Gospel music veteran Kirk Franklin is set to warm hearts with his brand new TV movie. Kirk Franklin’s A Gospel Christmas is set to air on December 4th at 8/7c as part of the  It’s A Wonderful Life holiday series.

The movie will star Demetria McKinney and Chaz Lamar Shepherd; and it will feature an appearance from Kirk Franklin, who produced and arranged the music for the film.

Here’s what the movie is about: “When Olivia (Demetria McKinney), a young assistant pastor, gets assigned to be a lead pastor at a new church a month before Christmas, she’s fearful she can’t manage the transition, including getting the choir ready to open the town’s annual Winter Jamboree. Banding together with her new congregation, Olivia discovers a new home for herself, and even finds a little Christmas romance along the way! Featuring a special appearance and songs written and arranged by Kirk Franklin.” 

Kirk Franklin’s A Gospel Christmas is produced by Swirl Films and Big Dreams Entertainment. Executive produced by Kirk Franklin and Tracy “Twinkie” Byrd and produced by Leslie Greif, Eric Tomosunas and Ron Robinson. Erica Sutherlin directs a script by Kourtney Richard.

Here’s Your First Look At The Movie:

BRENTWOOD, TN – Today, Integrity Music announced the launch of Integrated Music Rights. Integrated Music Rights offering fully integrated distribution, and song publishing administration along with playlisting, full-service accounting, and royalty-processing services for independent artists and songwriters within the Worship genre.

This one-stop solution provides access to an experienced team with extensive marketplace insights, and simplifies complex business and infrastructure needs, freeing artists and songwriters to focus on their creativity and audience. “Integrity is fiercely supportive of independent artistry in the worship community, and we are firmly committed to a belief in the Biblical concept of the priesthood of all believers, and the idea that in the life of the worshiping church around the world, everybody has a part to play,” said Jonathan Brown, President of Integrity Music.

“With our expanded services through Integrated Music Rights, we are putting those ideas into practice by equipping emerging and established independent worship artists and writers to find global highways that can help their songs connect with worshipers worldwide.”  The leadership of Integrated Music Rights will be spearheaded by industry veterans Greg Bays, Integrity’s Vice President of Digital Business & Commercial Partnerships, and Jonathan Lane, Integrity’s Senior Director of Music Administration. Bays noted, “We take care of the business so our creative partners can do what they do best. Over the last ten years, the market has shifted rapidly, helping independent artists find unprecedented opportunities to reach their audience through global streaming platforms. Our team provides hands-on experience and insights to help artists maximize and accelerate their growth potential.”

 In preparation for the launch of Integrated Music Rights, Lane recently led the process of transitioning Integrity’s song administration in-house. “Bringing our song publishing administration rights in-house provides Integrity and Integrated Music Rights with new levels of flexibility in meeting the ministry needs of our songwriters, artists, and administered clients,“ said Lane. “Our teams in both the United States and the United Kingdom are passionate about stewarding songs of substance that transform lives around the world.”  For more information about Integrated Music Rights’ distribution, song publishing administration, and music licensing services, visit IntegratedMusicRights.com.  

ABOUT INTEGRITY MUSIC: 

Integrity Music is part of the David C. Cook family, a nonprofit global resource provider serving the Church with life-transforming materials. With offices in Nashville, Tennessee (US) and Brighton, West Sussex (UK), Integrity is committed to taking songs of substance to the local church and its leaders around the world.  Integrity publishes many of the top songs in the Church, including “Great Are You Lord,” “Revelation Song,” “Open The Eyes Of My Heart,” “In Christ Alone,” “10,000 Reasons,” “Here I Am To Worship,” “The Lion And The Lamb,” “Great I Am,” and “We Believe,” among others. Integrity Music artists include Matt Redman, Lincoln Brewster, Darlene Zschech, Leeland, William McDowell, Paul Baloche, David and Nicole Binion, Sandra McCracken, Nashville Life Music, Selah, Thrive Worship, Local Sound, Sarah Kroger, Kees Kraeynoord, ICF Church, Matt Marvane, InSalvation, Phil Thompson, Village Lights, Tim Timmons, Mission House, among others. Additional information is available at IntegrityMusic.com

Today, Futures begins pre-orders for their upcoming LP, “Hills & Horizons” (DREAM Records).  The 11-song album is a beautiful blend of Pop, Alternative and Adult Contemporary sounds filled with melodies of hope for listeners looking for richer experience of God.  Songs “Just So Good”, “Simple”, Can’t Steal This Love” and “Good Things” will be available as part of the LPs pre-order.

