# Tasha Cobbs Leonard
**Tasha Cobbs Leonard** (born 1981 as Natasha Tameika Cobbs) is an American gospel singer, songwriter, pastor, and author from Jesup, Georgia, best known for the Grammy-winning, platinum-selling anthem "Break Every Chain" and for a run of chart-topping live albums that helped define contemporary gospel in the 2010s and 2020s.[1](https://www.universalmusic.fr/artistes/30735769354) • [2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tasha-cobbs-leonard-mn0003642077) Her accolades include 3 [Grammy Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/grammy-awards), 16 [Stellar Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/stellar-awards), 15 Dove Awards, 3 [Billboard Music Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/billboard-music-awards), 1 NAACP Image Award, and recognition by Billboard as Gospel Artist of the Decade.[3](https://www.tashacobbsleonard.com/biography/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1981, Jesup, Georgia, as Natasha Tameika Cobbs[1](https://www.universalmusic.fr/artistes/30735769354) |
| Breakthrough | Major-label debut *Grace* (2013) and "Break Every Chain," which won the 2014 Grammy for Best Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music Performance[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tasha-cobbs-leonard-mn0003642077) • [4](https://www.grammy.com/artists/tasha-cobbs/17801/) |
| Grammy record | 3 wins, all in Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music categories[4](https://www.grammy.com/artists/tasha-cobbs/17801/) • [3](https://www.tashacobbsleonard.com/biography/) |
| Other honors | 16 Stellar Awards, 15 Dove Awards, 3 Billboard Music Awards, 1 NAACP Image Award; Billboard's Gospel Artist of the Decade[3](https://www.tashacobbsleonard.com/biography/) |
| First studio album | *TASHA* (2025), after more than a decade of live recordings; debuted at #1 on Billboard's Top Gospel Albums, Current Gospel Album, and Top Christian/Gospel Album charts[3](https://www.tashacobbsleonard.com/biography/) |
| Latest release | *Tasha Unscripted (Live)* (September 11, 2026), a 34-track, 2-hour-34-minute live album recorded at the dReam Center Church of Atlanta[5](https://music.apple.com/us/album/tasha-unscripted-live/6790863204) |
| Ministry | Co-pastor of The Purpose Place in South Carolina with her husband, producer and music director Kenneth Leonard Jr.[3](https://www.tashacobbsleonard.com/biography/) |
## Early life and start in ministry
Cobbs Leonard grew up in Jesup, Georgia, as a pastor's daughter and began leading worship at Jesup New Life Ministries, the family church founded by her father, Bishop Fritz Cobbs.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tasha-cobbs-leonard-mn0003642077) In 2006 she took a position with Pastor William H. Murphy III at the dReam Center Church of Atlanta and spent three years touring the United States as part of his musical ministry.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tasha-cobbs-leonard-mn0003642077)
Her recording career began independently. In 2010 she released the album *Smile* on her own Tasha Cobbs Ministries label, a project that drew the attention of the wider gospel industry and led to a major-label signing.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tasha-cobbs-leonard-mn0003642077) • [6](https://notablepeopleproject.org/tasha_cobbs_leonard)
## Breakthrough with Grace
Cobbs signed with EMI and released her major-label debut, *Grace*, in 2013. The album topped Billboard's gospel chart and crossed over to number 61 on the pop chart, while its lead single, "Break Every Chain," became a defining worship standard.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tasha-cobbs-leonard-mn0003642077) The song won the Grammy Award for Best Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music Performance at the [56th Annual Grammy Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/56th-annual-grammy-awards) in 2014, and *Grace* was also nominated that year for Best Gospel Album.[4](https://www.grammy.com/artists/tasha-cobbs/17801/) The project earned Stellar Awards for Contemporary CD of the Year, Contemporary Female Vocalist of the Year, and New Artist of the Year.[3](https://www.tashacobbsleonard.com/biography/)
## Albums and growing reach
**A string of chart-toppers.** In 2015 she moved to the Motown Gospel imprint for *One Place Live*, recorded live at the Redemption Church in [Greenville, South Carolina](https://www.edgepedia.org/greenville-south-carolina); it also reached number one on the gospel chart and rose to number 28 on the Top 200, and was nominated for Best Gospel Album at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tasha-cobbs-leonard-mn0003642077) • [4](https://www.grammy.com/artists/tasha-cobbs/17801/) In early 2017 she married music producer Kenneth Leonard, and a few months later released *Heart. Passion. Pursuit.*, a guest-heavy album featuring [Kierra Sheard](https://www.edgepedia.org/kierra-sheard), Anna Golden, and rapper [Nicki Minaj](https://www.edgepedia.org/nicki-minaj); it was another gospel chart-topper, reaching number 35 on the Billboard 200.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tasha-cobbs-leonard-mn0003642077) • [7](https://www.ccmmagazine.com/features/tasha-cobbs-leonard-the-universality-of-musicality/) Its single "Gracefully Broken" and the Kierra Sheard duet "Your Spirit" remain among her most-streamed songs.[8](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/tasha-cobbs-leonard/381974605?uo=4)
Her later projects continued the live-recording tradition. The 2020 EP *Intercession* was recorded at Nashville's Ocean Way Studio, and the Grammy-nominated *Royalty: Live at the Ryman* followed the same year.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tasha-cobbs-leonard-mn0003642077) • [4](https://www.grammy.com/artists/tasha-cobbs/17801/) For *Hymns* (2022), recorded live in Chicago before an audience of more than 3,000, she reimagined classic hymns with arrangements spanning country, R&B, worship, and gospel, with guests including [Jennifer Hudson](https://www.edgepedia.org/jennifer-hudson), Ricky Dillard, Mary Mary, and [Natalie Grant](https://www.edgepedia.org/natalie-grant); it reached number three on the gospel chart and was nominated for Best Gospel Album at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards.[9](https://www.opry.com/artists/tasha-cobbs-leonard) • [2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tasha-cobbs-leonard-mn0003642077) • [4](https://www.grammy.com/artists/tasha-cobbs/17801/) Motown Gospel issued the compilation *10 Years of Tasha* in 2023.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tasha-cobbs-leonard-mn0003642077)
