From Faith to Fame: Evvie McKinney’s Journey to ‘The Four’
Fox Reading Time: 3 minutes
Music mogul P.Diddy, DJ Khaled, and Meghan Trainor were the judges on The Four: Battle for Superstardom. The show introduced plenty of talented contestants as well as meme worthy moments. In the end, audiences never grew with the competition before its demise. Before ending, viewers were able to help choose two winners. One of those winners was Season 1 champion Evvie McKinney.
Evvie McKinney Comes From a Musical Family
The singer was only 3 years old when she learned how to sing. She was Born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, to a musically inclined family and was one of seven children. Evvie’s brother, Gedeon McKinney auditioned for American Idol Season 5 and made it to the Top 16.
Evvie Tried Out For Several Competition Shows
The singer has said that she tried out for X Factor, The Voice, and American Idol. What surprised Evvie the most was that she won The Four singing the same songs that she tried out for other competitions with. Throughout the competition Evvie blew the judges away with her rendition of songs such as Andra Day’s “Rise Up,” “I Never Loved A Man the Way I Love You” by Aretha Franklin, and “Proud Mary” by Tina Turner.
Evvie’s Father Was a Gospel Singer
Raised in the south, the singer’s roots are where she was able to flourish as a child. Her father Tony McKinney was a gospel and blues singer. Despite his drug addiction, The Four champion has fond memories of her father. She continues to represent her upbringing by singing gospel and keeping her relationship with God alive and well.
She Toured With Her Brother
The singer’s brother did not let his music dreams die after losing American Idol. Gedeon moved to New York City and Evvie followed suit. He formed Gedeon Luke and the People in 2015. The soul band toured the world including London. Evvie joined the band and toured with her brother. Because of the band’s extensive schedule Evvie was able to make a living from touring.
She Was Released From Republic Records
In 2019 Evvie was on a high from The Four success. The singer was living in Los Angeles and watched as her dreams began to take shape. When the singing competition show was abruptly canceled that same year, Republic Records released Evvie from her contract. Facing this obstacle the singer moved back to Memphis. It wasn’t long before Motown Gospel and Capitol CMG signed Evvie to an exclusive recording agreement. The emerging performer and songwriter also entered into an exclusive publishing agreement with Capitol CMG Publishing.
Evvie Has a Beautiful Family
While pursuing her music dreams Evvie has found time to become a wife and mother. The singer’s beautiful family is on full display throughout her social media. She documented her road to her wedding as well as her journey to become a mother. On her YouTube the singer and her husband vlog their daily lives and give advice to her 100,000 subscribers.
Evvie Released Her First EP in 2021
Although she put out singles like “Look No Further” Evvie recently released her debut EP. This Is Evvie McKinney has been critically received and made the eyes of gospel music take note of the singer. The inspirational project has catapulted Evvie’s career. The singer is busier than she has ever been. Evvie continues to tour, play live shows, and she is working on new music.