“Hills & Horizons, our debut Studio LP is here! 2 years in the making and we couldn’t be more excited for you to experience the sonically iconic journey that is Hills & Horizons. This is a signature piece in the exciting evolution of Futures. We pray this album would bring much-needed perspective to a world seeking to understand their purpose on a road so often clouded with disillusion.” – Mark Evans, Futures

Song from the album were produced by Mark Griffiths and Andrew Barlow.  Andrew Barlow, Mark Evans, Chloe Evans, Ryan Rolls and Danae Leslie all contributed to writing songs from the album.

Pre-order Hills & Horizons below.  The album drops January, 7th, 2022.

THE EXPERIENCE, an all-night gospel music concert hosted by Pastor Paul Adefarasin, The Metropolitan Senior Pastor of the House on The Rock churches, holds on Friday, December 3, 2021, at 8 pm WAT (7 pm GMT).

This is the 16th edition of the concert scheduled to hold at the Rock Cathedral in Lekki. It is a hybrid event that will be streamed live online and around the world.

The premier edition of the Experience in December 2006 attracted a crowd of 40,000 people.

Since then, the music festival has grown exponentially with hundreds of thousands of worshippers flocking to Tafawa Balewa square and millions more congregating online. Setting aside class, race, tribe, tradition, colour, religion or even the weather, the people gather to worship and praise God from dusk till dawn, making it the biggest gospel concert globally.

In 2020, in compliance with COVID-19 restrictions on mass gatherings in 2020, the Experience was streamed exclusively online on YouTube, Facebook and other streaming platforms, attracting 5 million views.

This year, the festival is a hybrid event featuring Online and Live ministrations from gospel ministers such as; Travis Greene, Sinach, Nathaniel Bassey, Don Moen, DunsinOyekan, Donnie McClurkin, Kike Mudiaga, Planetshakers, Tim Godfrey, Eben, Sidney Mohede, Ana Paula ValadaoBessa, Sheldon Bangera, Mercy Chinwo, William McDowell, Chevelle Franklyn, Chandler Moore, Kike Mudiaga and Nokwe the Poet.

In the words of the convener of The Experience, Pastor Paul Adefarasin, The Experience is a significant contributor to both our National and State economies through tourism and its associated businesses. This year, we want everyone to know that wherever they are is The Experience, so make it count.

Furthermore, Adefarasin stressed that the event will continue to be a Free event, however, friends who will be attending the live event at The Rock Cathedral in Lekki, should be at the venue on time as they will be allowed in on a first-come, first-serve basis. Limited spaces available.

The Experience concert is free and a ‘must attend’ event that promises to be a night of pure worship and a tremendous experience of the presence of God through praise.

(Atlanta, GA) Stellar Award winning singer/songwriter and worship leader Jonathan Nelson ends November on a high as Manifest, the lead single from his album The Reunion hits Number One on the Billboard and Mediabase Gospel Radio Charts.

Nelson shared these words,  “Manifest is such a powerful anthem that is a reminder to each listener that they are empowered to BECOME all that God has designed them to be.  Your dreams, endless possibilities, goals and more have to MANIFEST!”

“I would like to thank Kerry Douglas and the entire Kerry Douglas Radio Promotions  team for helping me to receive my FIRST  Billboard #1 song as an artist.  It’s been a long journey but we made it.  I want to thank my wife and family, you help make my life as an artist very easy. I want to thank my manager Antoine Adams and my entire team, to the MNRK Nashville Family and to each program director/ radio announcer,  thank you all for your continuous support since the beginning of my career. Last but not least I can’t forget to thank Purpose. I love you all, you are my family! Thank you for all the years you’ve dedicated to me.”

