Jaci Velasquez: 1979—: Vocalist Biography - Christian Entertainment Background, Debuted At Age 16, The Latin Market And Continued Success

Jaci Velasquez: 1979—: Vocalist.

Jaci Velasquez made one of the most stunning debuts in contemporary Christian music history with her first album, Heavenly Place, in 1996. The album eventually earned a gold record with over 500,000 copies sold and helped Velasquez earn a Gospel Music Association Dove Award for Best New Artist in 1997. With her subsequent releases Velasquez earned several more Dove Awards—including consecutive honors for Female Vocalist of the Year in 1999 and 2000—and 16 of her singles topped the Christian music charts. Even more remarkable was that this string of successes started when Velasquez was just 16 years old. Now in her early twenties, Velasquez's popularity as a performer has broadened with Spanish-language releases aimed at the secular market and a memoir, A Heavenly Place, designed to help young, Christian women live by their religious principles.