12x platinum rockers SKILLET recently returned from Europe after a summer trek of eight countries, playing in front of 300,000 including Austria, France, Italy, Switzerland and the UK.  This was the band’s first trip back since their 2020 tour dates had to be cancelled due to the pandemic. Skillet has amassed a rabid international fanbase throughout their career, selling out arenas in 26 countries and four continents.

Talking about their return, lead singer John Cooper remarked, “It was actually a bit emotional.  Before covid we toured Europe almost every year, so to be back was just amazing.  International travel isn’t what it used to be, ha ha, but we had a fantastic time – these crowds were more than ready to rock, and we can’t wait to go back.”

Adding to their growing list of RIAA certifications, the band returned to U.S. soil to find their Comatose album had garnered platinum certification, while the track “The Last Night” was certified gold.  These follow last fall’s triple-platinum status of their landmark album Awake, and hit tracks “Awake & Alive,” going double-platinum, “Hero,” triple-platinum, and “Monster,” already one of the most-streamed rock songs in history, hiting 5x platinum status.

Guitarist Seth Morrison has also recently announced a new partnership with  Westminster Effects to create the 2716 Seth Morrison Signature Distortion pedal, available here.

Providing professional, quality high gain tones the pedal takes cues from classic high gain tube amps such as the Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier Rev F to take tonal dominion over guitars – from hard rock to mid-2000s pop punk, to the heaviest of metal.

“It’s been an awesome experience working with Westminster Effects on a signature pedal,”  recalls Morrison.  “As a guitarist it’s exciting to put your name on something as a signature product and then to have the great response it’s had so far. The pedal is meant to capture my sound that people hear at Skillet shows. A great, heavy sound except in pedal form.”

Before releasing the #1 album in the country, Anomaly (2014), multi-Grammy/Dove/Stellar Award-winning rapper Lecrae dropped arguably the most seminal project in his catalog, Church Clothes Vol. 1 (2012), hosted by DJ Don Cannon. In the ten years since the first Church Clothes mixtape dropped, no one has been able to surpass the heights that Lecrae has reached, crossing CHH over to the mainstream while enduring the blows and lows as Lecrae has.

While Lecrae didn’t start Christian Hip-Hop, he’s regarded as a trailblazer in the lane and has consistently released music that represents faith and hip-hop with an Unashamed edginess that challenges the Church to live up to its potential and encourages the Culture to reconcile with its Savior. Respected hip-hop magazine XXL complimented him, saying, “It’s impressive how he’s able to deliver a message without being preachy calling Church Clothes “a prime example of the reach of hip-hop music and culture.” The people spoke even louder, downloading the music for the original Church Clothes mixtape 100,000 times in 48 hours.

A decade later, the mission and vision remain the same for Lecrae. “Once upon a time, we had the vision to demonstrate what it looks like to be authentically hip-hop and a follower of Christ,” shares Lecrae. “We put that vision together in this project called Church Clothes; something for the streets but representing who we are as believers. Church Clothes resonated with people, and they connected with it. Some people say it’s my best work to date! We did Vol 1, 2, and 3, and it’s only right that we keep the legacy with Vol.4. Church Clothes 4 is the last one though!”

The first single from Church Clothes 4, “Spread The Opps,” acknowledges the opposition and stands steadfast despite it. “I’ve been running for so long from the opposition. Since I was a kid, there were enemies, both physical and spiritual, that were trying to destroy me. I decided to stop running. This song, “Spread The Opps,” is me knowing that even in the valley of death, God is with me. He’s scattering the opposition.”

On “Spread The Opps,” the ominous production by DrumGod, JuanRa, Simbo, and DudeClayy, 808 drums pair with haunting vocals from students from AGI Entertainment. Under the direction of Natarsha Garcia, CEO/Artistic Director, BrandinJay, Creative Director and owner of Teddy Bear Productions, the students whose age ranges from 9 to 13 are all triple threats, chasing their dreams of becoming household names. Together they create the backdrop for a lyrical barrage from Lecrae.