Kerry Douglas added these words, :”I will never forget hearing Manifest from the live session and telling Jonathan this song was the winner.  Manifest is a prophetic decree and command for us to get everything that God has for us.  Our words have power, God created the world by speaking it into existence. Jonathan Nelson is one of the greatest songwriters and we are experiencing the overflow as it manifests.”  

The leader of Anthony Brown & group therAPy, the R.I.A.A. certified gold-selling Maryland-based gospel act with numerous Billboard Magazine No. 1 chart hits and over 300 million digital streams, has overcome many hurdles on his journey to the top of the gospel music field. Despite his past obstacles, Brown is now celebrating the third GRAMMY® Award nomination of his two-decade career. The fresh nod is for his spiritual ode to the global pandemic, “Help,” from his 2020 digital EP, “Stuck in the House: The Pandemic Project” (Key of A / Tyscot / Fairtrade Services). The group’s soul-stirring ballad will challenge tracks by Cece Winans, Maverick City Music, Elevation Worship, and Dante Bowe in the category of Best Gospel Performance/ Song. The GRAMMY® Awards will air on CBS television on Monday, January 31, 2022.

The son of a Baltimore area preacher, Brown grew up loving music and the church. However, he had a stutter. He was self-conscious about it and feared it would keep him from becoming an artist. Instead, he focused on a career behind the scenes as a songwriter. He created the group, Answered Prayers, as an outlet for his songs. Soon, they were backing gospel stars when they traveled through the Maryland area. He composed songs such as Maurette Brown Clark’s No. 1 smash. “It Ain’t Over (‘Til God Says It’s Over),” which caused a buzz about Brown’s skills as a composer.

The encouragement inspired Brown to record an album as Anthony Brown & group therAPy (with the AP capitalized as an acknowledgement of the group’s genesis  as Answered Prayers). The album was peddled to almost every major gospel recording label and turned down by them all. Fellow singer, VaShawn Mitchell, then pitched it to Tyscot Records which took a gamble on the project. The 2012 self-titled album launched with the percussive track, “Testimony,” which peaked at No. 3 on Billboard’s Gospel Airplay chart and spent an astounding 74 weeks on the survey. Since that time, Brown’s group has emerged as one of the leading acts in gospel music with Billboard Music Award nominations, Top Ten Billboard Gospel chart singles and 4 number ones – including their signature song, “Worth,” that held the No. 1 spot for 24 weeks in 2015.

Brown’s music fuses the percussive sounds of the streets with the ornate majesty of the classical music he studied at Morgan State University. That music doesn’t only revolve around typical gospel themes or stories. He also tackles self-esteem – something he’s personally had to battle – on tracks such as his gold-selling anthem, “Worth.” On his Pandemic project, he wrote about social justice following the killing of George Floyd on “Call to Action,”  positive thinking on “Something Good,”  and self-affirmation on “Enough.” With stuttering behind him, he also hosts a weekly radio program on WHUR 96.3 FM in Washington, D.C. and is now producing other gospel megastars.

Award winning Nigerian Gospel Disc Jockey, DJ Horphuray has set a new world record as the Gospel DJ with the Longest streak of DJ-ing in the world after he played gospel songs for 72 hours without stopping.

The Cool FM DJ made his intention known few weeks ago and between the 19th of November, 2021 and 21st of November, 2021 the Nigerian DJ at the Kulture Yard, Lagos achieved this remarkable feat which is the first of its kind in the world.

The talented Lagos based DJ was shown massive supports by other Nigerian personalities in the industry as the likes of rapper Angeloh, Kelar Thrillz, SamJamz, Nolly, Gaise, Drakare, Nina Shezz, Nikki Laoye, Oba Reengy, Mike Abdul, Same OG, and many others were in attendance to show Horphuray some love.

