Chart-topping BEC recording artist Tasha Layton recently marked another first in a year filled with milestones with her debut on the iconic Grand Ole Opry. Layton performed her breakthrough single, “Into The Sea (It’s Gonna Be OK),” and her #1 smash, “Look What You’ve Done,” before the welcoming Opry audience.

She joined CMA Award-winning country superstar Brett Eldredge; breakout hitmaker Lainey Wilson; and Grand Ole Opry members John Conlee and Riders In The Sky, among others, for the evening’s show.

Before leaving the stage, Layton shared with Opry announcer Charlie Mattos how special it was to appear on the Grand Ole Opry, in part because her grandmother had been such a big country music fan. To add to the evening’s significance, Layton’s guitarist, Matt Podesla, played the guitar originally owned by Layton’s grandmother, now one of the artist’s prized possessions.

It may seem an unusual pairing for a two-time Billboard #1 Gospel artist and a well-known psychotherapist to write a book together. But that’s just what singer, author and worship leader Anthony Evans, along with licensed psychotherapist and TV personality Stacy Kaiser, have done in their new release When Faith Meets Therapy: Find Hope and a Practical Path to Emotional, Spiritual, and Relational Healing (Aug. 16, 2022; W Publishing Group, an imprint of Thomas Nelson).

Anthony, who is a well-known Christian musician and the son of world-renowned Pastor Dr’s. Tony and Lois Evans, and Stacy, a sought-after professional, media personality, and speaker, met five years ago when he was seeking emotional, relational and spiritual healing. Stacy led Anthony through a process of internal renovation and continues as his personal therapist. The two opened to the world up about their partnership through their When Faith Meets Therapy Zoom talks.

With the release of their book, the duo takes the conversation around mental health and faith to the next level, packaging insights from Anthony’s personal experience with therapy as well as poignant takeaways from Stacy. The authors offer hope and practical steps to getting started on a mental health journey, examples of strategies that worked for Anthony, and encourage readers to take the next step toward individualized professional help if needed.

“In our book, Stacy and I want to have an open, honest conversation about faith and mental health in a way that doesn’t make a person feel worse about themselves and their relationship with God,” writes Anthony. “A lot of faith meeting therapy is talking about boundaries and balance, power and responsibility, fear and healthy relationships. Mental, physical, and spiritual health are connected. It all works together.”

“It is important to understand that therapy is not a replacement for your spiritual work or connection.

Like tutoring in a math class with formulas that are hard to understand, It’s an enhancement to help you understand the truth, and no counselor should ever criticize or downplay the role of faith in your life,” writes Stacy. “Anthony and I talk a lot about God and faith in our sessions because that’s a vital part of his life. A good therapist gives you lots of space to talk about all facets of your life, from family, to work, to faith and more.”

GRAMMY-nominated pastor and recording artist, William McDowell recently announced the return of Habitation 2022, a multi-day worship and impartation gathering for Christians seeking a deeper encounter with God and spiritual growth on September 21-24, 2022.

Postponed for two years in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, the life-changing four-day encounter returns to Orlando, Florida at Deeper Fellowship Church’s new campus with a renewed focus on inspiring and equipping Christians seeking revival, prayer and worship both locally and globally at a time where the world seems to be in complete turmoil.

Habitation 2022 will feature noted and influential pastors, ministry leaders, and worship leaders including Bill Johnson of Bethel Church, author, Bob Sorge, Samuel Rodriguez, John Hannah, Dr. Eric Mason, David and Nicole Binion, Matt Gillman, GRAMMY Award recording artist, Tasha Cobbs-Leonard and more.

William McDowell, pastor of Deeper Worship Church and conference host, said, “Habitation is not just another conference. It’s an immersive environment to experience God in a fresh new way and receive prophetic instruction and impartation,” He also said, “This year’s gathering promises to be another life changing time together where people who are passionately pursuing God encounter the One who has passionately pursued them.”

Launched when Deeper Fellowship Church was just six months old, the four-day event has been attended by believers both in the United States and over 20 nations. Additionally, as part of its global focus, Habitation 2022 will also offer a digital pass for those unable to attend the event.

McDowell added, “What started as a gathering of friends has blossomed. Habitation is response to the clarion call of what the Lord is doing and is a gathering of people within a people.”

Oratorio Group, a gospel musical and youth mentoring group founded by Dr. Oyindamola Adejumo-Ayibiowu has concluded plans to hold a global virtual conference to help sharpen the talents and skills of young people.

