Four-time GRAMMY winning duo and Curb | Word Entertainment recording artist for KING & COUNTRY are among the leaders of the 2021 Dove Award nominations after the morning’s announcement that the duo has been nominated seven times – Artist of the Year, Contemporary Christian Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, Pop / Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year, Christmas / Special Event Album, Recorded Music Packaging, and Long Form Video. Voting for the final winners will run August 19 through August 26. The 52 Annual GMA Dove Awards will air exclusively on TBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network) on Friday, October 22.

This morning’s announcement continues a busy few days for the No. 1 hitmakers. On August 6^th, for KING & COUNTRY debuted their BRAND-NEW single, “Relate,” with a live performance on the nationally syndicated morning show Fox & Friends. Additionally, the duo premiered the official music video for “Relate” on Apple Music, while the lyric video premiered across SiriusXM’s social platforms. The official music video, filmed in part against the backdrop of a dusky Los Angeles skyline, explores what it means ttravel through the stories of other people’s lives in search of community, togetherness, and unity. Watch the music video HERE.

Since for KING & COUNTRY premiered the track on Good Morning America, “TOGETHER (feat. Kirk Franklin & Tori Kelly)” has given hope to millions with its message of perseverance and has spun off a multitude of remixes and multi-genre collaborations. “TOGETHER” has hit No. 1 on the Christian AC charts, and has seen mainstream success hitting No. 15 on the AC charts and No. 6 on the Digital Song Sales chart. for KING & COUNTRY has broken their own industry record with their sixth consecutive No. 1 single, the multi-chart smash hit “Amen.” Billboard recently wrote about the duo’s unparalleled success in a Chart Beat piece at the link provided HERE.

Mike Donehey, a songwriter, performing artist, author, and podcaster to name just a few titles, is set to release his first solo album. Titled Flourish, the project will drop August 27 with Fair Trade Services.

Encouragement. Radical vulnerability. Acknowledgment. Acceptance. Mourning. Honesty. These are just a handful of the topics Donehey tackles in his upcoming collection of eleven songs birthed out of his struggle to learn what it takes to truly flourish in any and every circumstance.

When the world was impacted by the pandemic, Donehey, like so many others, found himself struggling. Tenth Avenue North, the band that he founded and led for so many years, was amicably disbanding and planning their farewell tour when everything stopped. With the tour canceled and the band officially over, Donehey found himself lost, not only about what his next steps were going to be but was feeling like—in his own words—a dried-out sponge.

As months went on, he realized he needed to mourn these drastic life changes as well as the unknown. The more he began to open up and let himself feel sadness and the sting of the pain, “the more joy came flooding in on the other side,” he explains. Songs began pouring out and an album was quickly penned.

Writing during the pandemic became the anthem he needed to sing for himself, and, as the title song explains, he directs to Psalm 126 that in Christ he has what he needs to truly flourish. “If you want more joy, allow sadness,” Donehey says. “Grieve to get where you need to go because the more you shrink your sadness, you’re numbing the pain of hope. Flourish isn’t an album of naivete, it’s acknowledging that I was in a desert to appreciate the streams running through it.”

With “Glory I Couldn’t See,” produced by We The Kingdom’s Andrew Bergthold, Donehey admits to missing life’s joyful moments by instead feeling like a victim, eventually discovering that no matter the circumstances beauty is right in front of us. “Something That I Can’t Explain,” co-written and produced by Micah Kuiper (TobyMac, Newsboys, Hawk Nelson), “is a worship song for the deconstructionist,” while “Unity Hymn,” which closes out the album, was written with his sister Kanene Donehey Pipkin (of The Lone Bellow). “Unity Hymn,” which they penned in a quick 15 minutes, was produced by former bandmate Jeff Owen, is an important reminder about forgiveness and loving one another.

All in all, the unexpected has a way of disrupting our lives in ways we might not have ever chosen. For Mike Donehey, learning to embrace the unexpected has been the very thing that continually brings forth encouraging and soul-healing music.FLOURISH tracklisting:

1. Standing At The Edge Of My World
2. Follow You Into The Fire
3. All Together
4. Glory I Couldn’t See
5. Glory Reprise
6. Flourish
7. Abundance
8. From The Start
9. Something That I Can’t Explain
10. Breathe In Breathe Out
11. Unity Hymn 

The Grammy® Award nominated gospel act, Anthony Brown & group therAPy, has scored their fourth No. 1 Billboard Gospel Airplay hit with the heart-wrenching ballad, “Help” from their digital EP, Stuck in the House: The Pandemic Project (Key of A / Tyscot / FairTrade).

The song tops the chart for the week ending August 14, 2021, and it also holds the top spot on the Mediabase Gospel Airplay charts too.

