Renowned Dutch musician and music therapist Harry Kappen has released a politically motivated new single, “WarGames.” Following his full-length album “Escape” that was released earlier in 2022, Kappen wanted to bring the year to an end with a meaningful song that not only provokes people’s thoughts, but also makes an impact on the music scene. “WarGames” addresses political turmoil across the world, while also bringing a call to action for issues such as climate change, media misinformation, social ignorance and more.  

“In the ‘60s and ‘70s, there was a lot of musical protest going on against, among other things, the Vietnam War,” Harry Kappen says. “While there are enough reasons to protest now, I actually hear little resonance in the current music charts. Just check your Top 40. Are war, climate change, hunger, fake news, mistrust, ignorance etc. not reasons enough?”

Watch “WarGames” Video Below

All the vocals and instruments on ‘WarGames’ have been recorded single-handedly by Harry, which is the case for most of his music. As a music therapist, Harry has mastered several instruments, in addition to vocal techniques, that he plays for his therapy clients. “WarGames” is a catalyst for change that aims to bring advocacy back to the music scene, while also serving as a prologue to Harry Kappen’s next full-length album, which is tentatively due for release in Spring of 2023. 

More details can be seen at https://twitter.com/harrykappen?lang=en

ABOUT HARRY KAPPEN: Harry Kappen has played in many bands in the Netherlands and throughout Europe. He composed his first song when he was 10 years old. He played with his sister Hanneke in Kapsonic and released a self-titled album with her about 6 years ago. Harry is an admirer of David Bowie, Paul McCartney, Prince, Radiohead, Scandinavian pop music by Björk and Motorpsycho. “Escape” is a concept album, with songs about escaping reality, escaping violence, even life, escaping into love, dreams or art.

Are you ready to celebrate Christmas with DJ Ernesty at the Christmas Party with DJ Ernesty on December 25th?

This festive event, hosted by gospel music DJ Ernesty, will take place at Palm Spring Prep School in Abuja and is sure to be a fun-filled afternoon and evening of holiday cheer for music lovers of all ages.

Activities at the party will include a bouncing castle, Barney show, photo booth, 360 photo show, shopping games, snooker, and Christmas karaoke. Ernesty will be on the decks, playing a mix of gospel hits and party favorites. Doors open at 2pm, and the party will run until 8pm.

Ticket prices for the event are 1000 naira for adults and 5000 naira for children.

“I’m thrilled to be hosting the Christmas Party with DJ Ernesty this year,” says DJ Ernesty. “It’s going to be such a special day, and I can’t wait to share the joy of Christmas with all of our guests.”

Don’t miss out on this unforgettable afternoon and evening of music and holiday cheer at Palm Spring Prep School in Abuja!

Pastors Kent & Candy Christmas, Regeneration Nashville Church, invite you to celebrate the best gift of all – JESUS – this Christmas season with a very special television special.

The Christmas Family and Friends Christmas special will feature Candy Christmas, The Isaacs, Higher Ground, Rebecca Lynn Howard, Jasmine Christmas Brady, Burton Gaar, and many more performing Christmas hymns, classics and worship songs.

Additonally, Pastor Kent Christmas inspires with a very special Christmas message.

“Jesus is the true reason for the season and we’re excited to celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ with so many friends in Nashville and around the country through the power of television,” said Pastor Kent Christmas. “We pray you’ll enjoy this Christmas Special that we created just for you! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from all of us at Regeneration Nashville!” 

The Christmas Family & Friends Christmas Special will air in the local Nashville, TN area as well as internationally via Daystar Television Networks. In all, the show will air on six different networks throughout the Christmas weekend.

Additionally, the program will be available for on-demand viewing at KCMI.tv and on the KCMI channel on Roku.

Air dates, times and channels are as follows:
Daystar Television Network: December 23, 2022 – 12 MIDNIGHT CT & December 23, 2022 – 11 AM CT

WUXP MY30 Nashville: Christmas Day, December 25, 2022 – 12 NOON CT & 9 PM CT

WTVF Channel 5 Nashville: Christmas Eve, December 24, 2022 – 8 AM CT
WZTV Fox 17 Nashville: Christmas Day, December 25, 2022 – 10 AM CT
WSMV Channel 4 Nashville: Christmas Day, December 25, 2022 – 8 AM CT
WKRN Channel 2 Nashville: Christmas Eve, December 25, 2022 – 1:30 AM CT

About Regeneration Nashville:
Kent and Candy Christmas are the founding pastors of Regeneration Nashville in Nashville, TN. Kent Christmas has been in full time ministry for over 50 years, traveling extensively across the United States and abroad. His passion is to strengthen the local church body and to share prophetic insight. He is a man of prayer and carries an anointing to preach the word with the demonstration of apostolic power. Kent and his wife, Candy, of the southern gospel family, The Hemphills. have been married for 35 years. Candy has appeared on over 60 Gaither Homecoming videos and in 2004 founded The Bridge, Inc., an organization that ministers to the homeless and hungry of Nashville. Kent and Candy are blessed with two sons, a daughter, and five beautiful grandchildren.

