Joyous Celebration brings a message of hope and positivity with their milestone 25th album released today.

This is the first album from the revered gospel ensemble under Universal Music Africa and with a distribution deal with Motown Gospel in the US. It is released in time for Easter celebrations and with the dark shadow of the Coronavirus pandemic that continues to ravage families and leave people destitute hanging heavily.

Even in dire circumstances like this, MTN Joyous Celebration has not lost its fire, if anything, the recording proves that their music remains a dependable balm that goes a long way to soothe troubled souls. Still We Rise speaks to the indomitable human spirit and its resilience in the face of adversity.

The recording was conducted without choir master Lindelani Mkhize on stage due to ill health, but he still led from behind the scenes ensuring that the performance remains spirited and uplifting.

The 16 track Still We Rise is led by singles Ndezel Uncedo and The Victory Song that set the tone for a rapturous experience.

Ndenzel Uncedo led by Esethu Mngxuma is taken from the Methodist church Xhosa hymnbook. The rousing traditional hymn is delivered with impeccable rhythm and gusto. It is about finding refuge in God at a time of difficulty, pain and loss.

It is sung by believers who recognize that they cannot get through life on their own, it is only with the grace of God that they can survive troubles. The song resonates with the challenges of today. Ndenzel Uncedo has already garnered over 180 000 views on YouTube in less than a week.

Packed with high energy from the first note, The Victory Song is a manifestation of God’s unfailing love. Led by the consummate performer and singer Bonginkosi Mthombeni, the track boasts generous doses of spunk and groove.

The swashbuckling dance routine by Bonginkosi is a throwback to the heady days of Michael Jackson and James Brown’s nifty footwork. The Victory Song is not only apt as acknowledgement of how far the ensemble has come, but sets the tone for the future.

The energy is kept up on tracks like Sebenza Ngami, Ka Mehla, Elakho Liphezulu, Ngiyanikela and Grace and Mercy.

Pastor Jabu Hlongwane returns to the stage with Sofana Naye while Pastor Mthunzi Namba delivers a powerful testament of unshaken faith with In Christ We Stand.

Some of the new faces that inject a new energy to the band are Thobeka Ramaloko who shines on the keyboard fuelled Bonginkosi Ngazo and Nwabisa Meth is a class act in Camagu Ngonyama rooted in Xhosa rhythms tinged with jazz. Kholiswa Ganca dazzles in the exuberant Cela, while Bongiwe Madela dazzles in Jesus is Lord Medley and Nozipho Phiri is infectious on Thank You Lord.

Still We Rise boasts the musicality and dexterity that MTN Joyous Celebration has been known for. It doesn’t shy away from African influences that are masterfully fused with modern sensibilities.

Enthuses Mkhize: ‘We are proud to present this album marking 25 years of MTN Joyous Celebration. We have a new recording home at Universal Music, we have been injected with a new energy and we are enthusiastic about the future. This album has everything for everybody, it will leave all our supporters and fans sated with the holy spirit delivered in song, praise and worship. Even when I wasn’t on stage to conduct the choir due to ill health, everything came together so perfectly and the excellence we are known for remains unmatched.’

Still We Rise was recorded under strict Covid-19 lockdown protocols at Joburg Theatre without a live audience.

MTN Joyous Celebration 25 premier show takes place on Friday, 2 April 2021 at Joburg Theatre with a limited audience and observing Covid-19 lockdown protocols. Tickets will go for sale on Webtickets soon.

Watch Joyous Celebration “The Victory Song” (Official Music Video);

 GRAMMY-nominated and Dove Award-winning worship leader Kari Jobes serves 4-track Ep Resurrection  in the spirit of easter.

Earlier this year, Kari Jobe, in conjunction with Premier Productions, announced The Blessing USA Tour. Sponsored by illumiNations and CovidSafeChurch.com and named after Jobe’s GRAMMY-nominated and Dove Award-winning hit, Jobe is excited to hit the road for the first time in a year and spend an evening of worship in 22 cities across the U.S. The tour kicks off this month in Pittsburgh, PA.

Oahu-based worship group New Hope Oahu is proud to announce the release of their ninth album, Brand New (DREAM Records), on Good Friday. 

The album is available now on all digital and streaming outlets globally.  The thirteen song album features incredible tracks like “Speak” and “Brand New.”