Watch “Help” video below;

Chicago, IL —  For 40 years, Bishop Larry D. Trotter has served as senior pastor of the historic Sweet Holy Spirit Church in Chicago, IL. Under his leadership, the ministry has grown from twenty-two members in 1981 to over seven thousand members presently.  

Bishop Larry D. Trotter and the Sweet Holy Spirit Choir (SHSC) are among the most distinguished choirs in the nation who have recorded eleven albums, landed on top of the Billboard Gospel charts multiple times, and claimed 9 Stellar Awards.  They carry forth the classic ‘Chicago Gospel’ sound and are the quintessential Gospel Choir.

This summer, Bishop Trotter and SHSC have been heard throughout the country on Gospel radio with their hit “Alright” featuring Mrs. Betty Lott.  The high-octane instrumentation power drives the choir’s vehemence to activate the emanation of the Holy Spirit on this uplifting track.  “Alright” can be downloaded and streamed now on all digital music outlets.

With encouragement and deliverance in mind, “Alright” has been set as the precursor to Bishop Trotter and SHSC’s highly anticipated album RESTORED!

“As we were preparing for RESTORED!, I remember some of the dry seasons we recently experienced and God’s people who were living through them,” Bishop Trotter states. “The struggles, pain and heaviness…yet even still, I continuously heard the Lord saying that after so much calamity and sorrow, that He was bringing RESTORATION to His people immediately, and in all areas.”

RESTORED! is produced by Bishop Trotter, the late James A. Lott, Calvin Rodgers, and Brian Lofton.  Vocal guests on the album include Vashawn Mitchell, DeAndre Patterson, Lillian Lloyd, and Lavargna Hubbard.  

“We have had many projects over the years, all of which balanced with traditional, contemporary, and even a little bit of the quartet gospel sound, to ensure a worship encounter for both the young and old,” says Bishop Trotter.  “But I think that this project stands in a category by itself. It shows our growth as a music ministry while remaining true to our commitment to worshipping God through great choir music.” 

Bishop Trotter invites everyone to listen, be RESTORED!, and join Sweet Holy Spirit on this worship journey.  RESTORED! is available for pre-order now and will release on August 20 on all digital music outlets via Bishop Trotter’s Utopia Music Group label and Entertainment One. 

“As always, know that I love you! See yourself in the future, and remember that what’s to come, is better than what’s been!” — Bishop Larry D. Trotter.

Bethel Music’s Josh Baldwin announced plans for a fall tour. His ‘Nights Of Worship’ lineup will feature special guests David Leonard and Gable Price & Friends. A pre-sale for tickets launches on August 11. See the full itinerary below. For more information, click here.

‘Nights Of Worship’ Fall Tour
9/23/21 – Chattanooga, TN
9/24/21 – Clarksville, TN
9/25/21 – Florence, AL
9/26/21 – Memphis, TN
10/1/21 – Kansas City (Oak Grove), MO
10/2/21 – Dallas (Irving), TX
10/3/21 – Amarillo, TX
10/8/21 – Miami, FL
10/9/21 – Lake City, FL
10/10/21 – Orlando (Longwood), FL
10/21/21 – Reading, PA
10/24/21 – Pittsburgh (Moon Twp), PA
10/26/21 – Vineland, NJ
10/28/21 – Portland (Biddeford), ME
10/29/21 – Fairfield, CT
10/30/21 – Syracuse (Cicero), NY

Lauren Daigle shared an exciting update about the partnership between her foundation, The Price Fund, and Bob Goff’s Love Does Foundation. The partnership, announced last September, focused on building a brand new school in Congo that aimed to educate more than 300 students.

“You may know about the work I’ve been so fortunate to be a part of with Love Does and my friend Bob Goff. Last year, thanks to your contributions to The Price Fund, we were able to help build a school in the Congo that served over 300 students. Unfortunately, a volcano burned the school down earlier this year — but here comes the good news,” shares Daigle alongside the announcement.

She continues, “We are not only going to rebuild that school, but we are also going to provide income for the teachers who are now dealing with the aftermath of a true tragedy. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to help these people — and I hope you’ll join in the work that needs to be done to provide these students with quality education, assist in character development, peace building skills, conflict resolution and leadership.”

Donate to The Price Fund: http://www.thepricefund.org. Donate to Love Does: https://lovedoes.org.

Honor & Glory, the worship project founded by members of veteran Christian rock mainstay Disciple, has released their first single with “Battle Belongs.” The song is released in partnership with BEC Recordings.

“Battle Belongs” is Honor & Glory’s take on a Phil Wickham hit, recasting the original in soaring guitars and anthemic vocals.