Pastors Kent & Candy Christmas, Regeneration Nashville Church, invite you to celebrate the best gift of all – JESUS – this Christmas season with a very special television special.

The Christmas Family and Friends Christmas special will feature Candy Christmas, The Isaacs, Higher Ground, Rebecca Lynn Howard, Jasmine Christmas Brady, Burton Gaar and many more performing Christmas hymns, classics and worship songs.

Additonally, Pastor Kent Christmas inspires with a very special Christmas message.

“Jesus is the true reason for the season and we’re excited to celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ with so many friends in Nashville and around the country through the power of television,” said Pastor Kent Christmas. “We pray you’ll enjoy this Christmas Special that we created just for you! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from all of us at Regeneration Nashville!”

The Christmas Family & Friends Christmas Special will air in the local Nashville, TN area as well as internationally via Daystar Television Networks. In all, the show will air on six different networks throughout the Christmas weekend.

Additionally, the program will be available for on-demand viewing at KCMI.tv and on the KCMI channel on Roku.

Air dates, times and channels are as follows:

• Daystar Television Network: December 22, 2022 – 12 MIDNIGHT CT & December 23, 2022 – 11 AM CT
• WUXP MY30 Nashville: Christmas Day, December 25, 2022 – 12 NOON CT & 9 PM CT
• WTVF Channel 5 Nashville: Christmas Eve, December 24, 2022- 8 AM CT
• WZTV Fox 17 Nashville: Christmas Day, December 25, 2022 – 10 AM CT
• WSMV Channel 4 Nashville: Christmas Day, December 25, 2022 – 8 AM CT
• WKRN Channel 2 Nashville: Christmas Eve, December 24, 2022 – 1:30 AM CT

Matthew West invited audiences to “Come Home For Christmas” with a performance of his original holiday track on The Kelly Clarkson Show this week (12/20/22).

“I am so excited to bring this song to The Kelly Clarkson Show,” shares West. “I love Christmas music so much, and each year I find myself sitting down at the piano penning a new Christmas tune inspired by my love of this most wonderful time of the year. ‘Come Home for Christmas’ is not just a song, it’s an invitation for every heart to return to the wonder, the peace, the love, and the hope that this holiday season offers to every heart.”

https://youtu.be/wmBstiLtbmE

This holiday season, West has partnered with Great American Family to highlight the endearing carol (listen here) on their channel all holiday season. Looking ahead to the new year, West will be releasing his highly anticipated upcoming double album MY STORY YOUR GLORY on February 17. It is available for pre-order now HERE.

 Keith & Kristyn Getty streamed a preview of their Sing! An Irish Christmas concert.

The show, recorded from The Museum of the Bible, includes the Getty Band, Malcolm Guite, David Platt & more. View the entire concert, for free, and get 30 free song downloads by RSVPing online.

The dynamic, multicultural youth ministry of Planetshakers Church, planetboom, releases You, Me, The Church, That’s Us -Deluxe, today (Dec. 16) to digital and streaming outlets globally from Venture3Media (V3M) via https://planetboom.streamlink.to/youmethechurchdeluxe. The 21-song project includes both You, Me, The Church, That’s Us – Side A and Side B tracks recorded live at this year’s planetboom conference and released earlier this year along with five never-before-released demo recordings.

In addition to the audio, there are 14 companion music videos on the deluxe version from Apple Music, including featured track, “That’s Us (Live).”

Produced by creative director Josh Ham, mixed by worship leader Joth Hunt and written or co-written by Ham, worship leader, vocalist / rapper Noah Walker and planetboom youth pastor, songwriter, author and drummer Andy Harrison, You, Me, The Church, That’s Us -Deluxe captures planetboom’s unique and eclectic sonic identity. The dynamic recordings range from big, broad statements about the church family to intimate, personal moments between individuals and God.