**Grammy wins beyond her own albums.** Her 2020 single "This Is a Move (Live)" was nominated for Best Gospel Performance/Song at the [62nd Annual Grammy Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/62nd-annual-grammy-awards).[4](https://www.grammy.com/artists/tasha-cobbs/17801/) At the 66th ceremony she won Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song as a featured artist on Lecrae's "Your Power," and at the 67th she won Best Gospel Performance/Song for "One Hallelujah," recorded with [Erica Campbell](https://www.edgepedia.org/erica-campbell), Israel Houghton, Jonathan McReynolds, Jekalyn Carr, and others.[4](https://www.grammy.com/artists/tasha-cobbs/17801/) • [10](https://apnews.com/article/80fd6bcd77408c2bcb9fa1fe1941d481)
## The TASHA era
In 2025 Cobbs Leonard released *TASHA*, her first studio album after more than a decade of live recordings. The album debuted at number one on Billboard's Top Gospel Albums, Current Gospel Album, and Top Christian/Gospel Album charts, and blended gospel with R&B, hip-hop, pop, bluegrass, and worship.[3](https://www.tashacobbsleonard.com/biography/) The chart-topping single "Already Good (Tasha Slide)," which mixed R&B, gospel, and line-dancing, and the [John Legend](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-legend) duet "Church" anchored the album.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tasha-cobbs-leonard-mn0003642077) "Church" reached number one on Billboard's Gospel Airplay chart, and Cobbs Leonard performed it on *Jimmy Kimmel Live!* and at the Grammy Premiere Ceremony.[3](https://www.tashacobbsleonard.com/biography/)
At the 68th Annual Grammy Awards, "Church" won Best Gospel Performance/Song and *TASHA* won Best Gospel Album, bringing her career total to three Grammy wins.[4](https://www.grammy.com/artists/tasha-cobbs/17801/) • [11](https://as.com/us/tikitakas/grammys-2026-lista-completa-de-ganadores-a-los-premios-grammy-f202602-n/) • [3](https://www.tashacobbsleonard.com/biography/) The TASHA era also brought her first NAACP Image Award, for Outstanding Gospel/Christian Album, three BET Award nominations, and six 2026 Stellar Gospel Music Award nominations, including Artist of the Year and Album of the Year.[3](https://www.tashacobbsleonard.com/biography/)
In September 2026 she returned to live recording with *Tasha Unscripted (Live)*, a 34-track, 2-hour-34-minute album recorded at the dReam Center Church of Atlanta in [Decatur, Georgia](https://www.edgepedia.org/decatur-georgia), where she had been part of the ministry for 20 years. Guests include William Murphy, Enrique Holmes, Israel Houghton, Lisa Knowles-Smith, and country singer [Mickey Guyton](https://www.edgepedia.org/mickey-guyton), with moments of prayer and preaching interspersed among the musical performances.[5](https://music.apple.com/us/album/tasha-unscripted-live/6790863204)
## Ministry, writing, and other work
Cobbs Leonard co-pastors The Purpose Place in [South Carolina](https://www.edgepedia.org/south-carolina) alongside her husband, Kenneth Leonard Jr., whom she married in early 2017.[3](https://www.tashacobbsleonard.com/biography/) • [2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tasha-cobbs-leonard-mn0003642077) She is the author of *Do It Anyway: Don't Give Up Before It Gets Good*, and runs Elevate & Co. and Club 360, a fitness and wellness community.[3](https://www.tashacobbsleonard.com/biography/) Her official biography credits her with more than 5 billion career streams.[3](https://www.tashacobbsleonard.com/biography/) Her collaborations span gospel and mainstream artists, including John Legend, Common, Ciara, Kirk Franklin, Lecrae, Chandler Moore, and Jennifer Hudson.[3](https://www.tashacobbsleonard.com/biography/)
## References
1. [Tasha Cobbs Leonard biography, Universal Music France](https://www.universalmusic.fr/artistes/30735769354)
2. [Tasha Cobbs Leonard biography by David Jeffries, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tasha-cobbs-leonard-mn0003642077)
3. [Biography, Tasha Cobbs Leonard official site](https://www.tashacobbsleonard.com/biography/)
4. [Tasha Cobbs Leonard Grammy Awards and Nominations, Recording Academy](https://www.grammy.com/artists/tasha-cobbs/17801/)
5. [Tasha Unscripted (Live) album page, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/album/tasha-unscripted-live/6790863204)
6. [Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Notable People Project](https://notablepeopleproject.org/tasha_cobbs_leonard)
7. [Tasha Cobbs Leonard: The Universality of Musicality, CCM Magazine (2017)](https://www.ccmmagazine.com/features/tasha-cobbs-leonard-the-universality-of-musicality/)
8. [Tasha Cobbs Leonard artist page, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/tasha-cobbs-leonard/381974605?uo=4)
9. [Tasha Cobbs Leonard artist page, Opry](https://www.opry.com/artists/tasha-cobbs-leonard)
10. [Partial list of Grammy winners, AP News (2025)](https://apnews.com/article/80fd6bcd77408c2bcb9fa1fe1941d481)
11. [Grammys 2026: lista completa de ganadores, AS.com](https://as.com/us/tikitakas/grammys-2026-lista-completa-de-ganadores-a-los-premios-grammy-f202602-n/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Country, gospel, and western singers › Gospel singers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license