“Brand New is the latest album from New Hope Oahu, celebrating 25 years of God’s faithfulness and leading at New Hope. There is a journey that unfolds through each song, remembering God’s faithfulness in where we have been, and looking forward with hope to all He will do to make all things BRAND NEW. Our prayer is that these songs will become anthems that will unite the body of Christ, and bring comfort and joy through every season.” – Christopher Sanders

Curb | Word Entertainment powerhouse vocalist Blancahonors her Latin American heritage with the release of Renovada, her first set of all-original Spanish music, available today, 4/2. The five-song EP already boasts a chart-topping hit, thanks to the meteoric rise of “Soy (feat. Christine D’Clario),” which went No. 1 in Blanca’s homeland of Puerto Rico.

Historically, Blanca has naturally translated her lyrics from English to Spanish, but for Renovada, she intentionally crafted every song from the ground up in her native tongue. Renovada, which means “renewed,” pays tribute to Blanca’s late parents, both of whom she previously lost to cancer.

The new project honors her parents’ legacy and her Puerto Rican lineage. “My Spanish culture and deep Latina roots play a huge part in this,” she explains. “My parents always desired for me to embrace this part of me and create music for my people and my family. So here I am, finally doing just that. They aren’t here to see it happen, but I’m hoping through the music and the songs, I can keep their legacy alive.”

Ahead of Renovada’s official release, a lyric video debuted for emotive, identity-focused track “Soy (feat. Christine D’Clario).” Blanca also dropped a music video for confident anthem “Zone (feat. GAWVI).” Watch the tightly choreographed clip HERE.

To celebrate Good Friday and Easter this year, Crossroads Music announces the release of their EP, “Conquered Grave.” This EP will feature four songs: “Conquered Grave,” “We Say Yes,” “God of the Breakthrough” and “That Name.”

The Crossroads Music team strategically released this EP on Good Friday as a timely reminder that Jesus conquered the grave and reigns victorious over death! In 2020, only a few weeks into quarantine, Austin Livingood, Dustin Smith (from Here Be Lions) and Robbie Reider penned the lyric, “Death has died, crushed by nail-pierced hands,” as a reminder that our ultimate struggle has already been laid to rest by what Jesus did on the Cross.

Little did they know that those lyrics would become the anthem for Crossroads Church this Easter. They are eagerly looking forward to having their community sing out, “Every day we wake to a conquered grave,” to celebrate Easter this weekend!

Co-writer, Austin Livingood, said “This album is a constant reminder of the reason I have new mercies every morning. I have a reason to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. Sometimes I tend to focus so much on Jesus dying on the cross, that I forget about the conquered grave and the freedom and joy that comes with it. The cross is important, but the cross without the grave means nothing.”

One of the featured songs on the EP, “God of the Breakthrough,” is an anthem written out of desperation to have God intervene in impossible situations. The Crossroads Music team had seen people in their community go through maddening life circumstances: cancer treatments, heart attacks, surgeries and friends passing away.

Regarding “God of the Breakthrough,” Livingood said, “When we wrote this song, our church was going through a difficult season. We started chasing down an idea, and in the middle of the session, we got an email that one of our Executive Pastors had a heart attack. It completely changed everything. We immediately prayed, and I was reminded of these lines I had just written a few days ago:

“God of the breakthrough
Your promises stand true
You haven’t failed us yet.”

That was all I had, and from there, we built a song of petition for God to show up. Time and time again since writing this song, it has served as a reminder that when I have nowhere else to go, I go to a place of surrender.”

Director of Crossroads Music, Robbie Reider, said, “When we have nowhere else to go, we want God near; His presence can change everything. Though it may not be specific results, it can change the posture of our heart, mind and spirit towards Him. This song is a reminder to us that though we don’t have all the answers in life, we can always depend on his presence being near to us in broken times, to hold onto his faithfulness. This song is as much an invitation to the miraculous as it is miraculous that we can have God to lean on in times of hardship.”

The Crossroads Music team wants this album to be something that doesn’t just produce self-reflection and somberness…but is a cause for celebration! Their hope is that this Easter weekend, the church will celebrate and have confidence in the fact that Jesus paved a way to life.

Composer, keyboardist and former Christian radio broadcaster Michael Canaan releases his solo debut project, Caught Up In The Clouds. A trailblazer in the Smooth Christian Jazz genre, Canaan’s seven-song EP is hallmarked by easy-listening grooves and peaceful melodies inspired by Scripture.