Horphuray has been one of the outstanding Gospel DJ in Africa with numerous award nominations and wins. The DJ has had several collaborations with artistes including A Mose, Limoblaze, Oba Reengy, Okey Sokay, Naffymar and many others. His mixes such as Rhythm N Praise, Deep Worship and others have received massive streams on digital stores and he has also performed behind the scene of several stages alongside numerous A listed Nigerian artiste.

Award winning Nigerian Gospel Disc Jockey, DJ Horphuray has set a new world record as the Gospel DJ with the Longest streak of DJ-ing in the world after he played gospel songs for 72 hours without stopping.

The Cool FM DJ made his intention known few weeks ago and between the 19th of November, 2021 and 21st of November, 2021 the Nigerian DJ at the Kulture Yard, Lagos achieved this remarkable feat which is the first of its kind in the world.

The talented Lagos based DJ was shown massive supports by other Nigerian personalities in the industry as the likes of rapper Angeloh, Kelar Thrillz, SamJamz, Nolly, Gaise, Drakare, Nina Shezz, Nikki Laoye, Oba Reengy, Mike Abdul, Same OG, and many others were in attendance to show Horphuray some love.

Horphuray has been one of the outstanding Gospel DJ in Africa with numerous award nominations and wins. The DJ has had several collaborations with artistes including A Mose, Limoblaze, Oba Reengy, Okey Sokay, Naffymar and many others. His mixes such as Rhythm N Praise, Deep Worship and others have received massive streams on digital stores and he has also performed behind the scene of several stages alongside numerous A listed Nigerian artiste.

NASHVILLE, Tenn – Christmas is a season of beloved traditions – from trimming the tree, to singing carols and most of all, celebrating the birth of Jesus. This year, the Grand Ole Opry has announced the start of a new tradition, an Opry Country Christmas.

Hosted by GRAMMY®-winning Opry member Larry Gatlin, Opry Country Christmas will showcase songs of the holiday season during shows November 28, December 5, December 8, and December 12. Each show will feature Opry members Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers and Riders In The Sky plus Mandy Barnett and Country Music Hall of Famer Charlie McCoy, along with additional Opry members, special guests, and spotlight artists. Each show is made up exclusively of country Christmas favorites.

Jason Crabb – 2-time GRAMMY® winner, 22-time GMA Dove award winner – will help kick off the inagural season of this new holiday series, Opry Country Christmas, this Sunday, November 28, 2021 at 7 PM CT. Tickets are available here.

“Christmas is all about traditions,” says Jason Crabb. “I’m excited to help launch a new tradition, right here in Nashville, at the Grand Ole Opry. It’s an honor each and every time to step onto the Opry stage. I can’t wait to kick off the Christmas season at the Grand Ole Opry this Sunday! See ya there.”

All Opry Country Christmas shows will air on WSM Radio as well as WSM and Opry digital platforms. Tickets for Opry Country Christmas may be purchased at opry.com.

Home for Christmas, the latest holiday offering from two-time GRAMMY® Award winner and 22-time Dove Award honoree Jason Crabb, has recieved rave reviews. The three-song EP was produced and arranged by the late Tim Akers (Reba McEntire, CeCe Winans), along with GRAMMY®-winning Rascal Flatts founding member and Red Street CEO Jay DeMarcus.

The project features two original selections as well as Crabb’s new rendition of the Mark Lowry and Buddy Greene-penned Christmas classic, “Mary, Did You Know?” With its horn-studded R&B groove, the nostalgic title-cut, “Being Home For Christmas,” was written by Crabb, Don Koch, Caleb Ward and Jordan Ward and celebrates the importance of family above the trappings of the season. And “Who Could’ve Dreamed?” is an Inspirational pop ballad penned by Koch, Akers and Tony Wood spotlighting the true meaning of Christmas as Crabb proclaims, “Who could have looked into that holy stable and seen the shadow of the cross?”

