Rebecca St. James is an Australian-born contemporary Christian singer, songwriter, author, actress, and speaker. Born Rebecca Jean Smallbone in Sydney on July 26, 1977, she began performing as a child and opened concerts for Christian artist Carman during his Australian tour. In 1991, she released her first album, Refresh My Heart, under the name Rebecca Jean. That same year, her family moved to the United States and settled in the Nashville area, where she continued developing her career.
In 1993, St. James signed with ForeFront Records. The label gave her the stage name by which she became known, and her self-titled major-label debut followed in 1994. The album introduced a young performer whose music combined contemporary pop and rock production with direct Christian themes. Her sound and image were aimed especially at teenagers, helping establish her as one of the most visible female artists in the Christian music market during the 1990s.
Her breakthrough came with God (1996), an album built around forceful rock arrangements and openly devotional songwriting. The title track became one of her signature recordings, while songs such as "Go and Sin No More" further strengthened her profile. She followed it with Christmas (1997) and Pray (1998). Pray became her most important early success, earning Gold certification and winning the 1999 Grammy Award for Best Rock Gospel Album. The record also included the well-known songs "Pray" and "Wait for Me."
St. James continued her success with Transform (2000), Worship God (2002), and If I Had One Chance to Tell You Something (2005). Her music during this period moved between rock-oriented tracks, worship material, and reflective songs about faith and personal commitment. She also released the live project Live Worship: Blessed Be Your Name in 2004 and the compilation Wait for Me: The Best from Rebecca St. James in 2003.
Alongside music, St. James developed a parallel career as an author and performer. Her books include 40 Days with God, Wait for Me, and Pure, works that address Christian faith, relationships, and sexual abstinence before marriage. She acted in the films Left Behind: The Movie (2000), Unidentified (2006), Sarah's Choice (2009), and The Frontier Boys (2012). She also played Mary Magdalene in the stage production !Hero and contributed voice work to the VeggieTales project An Easter Carol.
After releasing I Will Praise You in 2011, St. James entered a period with less recording and touring activity. She returned to the public stage in the late 2010s, performing with her younger brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone, the duo for KING & COUNTRY. Their collaborations included a version of "Amazing Grace" and the song "Kingdom Come." In 2020, she released the Dawn EP, featuring "Battle Is the Lord's" with Brandon Lake. Her album Kingdom Come followed in 2022.
St. James also appeared briefly in Unsung Hero (2024), a film about the Smallbone family's move from Australia to the United States. Her career has made her a prominent figure in contemporary Christian music, combining recorded worship and pop-rock music with advocacy, writing, film work, and ministry.