The full You, Me, The Church, That’s Us -Deluxe track listing follows:

Side A Songs:

The Core (Live)

Jesus Got A Hold Of Me (Live)

That’s Us (Live)

I Believe

Nothing On You

A Moment With You (Live)

Back To Life (Live)

– Selah Moment –

Side B Songs:

I Will Follow You (Live)

Word (Live)

I’m Free, I’m Fearless

Résumé Check

I Am Found (Live)

Let My Life Give You Glory (Live)

– Selah Moment 2 –

Move Of God (Live)

Demos:

I Will Follow You – Demo

It’s All About You – Demo

Living For You Now – Demo

Like Nothing Else – Demo

Nothing On You – Demo

The diverse youth culture at planetboom that represents at least 60 nationalities translates the mission of Planetshakers Church into music that creates a unique space for an international audience to find an intimate sense of belonging as part of the church family.

Along with the new music, planetboom is sharing additional resources to equip other youth groups around the world. Podcasts, blog posts, devotionals, song multitracks and more are available online now at www.planetshakers.com/church/planetboom-youth/planetboom-resource.

Recording artist Marvinetta Clay and her label, LeRae Records, are basking in the afterglow of a record release party that morphed into a worship service.

When the label recently honored Marvinetta with a single release party at Hamburger Mary’s in Las Vegas, Nevada, industry executives and fans joined together to celebrate her debut radio single, “God Is So Good.” Few in attendance were prepared to have church, but that’s exactly what happened.

Casting director and film producer Kim Flowers hosted the event, which featured music from Marvinetta, along with fellow LeRae Records recording artists Jack Yates and Fate Kent, who co-wrote her new single, a silky-smooth, jazz-inflected, Gospel-Urban Contemporary synthesis that effectively showcases Marvinetta’s rich, passionate vocals as they imbue the song with a soaring spiritual burst of energy.

“The evening was a dream that came true,” mused LeRae Records’ founder, president, and CEO, Rev. Wilfred Moore, more commonly known as Pastor Wil. Everyone in the room gathered with much conversation, food, and merriment as they waited for the show to begin. As the lights were lowered, a soft hush came over the room, as we all waited with expectancy to meet the star of the show… Marvinetta Clay! The atmosphere was delightful. People were mingling with one another and there was a strong spirit of love and unity in the air.”

“And then the atmosphere changed as Marvinetta ministered to us under the power of the Holy Spirit.” continued Pastor Wil. “People were standing up, rendering much applause and praise to God, shouting out ‘He’s good…. My God is so good!’ Even after the song was done, the audience kept singing a cappella. “Oh…so good!”

“The celebration was remarkable, exciting, and blessed,” said Marvinetta. “I am humbled by the experience of seeing those who came to enjoy the music leave with an experience of a lasting, impressive move of God in that place.”

Host Kim Flowers was effusive with her praise as the evening ended. “I’m so grateful to have been present at such an outstanding event!” she declared. “The artists on the LeRae label are truly anointed. Marvinetta is absolutely marvelous, Fate Kent has the voice of change, and it goes without saying that Jack’s gift from God is on another level.”

“Congratulations, Marvinetta!” said Jack Yates. “You have done what great artists do. You have taken this song to an incredibly high level. You’ve convinced us that God is so good!”

Fate Kent added, “What an emotional night full of gratitude and blessings. To God be all the glory!”

Multiple award-winning singer/songwriter, Jekalyn Carr, will spend this holiday season gracing the cover of Pandora’s Christmas Spirit mode for one week beginning December 16 and concluding on December 22, 2022. Carr will also be featured as host of the Christmas Spirit Mode on Pandora’s billboard in New York’s Times Square (Broadway between 45th and 46th Streets) for one week.   

On December 10th 2022, Carr performed in New York City at the famed Carnegie Hall, in a sold-out event titled “Night Of Inspiration,” which was produced by Ray and Vivian Chew of Chew Entertainment. Carr performed “Mary Don’t You Weep,” with the legendary gospel singer, Shirley Caesar, and took part in a tribute to Richmond Smallwood singing, “Total Praise,” but the highlight of the night, was Carr performing an original piece of her own music, “It’s Yours,” with the Carnegie orchestra.

On Friday, November 4, 2022,  Carr released her new holiday single titled, “Great Christmas,” which has reached # on the Billboard Gospel Airplay Artist Chart, #2 on Billboard’s Gospel Airplay Song Chart, and #7 on the Mediabase Gospel Airplay Chart. 

Northern Ireland worship band Rend Collective is planning to hit the road in the new year. The band has officially announced a spring leg of their “The Whosoever Tour.” The early 2023 dates will feature Sean Curran. A pre-sale is underway now. For more information, visit https://rendcollective.com/.

In August, Rend Collective released their newest album, Whosoever, available now. The album features 10 tracks including the recently released radio single “Plans,” and the vibrant anthemic song, “Let It Roll.” The record is about God’s vast, generous embrace – wide enough, for the prodigal sons, cynical older brother and any other label we might apply to ourselves or others. As the title of the album clearly states – the gospel is for everyone.