Home for Christmas previews Crabb’s full-length holiday recording set for release next year. “When I signed to Red Street and Jay asked me what I wanted to do, I told him a Christmas project was one of my dream records,” Crabb shares. “I’ve been doing music for a while now, and you hope and pray for something that helps define your legacy. I think this Christmas project is that record for me. These are the songs I hope my grandkids will grab hold of and be proud of what Grandpa did.”

“I was so honored to work with Tim Akers again, and this was his last project,” Crabb says. “He was a friend and we’d collaborated before, but this time was special. Tim was producing and arranging the strings for the record when his leukemia came back. He even sat in the hospital in his last days and worked on the music. Nashville lost an amazing talent in Tim, and I really want this record to honor his life. We love you, Tim.”

Home for Christmas arrives on the heels of Crabb’s June Red Street Records debut, Just As I Am. Produced by DeMarcus, the five-song EP is highlighted by the title-cut and lead single—a powerful declaration of faith in the One who is constant and sure.

ABOUT JASON CRABB 
One of Gospel and Christian music’s most iconic voices, Kentucky-born Jason Crabb has been honored with two GRAMMY® Awards and 22 GMA Dove Awards, the latter including nods for Artist, Male Vocalist and Song of the Year. He is the youngest member inducted into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame, and his hometown of Beaver Dam, Kentucky, has paid tribute with a street in his name. Since his first solo release in 2009, he has performed on many of the world’s most prestigious stages, such as Carnegie Hall, the Grand Ole Opry, the Brooklyn Tabernacle and Billy Graham’s final crusade. Crabb’s electrifying stage presence, powerhouse vocals and magnetic personality have endeared him to millions around the world through extensive personal appearances, media coverage and social media, including over 20 million views on YouTube.

NASHVILLE, TENN. World-renowned worship leader Kari Jobe received a GRAMMY® Award nomination for “Best Contemporary Christian Music Album” for her album, The Blessing (Live). The nominated album has been a hallmark project for Jobe’s career as the title track from the album recently won the 2021 GMA Dove Award for “Song of the Year.” This marks her third career GRAMMY nomination. The 64th GRAMMY Awards will air Monday, Jan. 31, on CBS.

“Wow – it’s so sweet to celebrate what God has done and continues to do through The Blessing,” shares Kari Jobe upon learning about her nomination today. “This album was very special to record, and it’s extremely honoring to be nominated for a Grammy! Thank you to the Recording Academy and my amazing producers Henry Seeley, Austin Davis, and Cody Carnes. My incredible band and crew. The songwriters who helped me craft these songs. And my label and management team that I love working with.”

As her first new album in three years, Jobe recorded the music live during the pandemic in 2020 without an audience despite her deep desire to worship with a live audience. The uniquely recorded live album features 15 tracks and more than three hours of worship captured. The album’s namesake is from the viral global hit song, “The Blessing,” with Jobe, Cody Carnes, and Elevation Worship that received a GRAMMY Award nomination for “Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song,” won the 2020 “Worship Song of the Year” as well as awarded RIAA Gold Digital Single certification.

The Blessing (Live) features songs co-written by Cody Carnes, Austin Davis, Jacob Sooter, Jonas Myrin, Elyssa Smith, Steffany Gretzinger, Chris Brown, Steven Furtick, and Passion’s Kristian Stanfill and Brett Younker. The album was produced by Cody Carnes, Austin Davis, Henry Seeley, and Jobe.
This year she also embarked on “The Blessing Tour” performing songs from the nominated album hitting 42 cities with more than half of those as sold-out dates.

ABOUT KARI JOBE: For nearly two decades, well-respected worship leader Kari Jobe has been using her gifts to lead people into the presence of God. When she began leading worship at age 13, she never imagined she would be nominated for three GRAMMY® awards, win multiple Dove Awards, have two RIAA Gold Certified singles, or be praised by the New York Times. She has more than 1.18 million YouTube subscribers and over 340 million channel views. Originally from Texas and now residing in Nashville with her husband Cody Carnes and their two boys, Canyon and Kingston, and they both serve at their home church The Belonging Co.