Atlanta-based image-maker Ray “Neutron” Spears, director of the music video for “Spread the Opps,” says of the song. “’Spread the Opps’ feels like equal parts imprecatory psalm, personal excavation, and charitable warning— a final act of diplomacy. I found myself interested in his inner turmoil and specific inflection points on his journey of realization, how these experiences reverberate outside of Lecrae the individual, and their broader implications in society.”

Through the years, we’ve watched Lecrae reconstruct a vision of faith despite the large-scale shift towards mistrust and disillusionment within The Church in the wake of America’s racial tensions. As he delivers Church Clothes 4, Lecrae unapologetically stands at the crossroads of sacred and secular. People rocked with Church Clothes because it was the first time someone planted their feet simultaneously in the street and the Church without compromising. He laughs with those who have called him “Righteous and Ratchet,” acknowledging that “it is my lane, and this lane is completely acceptable

The Christian music group, Newsboys, recently released their take on the popular worship song, “King of Kings”. The up-tempo version features additional vocals from Bart Millard of MercyMe. Click here to listen.

“When we heard this song for the first time, we were so struck by the story it tells and the reminder that it brings”, said lead vocalist Michael Tait. “Even while Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy, we continue to serve the King of Kings.”

Additionally, the group announces their “Stand Together Tour” with special guests Cochren & Co., Adam Agee, and Jeremy Rosado. Set to kick off October 6th in Champaign, IL, the tour will also make stops in Missouri, Florida, Oklahoma, Georgia, Tennessee, and Texas throughout the fall. Tickets for the tour will go on sale Tuesday, August 9th.

NEWSBOYS “STAND TOGETHER TOUR” DATES:

• October 6 – Champaign, IL
• October 7 – Columbia, MO
• October 9 – Chicago, IL
• October 13 – Coral Springs, FL
• October 14 – Port St. Lucie, FL
• October 20 – Panama City, FL
• October 21 – Warner Robins, GA
• October 22 – Chattanooga, TN
• October 23 – Paducah, KY
• October 27 – San Angelo, TX
• October 28 – Oklahoma City, OK
• October 30 – Arlington, TX

Natasha Owens, a rising star in the conservative movement, will make an appearance at CPAC Texas on August 4th alongside former President Donald J. Trump, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Sen. Ted Cruz, Sarah Palin, and many more. CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) is the largest and most influential gathering of conservatives in the world.

Owens will open the 4-day conference with a performance of the National Anthem, and will also take the stage to perform songs from her new studio album, American Patriot – available now on all major platforms. VIP Guests will receive CD’s of the new album in their registration bags.

“Seth Godin once said, ‘Leadership is the art of giving people a platform for spreading ideas that work,’” says Owens. “Over the years, CPAC has given a platform to some of the best leadership of our lifetime; starting in 1974 with Ronald Reagan giving the inaugural keynote speech. I am so honored to not only step foot on the CPAC stage, but to be able to hold a microphone and sing about the greatness of our country.”

For the occasion, Owens enlisted fashion designer Desi Allinger of Desi Designs Couture to create a custom “Mean Tweets 2024” dress. Allinger first made headlines in 2019 when pop singer Joy Villa wore her “Build the Wall” and “Trump 2020” custom gowns on the GRAMMY Awards red carpets in 2019 and 2020.

With American Patriot, Owens is taking a new direction and offering up a bold, proud, powerful concept collection that bridges an unwavering love of country with the themes of faith and family that have always played a significant part in her artistry. The new album includes notable tracks such as the powerful pro-life single, “Stand for Life,” as well as “America First,” a subtle tip of the hat to America First Policy Institute. The new collection of songs also includes “Freedom Is The Song,” “Prayer For America,” and the soaring ballad, “Broad Stripes, Bright Stars,” as well as powerful new renditions of iconic standards: “God Bless America,” “My Country, ‘Tis Of Thee,” “America The Beautiful,” “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “God Bless The U.S.A.”