The virtual conference with the theme, “Winning Passion” is centered on top issues in the minds of talented people. it will hold on Monday, July 11 2022 from 10 am-12

Adejumo-Ayibiowu disclosed that the four main speakers at the conference, namely Oluwatoyin Fatunsin, Tope Alabi, Mike Abdul, and Joke Akandel have a wealth of knowledge and experience in their chosen field and passion.

She said, “Oluwatoyin Fatunsin is a filmmaker, author, and actor based in Spain. Tope Alabi is a gospel music superstar who has won many awards all over the world. She is the dream of many upcoming artists. Mike Abdul is a celebrated Nigerian gospel singer, music producer, and songwriter. Joke Akanda is a brilliant scholar, accountant, and music star based in Canada.”

What The Conference Will Do

She said the conference will bring to young people the secrets of becoming great with one’s passion and talents.

Adejumo-Ayibiowu who is the daughter of celebrated comedian, Moses Olaiya Adejumo known as  Baba Sala. She said “many of the things young people are passionate about are not taught in the classroom. The conference  is expected to bridge that gap.”

Participants according to her stand to gain a lot of knowledge from the webinar and also have an opportunity to network. “There will also be lots of fun, live music, comedy, and other side attractions,” he said

The Oratorio founder believes the 35 million young people in Nigeria can make positive things happen.

She however noted that they can only contribute to governance and development when they have the right knowledge.

 “But where young people are ignorant, they become cheap tools of political manipulation for corrupt politicians. When young people regain their self-worth, they will use their vote to oust corrupt leaders so that only credible people rule us in Nigeria,” she said.

Registration to attend the conference is available free at www.oratoriogroup.org/conference. Participants will be able to join the conference through Zoom and Facebook. Zoom link 886 8588 3568 || passcode: 437173; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oratoriogroup.

An all-star lineup of gospel music’s biggest names will be in concert on Saturday, August 13, 2022 at the State Farm Arena. The list of artists set to perform include Yolanda Adams, Erica Campbell, Jekalyn Carr, Marvin Sapp, Keke Wyatt, Fred Hammond, Tye Tribbett, Travis Greene, Le’Andria Johnson, Keyondra Lockett, Bishop Cortez Vaughn and more!  There will also be a special appearance by Pastor Jamal Bryant. The show will be hosted by social media influencers Lexi Allen and Anna C. Douglas. The show will be filled with laughs, worship, and many of the industry’s top hits that will be sure to have the stadium dancing in their seats!

This year has been an exciting year for many of these artists! Yolanda Adams has a starring role in the BET hit series, “Kingdom Business”, and both Marvin Sapp and Fred Hammond were nominees at the year’s 2022 BET Awards. Both Erica Campbell and Jekalyn Carr have successful radio shows with our media partners, Radio One. Le’Andria Johnson recently graced the stage of the ‘Martin: The Reunion’ and Tye Tribbett has recently released a new album entitled, “All Things New”.

The executive team of the Super Friends Praise Fest say, “We are excited to bring gospel music to the State Farm Arena! The last few years have been rough for so many, but we are excited to bring people back together with one of the best lineups we’ve seen in years! We want people to bring their families and friends out for a night of great gospel music that they’ll continue to talk about months later.”

Doors open at 5pm and the show starts at 6pm. Tickets are now available at superfriendspraisefest.com and is sure to sell out quickly!

Vineyard Worship release a second single and title track ahead of their August EP, ‘Room At The Table’. The new song is full of warmth from the first note, with elements of mellow blues and soft rock. The balmy vocals of worship leader Olu Meduoye are adorned with a delicate reverb that adds to the overall inviting sound.

‘Room At The Table’ follows Jesus’ journey to the cross and meditates on the beauty of his body and blood given for us. It is a song of remembrance and invitation to take part in the endless life He offers. Written by Vineyard Worship songwriters Olu Meduoye, Jonny Riggs and Integrity Music’s Marc James, ‘Room At The Table’ is the musical expression of a central value in the Vineyard movement to “come as you are”. The new single is a melody of God’s open arms towards us, inviting dusty feet and broken hearts to the table of the Lord.

Marc James shares that the song journeyed from starting around the act of communion, “which in many parts of the global Church is seen as the highest point of worship,” he says, “to a broader invitation to join the great feast of the kingdom, bringing everybody in.” ‘Room At The Table’ is a relatable song, welcoming our human frailty to sit at the feet of Jesus.

Vineyard Worship have penned a new song full of character, trading a heavily produced sound for rawness and approachability.

