Natalie Grant's Awaken has been certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

The 2005 release was the breakthrough that poised the Curb recording artist and GMA’s now three-time reigning Female Vocalist of the Year to become the top female solo artist in Christian music today.

In addition, Grant has also been nominated for a Dove Award in the prestigious Songwriter of the Year category, making her the top female nominee at the 40th Annual GMA Dove Awards.

Produced by Dove Award-winner Bernie Herms, Phil Symonds, Shaun Shankel, and Rob Graves, Grant wrote or co-wrote half of Awaken’s 12 selections. The album features her signature No 1 song, “Held”, as well as the hits “Live 4 Today” and “What Are You Waiting For”.

Awaken was written and recorded during a life-changing season for Grant, as she first became aware of the atrocity of international human trafficking. For more than four years now, she has been an outspoken advocate for trafficking victims and was one of the first Christian artists to raise awareness of the issue in the church in the US. Grant established the Home Foundation in 2005, and the organisation now supports numerous entities, both domestically and around the world, in the fight against human trafficking.

Grant is up for six honours at the 40th Annual GMA Dove Awards, including Female Vocalist of the Year. She is also nominated for Song of the Year for her self-penned hit single, “I Will Not Be Moved”. Fuelled by the success of her 2008 best-selling, critically acclaimed recording Relentless, Grant was the most-played female artist on Christian radio and the top-selling Adult Contemporary female solo artist in Christian music in 2008.

On the web: www.nataliegrant.com