“I love the truth that this song brings to light— the competing perspectives, my perspective and God’s perspective,” lead singer Kevin Young shares. “It’s so relatable for everyone. When we survey a situation, our perspective is limited in scope and almost always has a negative outlook. But when we allow ourselves to see things the way God sees them, we see a passionate God who loves his children, a God who can turn around any situation, a God who is ready to fight and win any battle on our behalf.”

The song is the first taste of Honor & Glory’s debut, which is due out later this year. The band is comprised of Kevin Young, Josiah Prince, Joey West, and Andrew Stanton of Disciple, with the addition of Dane Allen of LOYALS. “Battle Belongs” was also produced by Josiah Prince.

Honor & Glory was born from a mutual desire to create an experience that was focused entirely on offering honor in recognition of God’s glory. They have brought that rock and roll worship heart to festival stages this summer, with more dates on the calendar for the fall. Through all of it, Kevin Young says the goal is simple: “It’s all about God. We’re trying to be a reflection of Him, a reflection of how great and wonderful He is.”

“Battle Belongs” is available to stream now on all major streaming platforms at https://bec.ffm.to/battle. You can also follow the band on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Ghana’s biggest gospel music export Joe Mettle has received an award from boomplay for his 13-track Wind of Revival album.

The multi-award-winning singer and worship leader received the award after the album amassed 2.7 Million streams on the streaming platform, currently his biggest album on the platform as well.

Wind of revival was released on 17th August last year and was pitched by  USA’S Billboard for charting.

This is Joe Mettle’s 2nd time winning a boomplay award and happens to be the 5th artist to receive this award from boomplay this year following Fameye, Black Sheriff,  Kelvynboy, and Darkovibes.

He has a tally of 7.6 Million streams on boomplay now.

Joe Mettle thanked his fans and management for all the support and showed gratitude to the streaming platform as well. The singer recently released his 6th album ‘The Experience’ which is blessing lives already.  Stream album here

Boomplay is currently the biggest streaming platform in Africa and they’re awarding artists who have garnered a lot of numbers on the app with their music.  Yet to receive awards are; Sarkodie, Stonebwoy, Diana Hamilton, Shatta Wale, and others.

Capitol CMG announced the signing of emerging new artist Kevin Quinn. A coveted win for the undisputed leading label in its genre, the 23-year-old Los Angeles and Nashville-based singer/ songwriter is set to release the single and music video for “Wildfire,” the first with Capitol CMG, on August 13. With a palpable smoothness and synth-forward beat, the hummable track is a purposeful introduction to Quinn as a recording artist. With a desire to deliver straight ahead pop infused with inspirational themes, Quinn’s addition into the fold is a welcome one, as he promises to hold his own amongst the industry’s elite, if this first release is any indication.

“I think ‘Wildfire’ is a metaphor for the light inside us all,” says Quinn. “Even when that light gets bleak, there’s an element of trust that shapes our outlook, as well as peace that everything happens for a reason. And somehow, knowing that is enough to keep going.”

“We are so excited to be partnering with such a multi-talented artist like Kevin,” say Capitol CMG co-presidents Brad O’Donnell and Hudson Plachy. “From acting to songwriting, his success is driven by a raw natural talent and incredible work ethic. We are honored to team up with him to help carry his music to his fans and beyond.”

The release arrives on the heels of his starring role as troubled teen redeemed in Netflix’s new faith-based musical film, “A Week Away,” whose soundtrack (distributed by Capitol CMG) features Quinn on 11 of 13 tracks and has seen over 51 million global streams to date. With the awaited release of “Wildfire,” the Chicago native gets ready to spotlight the vocal capacity that made him the obvious network choice for the theme song of Disney’s “Bunk’d,” which he also starred in for two seasons. The multi-hyphenate joins Capitol’s diverse roster of artists including: Beck, Jon Bellion, Lewis Capaldi, Riley Clemons, Halsey, Niall Horan, Kari Jobe, Paul McCartney, Hillsong Music, Katy Perry, Sam Smith and more. Quinn is managed by veteran artist manager Gabriel Vasquez (Vasquez Entertainment), with theatrical representation by the Kohner Agency and Velocity Entertainment Partners.

“Wildfire” is available August 13  everywhere you get your music.

The Gospel Music Association (GMA) has announced that nominations for the 52nd Annual GMA Dove Awards will be unveiled next week. Nominations will be announced via Facebook Live or YouTube on Wednesday, August 11th at 11am ET.

The 52nd Annual GMA Dove Awards are scheduled to take place live and in person on October 19th at Lipscomb University’s Allen Arena in Nashville, TN.

The GMA Dove Awards celebrate the contributions of artists from every style of Christian/Gospel music. Nominees are determined by over 1,600 professional members, and winners will be voted on by the entire GMA membership of nearly 2,500.