Made up of honest and transparent lyrics, the American Idol alum drew inspiration for the album from her own personal experience with friendships, faith, personal insecurities and worth. Following a heart-wrenching betrayal at the end of 2019, MORIAH took to the woods to be alone with God and create. She remembers, “I was deeply hurt by a close friend, and what started out as such sadness turned into rage. Like a lot of people, my thoughts took me to a dark place while in quarantine. In my anger, I prayed for justice. In my heartache, I prayed to overpower. I thought if I could get answers, I would feel better. I couldn’t and I didn’t. The only thing that helped me feel at all was the thought that I am known, seen and loved by God even in my bitterness and my unresolved frustrations. I held on to that promise until forgiveness found me.”
 
In January of 2020, MORIAH set out for the Smoky Mountains with a car full of recording gear. Her husband, Grammy-winning recording artist Joel Smallbone, whispered in her ear, “You’re a producer, too.”

She reflects, “I had never fully written a song on my own—which is surprising after 10 years of artistry. I think I was afraid that I wouldn’t be good at it. . . . ‘Trust’ was the first and only song I fully wrote and produced in that cabin, and it’s fitting since I was facing my insecurities in real time as I put those lyrics and tracks together.”

The new album centers on contentment. Like many, MORIAH experienced an array of emotions in 2020—feeling angry, hurt, scared, insecure and remorseful. Yet all of those phases were necessary steps on her journey to a greater sense of calmness and gratitude. It was when she learned to settle into the present moment and make peace in the tension she began to teem with authentic creativity, love, kindness and goodness. In time, she was able to work from a place of abundance rather than scarcity. MORIAH shares, “Nothing can fix a broken heart more than knowing that it’s loved, that it’s seen, and that its pain is felt. Now that I feel this more deeply than ever before, I can create from a place of rest. This entire EP is a celebration of being known, seen and loved.”

“We were in a grocery store parking lot when MORIAH played me ‘Worth’ for the first time. . . I was moved to tears. Identity is one of the great crises of our generation with so many not knowing their worth. So it’s truly a beautiful moment for me to reunite my voice with my wife’s (as we did on ‘Pioneers’) and sing this contemplative worship song about where and how we can find our worth.” ––Joel Smallbone, for KING & COUNTRY

MORIAH is set to release three singles (and three videos) in 2021, which comprise the full EP:

• “Known, Seen, Loved” - Sept 17
• “Trust” - October 2
• The third song, “Worth” Feat. Joel Smallbone (her husband, who is one half of the Grammy Award-winning duo for KING & COUNTRY), and full EP will be available October 29.

MORIAH says of the duet, “This song took five different rewrites and three completely different production approaches to get right. I think it’s because it’s about such a sensitive topic . . . ‘Worth’ is a buzzy word, and so many of us want to know where and how to get it. What I didn’t want to do through this song is provide any answers. I think if you’re getting your worth from a lyric, a friend, a job––anything that is good within itself but that is not God––it will fail you. So I stayed in the tension of what it feels like when you’re desperately seeking resolve. I actually played ‘Worth’ for another producer and he told me he didn’t like how it sounded so desperate. That’s when I knew it was right.”
 
In addition to the EP, featuring the live recordings, the visual album will give listeners an intimate experience of the recording experience.

Sharing her heart’s desire for the EP, MORIAH says, “No matter what scenario we find ourselves in, I hope this music gives people courage to sit still with life and slowly make moves toward new life. I had to ‘break down to break through’ in writing each song--this music scored the process.”

Live from the Quarry will be available across all streaming platforms October 29, 2021 along with the accompanying visual album with the same title.

MORIAH (Smallbone) is a Mexican-American recording artist, actress and producer from Los Angeles, CA. After signing with SONY/Provident in Nashville, TN, her sophomore album, BRAVE, hit number 9 on Billboard’s CCM charts, which included a collaboration with Grammy Award-winning rapper Andy Mineo. Her film credits include the starring role in Because of Gracia (2017) and depicting the legendary singer Loyce Whiteman in an upcoming Ronald Reagan biopic alongside Dennis Quaid (Reagan, 2022). In 2021, MORIAH produced K-LOVE/AccessMore’s most successful podcast, BECOMING:us, alongside her Grammy-winning husband, Joel Smallbone, of for KING & COUNTRY. She will release her first live EP, Live from the Quarry, on October 29th, 2021, which features a guest appearance by her husband. For more information on MORIAH and Live from the Quarry, follow MORIAH on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and visit https://www.moriahsmallbone.com.

Cathedral Studios exists to create meaningful and impacting art. It strategically supports underserved and underrepresented voices, while aspiring to foster an environment where artists feel known, seen and loved.

For more info on Moriah, visit the JFH Artists Database.

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