Heather Payne

Heather Lynaye Floyd Payne (born January 18, 1970) is a solo Contemporary Christian music artist and founding member of group Point of Grace, with whom she had won 8 Dove Awards. She announced her retirement from the group in June 2008.

Background

Payne was born in Texas but attended middle school and high school in Norman, Oklahoma, where she met Denise Masters and Terry Lang. She developed her vocal abilities at an early age and sang her first solo in church at age three, her mother accompanying her as she sang the old hymn "Fill Me Jesus." In high school she sang in the show choir, which required dancing as well as singing. She was also reunited with Terry and Denise during her first year at Ouachita. The three of them sang together in the Ouachitones, a group made up of 14 women. The three performed as a trio within the larger group. One night they decided to spend their summer vacation driving around and singing in churches. After Denise's roommate Shelley Phillips joined, Say So was born. They travelled all summer, then sang together during the weekends while in school. They recorded an independent album, not seriously planning to pursue a record deal, but after one member's grandparents signed them up to go to the Christian Artists Seminar in Estes Park, Colorado, they won the Overall Grand Prize in the Group competition and caught the attention of several record companies. They ended up signing with Word Records and moved to Nashville, Tennessee to start work on their debut album.