‘Room At The Table’ releases worldwide on all streaming platforms on July 8th, 2022. Spotify pre-save & Apple Music pre-add link: https://slinky.to/RoomAtTheTable

Long before acclaim, awards, plaques, chart positioning, and radio play, Lecrae and Ben Washer co-founded Reach Records because they both love hip-hop and Jesus. Nearly two decades later, with countless award-winning albums, Reach Records remains committed to building a 116 Movement that combines faith, music, and popular culture to reach people globally.

On Friday, July 1^st, 7 pm-10 pm, Reach Records will present “Afro Gospel,” an Afro-Beats Pop-Up Showcase presented by Reach Records representing the 116 Movement abroad.

The one-night pop-up event highlights performances from UK-based Nigerian Afrobeat Gospel star Limoblaze and DJ Shunz, with additional performances from rising UK-based Afrobeat artists: Annatoria, Becca Folkes, and Asha Elia. Limoblaze has been featured on several Reach Records songs, including “Everyday,” featuring Lecrae and Nigerian American singer, Jidenna (“Classic Man”). He also sings the hook on the Afro mix version of Andy Mineo’s viral hit “Coming In Hot,” which also features Lecrae.

Grammy Award-winning artist and president of Reach Records, Lecrae, will make an appearance alongside Reach Records’ executives including: Lasanna “ACE” Harris, VP of A&R who has produced several Afrobeat tracks for the label and Marcus Hollinger, VP of Marketing.

The excitement over the 11Six Movement coming to the UK is motivating! After the Afrobeats showcase initially sold out, it was moved to XOYO 32-37 Cowper Street, Shoreditch London, EC2A 4AP

To stream “Everyday,” click here https://lecrae.lnk.to/Everyday

Singer, songwriter, and performing artist Ryan Ellis announces the release of his self-titled album is set for July 15 (Provident Label Group/Sony Music). After a special announcement from Ellis’ son, which can be viewed here, the album pre-order is now live. The anticipated project features the six songs from his 2021 EP, Episode I, along with seven additional tracks including “New Wine Flow” (click here), which dropped on Friday accompanied by a lyric video and can be viewed below.

The debut of his upcoming album debut also features Ellis’ hit single “Heart Of The Father,” which peaked at No. 2 at Mediabase and has received more than 34M streams to date. He shares another previously released song from the project, “Lean On The Lord,” live on the Kingdom Tour: Maverick City Music x Kirk Franklin where Ellis performs with the group Housefires. Later this summer, he will head out opening for UNITED.

Integrity Music unveils a brand-new project and multigenerational collective of artists creating songs of substance from both a lyrical, theological, and musical frame called Anchor Hymns.

Starting with reaching into the past, the initial releases cover some of Integrity’s most iconic songs and reframe them in a modern and musical way. The movement introduces its first single with a revisited version of ‘Christ Be All Around Me’ featuring multi-cultural collective Village Lights and singer-songwriter Jasmine Mullen. “Christ Be All Around Me” is available now.

Rooted in sacred, reverential, and vulnerable honesty, Anchor Hymns dive deep into the human condition and are unafraid to tackle the sounds of suffering and grief, as well as joy and celebration. As is introduced with ‘Christ Be All Around Me,’ this is more than just a serious collection of spiritual songs. The songs emerging from Anchor Hymns are meant to be played on a continuum of musical sophistication, allowing room for worship musicians to level up their skills or to simplify the sounds and play within their skillset.

California-bred rock and roll band Gable Price & Friends (The Boys) have amassed a large following since their crowd-funded start in 2018. They have joined the Capitol Christian Music Group family of artists and are re-releasing their well-received released EP If I’m Being Honest on the label with two new live versions added. The updated EP is available today here along with a music video for “I Need You.”

“Gable Price & Friends are an incredible rock and roll band,” share Brad O’Donnell (CCMG, Co-President) and Hudson Plachy (CCMG, Co-President) about the new partnership. “With their high energy and personalities, you can’t help but be a fan. We are thrilled that they have found their home here at Capitol CMG and honored to partner with them. We can’t wait to see everything the future holds for this talented band.”

The EP was originally released in 2021 independently and has received nearly three million streams on Spotify and Apple Music. Their independent debut album, Fractioned Heart, was released in 2020 and has more than 10 million global streams.

Growing their fanbase since their start, Gable Price and Friends currently has more than 111K Spotify monthly listeners with more than 25K followers. The band just wrapped up as direct support for the King’s Kaleidoscope’s Club tour. They will be opening up for select dates for For King & Country followed by joining John Mark McMillan’s West Coast tour. The Boys are also gearing up for the creation of their new album. More information forthcoming on the new music.