Caught Up In The Clouds showcases four instrumental selections and two vocal tracks—each solely penned, arranged and produced by Canaan—as well as a reimagined rendition of the beloved hymn “For The Beauty Of The Earth.” With Canaan’s keyboard-driven melodies at the heart of the project, the EP also boasts multiple guest appearances.

The ethereal “Spirit Rain” features Los Angeles-based saxophonist Donald Hayes (Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan), while the upbeat “Secret Place” displays the talents of guitarist Tristan Auman of South Carolina rockers The Unapologetic Kind. In addition, vocalist Jennifer Robbins is featured on the Psalm 23-inspired “Surely,” and “Like A Thief In The Night” showcases vocals from Southern California Christian music recording artist Athena.

“For a long time, I felt that my gift for music was intended only to please God in my quiet place, but I have lately begun to realize I was burying a talent He gave me,” Canaan explains of the EP’s genesis. “I believe worship music can take on any musical form imaginable, and since I’ve always been drawn to the chord progressions and lyrical stylings of jazz, it’s become my desire to use that for the Lord’s glory. Ultimately I hope my music can be a blessing to those with similar stylistic inclinations.”

“Not only do I hope listeners will perceive the motivation behind this music—to draw people closer to God—but I pray this project speaks directly to spirits by the Holy Spirit, and that the lyrics serve as devotion and reflection upon the goodness of God,” he adds.

Michael Canaan (pronounced Kuh-nahn) has been instrumental in the advancement of the Smooth Christian Jazz genre over the past two decades. In 2000, he founded and hosted “The Dove,” a Charlotte, North Carolina, radio program giving voice to the burgeoning Smooth Christian Jazz scene. He also launched one of the genre’s leading websites, which featured the latest faith-based Smooth Jazz releases, reviews and exclusive artist interviews. Stepping aside from these media pursuits, Canaan married and began a family while continuing to hone his skills as a composer and arranger. Caught Up In The Clouds marks his return to the spotlight, fulfilling a dream to write, record and release original music.

Kira Fontana, singer-songwriter, producer, and composer releases her worship album titled Refuge. 

Influenced by her background in classical music and film score composition, Fontana integrates compelling orchestral arrangements into many of her songs.

In addition to her own music, Kira is an active music producer and the founder of KINGDOM SOUND, a boutique Christian label and production company dedicated to creating amazing music that glorifies God and points people to the One who made them and loves them.

Acclaimed chart-topping Michigan rapper NF releases his latest project and first mixtape, CLOUDS (THE MIXTAPE), which is now available for download or streaming via NF Real Music/Caroline here.

With “CLOUDS,” NF outlines his reasons for releasing this mixtape now. “Hanging onto songs this long is daunting,” he raps, matter-of-factly. He then playfully delivers clever lines in unison with a sparse violin melody before his delivery becomes more fiery, matching a thundering, industrial beat. Throughout, the technically gifted MC passionately strings together intricate rhymes about his continued ascent and the gravity of his ambitions: “It’s probable / That I might press the envelope / Ideas so astronomical / Sometimes I find them comical.”

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 Dove Awards Winning Christian Hip-Hop artist GAWVI debuts his first Spanish-language project titled Noche Juvenil. 

GAWVI, being an influential hip hop artist, has also elevated his artistic career, developing into a renowned producer that has worked with many trailblazers in music such as Lecrae, Andy Mineo, Mandisa, TobyMac, Blanca, among others.

Undoubtedly, one of the more challenging processes on this project for GAWVI was singing in Spanish for the first time, even though he knows and speaks the language because of his Salvadorian and Dominican roots. However, through this musical discovery, he shares, “As you grow up, you are figuring out your identity and you sometimes have to backtrack to find out where you first started and that was me with this album.  I’ve been on a journey and just about connecting with my roots, my Latin culture, and discovering more about myself.
The six-time Dove Award winner has built a career that has broken barriers, making him a pioneer in the music industry. This is why one of his objectives with this album, beyond connecting with the Latino community, is to pave the way for youth that feels voiceless and to provoke the change he wishes to see in music and in the journey of faith.

 Acclaimed worship band, North Point Worship completes their EP titled Live from Decatur City. The group started dropping live versions of their tracks on New Year’s Day leading up to today’s release.

The EP is available for download now. “We are praying that God uses these lyrics to help you start 2021 with your eyes fixed on Jesus,” the group shared on social media.

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