Owens made headlines over the July 4th weekend with digital billboards promoting the album release “flying over enemy territory” in New York City’s Times Square. The unapologetic patriot has been making regular appearances on the conservative circuit in recent months, including frequent visits to Mar A Lago and a main stage appearance at CPAC 2022 in Orlando. She also performed for nearly 50,000 at this year’s Hero’s Honor Festival alongside Toby Keith and Craig Morgan.

Owens exploded onto the Christian Music scene in 2016 and quickly found herself touring with Christian Music’s most iconic artists, including Michael W. Smith and Jason Crabb. Her sophomore album, We Will Rise, was named “Inspirational Album of the Year” at the 2018 We Love Christian Music Awards, which led to a deal with Nashville-based Radiate Music and extensive media coverage including appearances on Fox News, HLN, Newsmax and more.

American Patriot was produced for Nashville-based record label Radiate Music by GRAMMY-nominated and multiple Dove Award winner Ian Eskelin. A portion of all proceeds from the new album will go to support organizations that directly invest in our veterans and American heroes.

American Patriot is available now: https://ffm.to/patriot

Amazing & popular music minister, singer, songwriter & fashion designer Yadah is preparing for the release of a new single which she titles BY YOURSELF.

This song is coming a few months after the release of the remix of the trending and soul lifting song BEYOND ME which featured Mercy Chinwo, Chris Morgan & Prospa Ochimana recorded live at YALIC.

The singer who prides in calling herself the voice of Jesus to nations has consistently churned out Jesus centric songs and this new release coming soon isn’t an exception.

A snippet of the song from her last performance has been making waves across TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and other social media networks.

The anticipation for the release of this amazing song is on top gear. Music lovers & fans of the songstress are keenly waiting for the release of the new song.

As usual, she does not fail in writing amazing songs. Get ready for this new song & also be ready to encounter the person of Jesus from this song. The song is billed to be released on the 5th of August & it’ll be accompanied with beautiful visuals.

Connect With Artist Below

YouTube || Instagram || Facebook || Twitter

Following the release of the debut EP “Serene” from Phoenix Amol signed to Evoke Musik, the music artist has announced a five hundred thousand naira giveaway where winners will be randomly selected.

The five hundred thousand naira would be won by fifty lucky people who would be smiling to the bank with a whooping sum of ten thousand naira each.

To qualify as one of the top fifty people, head over to his Instagram handle @phoenix.amol to follow him Then Click on this link https://serene.contactin.bio/

When you do that you follow the steps below for your entry to be valid.

STEP 1

Search for Ejekajo by Phoenix Amol on YouTube

STEP 2

Click on the video, subscribe to the channel (EVOKE MUSIK)

STEP 3

Watch the video & leave a comment writing your honest review about the song & the video on youtube.

The 50 lucky people will be selected randomly from the comment section. You may be the lucky winner of ten thousand naira, go for it.

https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/phoenixamol/serene

CDX Records/Sony Orchard recording artist, Doug Mathis, is proving his staying power with his fourth number one hit on the TRACtion Positive Country and Southern Gospel chart this week with “God’s Got a Plan.”

Mathis states: “’God’s Got a Plan’ is such an important song for our time because I know that God has a plan for our lives, for our communities, for our churches, and for this great nation. We need to be praying into God’s plan, and believing for God’s plan, and singing about God’s plan every chance we get!”

Mathis continues his run of chart-toppers which have included “When He Calls My Name,” “Love Somebody” and “King of Love.” The Knoxville, Tennessee native demonstrates repeatedly that powerful vocals, coupled with great songs with a powerful message are sure winners with his growing legion of fans. These career achievements are made even more significant since TRACTION is the only monitored radio chart in the Positive Country and Southern Gospel formats whose spins are based on actual airplay detections not reported spins or predicted plays which have historically been inaccurate.

Mathis has been immersed in music for most of his life. Growing up singing in church, he began writing songs at age eight. As a senior in high school, he auditioned to be a performer at Opryland USA. He began performing at the fabled theme park in the “Country Music USA” show, singing a wide variety of songs from artists such as Roy Acuff, John Denver, and Kenny Rogers. Three years later, he became the lead singer for “The Cumberland Boys,” Opryland’s gospel quartet, with whom toured across the country for four years. Following his time at the theme park, Mathis went on to become senior pastor and a minister of music at several churches across the South prior to rededicating his career as a full-time performer.

