Danny Gokey & Natalie Grant in Lenoir

Danny Gokey is an American singer from Milwaukee who finished third on the eighth season of American Idol. He began his recording career in country music with the album My Best Days, then focused on contemporary Christian pop through songs including “Hope in Front of Me,” “Tell Your Heart to Beat Again” and “Haven’t Seen It Yet.” The 2009 American Idols Live! Tour took him to arenas across the United States soon after the television competition. He later performed on Winter Jam and joined TobyMac’s Hits Deep Tour for another multi-artist arena run.

Natalie Grant is an American contemporary Christian singer and songwriter, born in Seattle in 1971. Her best-known recordings include “Held” from the album Awaken, “In Better Hands” and “King of the World,” while albums such as Relentless and Be One established her mix of Christian pop and worship music. Natalie Grant and British speaker Charlotte Gambill took their women-focused Dare to Be event to cities around the United States, combining concert performances and talks. She later co-headlined recurring Celebrate Christmas tours with Danny Gokey and mounted The Hope Encounter Tour, whose guests included Koryn Hawthorne.