012
  • Label: Reunion
  • Format: CD, digital download
2311
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
TitleAlbum details
Live from the Quarry
  • Released: December 3, 2021
  • Label: Cathedral Company
  • Format: CD, digital download

Singles

YearTitlePeak chart positionsAlbum
US
Christ.
[24] 		US
Christ.
Air.
[25]
2012"I Choose Jesus"23 I Choose Jesus
"Well Done"24
2014"You Carry Me"2017 Brave
2015"Brave" (feat. Andy Mineo)2924
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 & Country Burn the Ships

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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. ↑ "Chatting with The Chosen". Against the Tide Med. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  18. ↑ "'Finding Strength in Community' with Moriah Smallbone". ChristianityToday.com. March 26, 2024. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  19. ↑ Dinger, Anna. "For King & Country's Joel Smallbone Married Moriah Peters On July 7 [Photo] : Articles". MusicTimes. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
  20. ↑ St Cyr, Sylvia (September 20, 2021). "WATCH: Moriah (Peters) Smallbone releases new music after 7 years". CHVN 95.1FM. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  21. ↑ Davis, Doug (March 29, 2012). "MercyMe: Christian band brings 'Hurt and the Healer' to 'Boro". The Tennessean . Retrieved April 16, 2012.
  22. ↑ Billboard (May 5, 2012). "Christian Albums: Week of May 05, 2012". Billboard. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
  23. ↑ Billboard (May 5, 2012). "Heatseekers Albums: Week of May 05, 2012". Billboard. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
  24. ↑ "Moriah Peters (Hot Christian Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 1, 2019. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  25. ↑ "Moriah Peters (Christian Airplay)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 1, 2019. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
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