Mathis’ style is passionate, patriotic, and spiritual. The importance behind his music revolves around his desire to connect people to the most meaningful things in life: faith, family, and country.

The Los Angeles Mission launched the Skid Row Revitalization Project with a street festival for the residents of Skid Row with attendees that included former Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis. The event was hosted by Grammy Award-nominated recording artist Major and featured performances by Grammy Award-winning recording artist Maverick City Music, along with 16-time Grammy winner Kirk Franklin.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis, who represents Skid Row, presented Pastor Troy Vaughn and Maverick City Music each with a proclamation from Los Angeles County for their continued efforts in championing the unhoused and the underrepresented.

GRAMMY award-winning collective Maverick City Music and 16-time GRAMMY winner Kirk Franklin sold out Crypto.com Arena, one of the stops on their massive coast-to-coast arena tour. In celebration of their largest West Coast show to date, they paired with YouTube for a one-of-a-kind partnership, streaming the full concert to the more than 100,000 fans who tuned in live.

With more than 12,000 tickets sold, fans gathered in masses to enjoy a night of music and worship with Maverick City Music x Kirk Franklin, alongside featured special guests: Housefires, Jonathan McReynolds, Tori Kelly and Mary Mary.

2022 is the year of Maverick City Music. Following the group’s recent GRAMMY win and historic mainstage performance, the record-breaking collective has been on a magnificent rise. Since then, they’ve performed mainstage at the BET Awards, and also alongside Diddy and Faith Evans, joined NPR’s Tiny Desk, and The View. Earlier this month, they appeared on the TODAY Show for a performance and interview and were a part of Fox & Friends’ All-American Summer Concert Series. Watch it HERE.

STREAM KINGDOM BOOK ONE DELUXE HERE

The Awakening Foundation and Awakening Events are excited to announce Michael W. Smith’s “The WayMaker Tour” kicking off this fall. After a successful spring tour in an acoustic and intimate piano setting, Smith is excited to kick up the energy and return to the stage with his full band as they will journey through many of his most popular hits. Concertgoers will get to hear songs such as “Place In This World,” “Friends,” and “Secret Ambition,” while blending in the worship songs that he’s brought to life, including the No. 1 hit “Waymaker,” “Surrounded,” and many more.

“The WayMaker Tour,” an Awakening Foundation Event, is supported by K-LOVE Radio, Air1 Radio, Compassion, and Altrua HealthShare. It will kick off on October 2 in Texas and will wrap on November 13 in Pennsylvania. Smith will take the tour overseas in the spring of 2023. More details will follow on the international leg.

Tickets are officially on sale now, and tickets purchased through August 10 will receive 20% off with the Fan Appreciation Launch Discount by using the code INSIDER (discount does not apply to VIP or Group). Click HERE for tickets and further details.

“Over the past year, I have been incredibly blessed to travel around the world and lead worship,” Michael W. Smith shares. “Through those concerts and travels, I really felt called to come back to the song ‘Waymaker’ and build a concert experience with my band that focuses on songs that are encouraging, worshipful, and introspective; a tour that reminds people that God loves us and is here with us through everything. This fall we’ll kick it off in the states and go worldwide in 2023. It’s going to be so good to get out there with my band and I am absolutely honored that my good friend and worship leader Jon Reddick will be joining me for this fall leg. It will be a night you won’t forget!”

Please note: all Awakening Events / Awakening Foundation shows are required to follow local health and venue requirements as it relates to COVID-19. These may include but are not limited to vaccine and/or testing requirements and face coverings. Local health & venue guidelines are subject to change at any time. Changes in local COVID-19 health guidelines or venue policies are not grounds for a refund. Thank you for your understanding and please know that Awakening Events takes the health and safety of their guests, employees, and community very seriously. 

*Tour dates are subject to change; visit awakeningevents.com for the most updated schedule