The Recording Academy has revealed nominees for the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards and announced that, for the first time, there will be 10 nominees in each of the General Field Categories: Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year, Song Of The Year, and Best New Artist. As the only peer-selected music accolade, the GRAMMY Awards are voted on by the Recording Academy’s voting membership body of music makers, who represent all genres and creative disciplines, including recording artists, songwriters, producers, mixers, and engineers.

“This is an exciting day for music,” said Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy. “These nominations beautifully reflect today’s broad and diverse musical landscape. I congratulate all of the nominees and everyone who submitted work. I’m also so proud of our voters. They voted in record numbers and brought their very best to evaluating the work of their peers, and I thank them on behalf of the entire music community.”

This year’s nominees were voted on by Recording Academy voting members from nearly 22,000 eligible entries and reflect the wide range of artistic innovation that defined the year in music (Sept. 1, 2020–Sept. 30, 2021). The final round of GRAMMY voting is Dec. 6, 2021–Jan. 5, 2022. The Recording Academy will present the GRAMMY Awards on Mon, Jan. 31, 2022, on the CBS Television Network and stream live and on demand on Paramount+ from 8–11:30 p.m. ET / 5–8:30 p.m. PT. Prior to the telecast, the GRAMMY Awards Premiere Ceremony^® will be held at the Microsoft Theater at 12:30 p.m. PT and will be streamed live on GRAMMY.com and the Recording Academy’s YouTube channel.

The following is a sampling of nominations from the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards’ 26 Fields and 86 Categories. For a complete nominations list, visit www.grammy.com.

Best Contemporary Christian Music Album

• No Stranger – Natalie Grant
• Feels Like Home Vol. 2 – Israel & New Breed
• The Blessing (Live) – Kari Jobe
• Citizen Of Heaven (Live) – Tauren Wells
• Old Church Basement – Elevation Worship & Maverick City Music

Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song

• “We Win”
  Kirk Franklin & Lil Baby; Kirk Franklin, Dominique Jones, Cynthia Nunn & Justin Smith, songwriters
• “Hold Us Together (Hope Mix)”
  H.E.R. & Tauren Wells; Josiah Bassey, Dernst Emile & H.E.R., songwriters
• “Man Of Your Word”
  Chandler Moore & KJ Scriven; Jonathan Jay, Nathan Jess & Chandler Moore, songwriters
• “Believe For It”
  CeCe Winans; Dwan Hill, Kyle Lee, CeCe Winans & Mitch Wong, songwriters
• “Jireh”
  Elevation Worship & Maverick City Music Featuring Chandler Moore & Naomi Raine; Chris Brown, Steven Furtick, Chandler Moore & Naomi Raine, songwriters

Best Gospel Album

• Changing Your Story — Jekalyn Carr
• Royalty: Live At The Ryman — Tasha Cobbs Leonard
• Jubilee: Juneteenth Edition — Maverick City Music
• Jonny x Mali: Live In LA — Jonathan McReynolds & Mali Music
• Believe For It — CeCe Winans

Best Gospel Performance/Song

• “Voice Of God”
  Dante Bowe Featuring Steffany Gretzinger & Chandler Moore; Dante Bowe, Tywan Mack, Jeff Schneeweis & Mitch Wong, songwriters
• “Joyful”
  Dante Bowe; Dante Bowe & Ben Schofield, songwriters
• “Help”
  Anthony Brown & Group Therapy; Anthony Brown & Darryl Woodson, songwriters
• “Never Lost”
  CeCe Winans
• “Wait On You”
  Elevation Worship & Maverick City Music; Dante Bowe, Chris Brown, Steven Furtick, Tiffany Hudson, Brandon Lake & Chandler Moore, songwriters

Best Roots Gospel Album

• Alone With My Faith – Harry Connick, Jr.
• That’s Gospel, Brother – Gaither Vocal Band
• Keeping On – Ernie Haase & Signature Sound
• Songs For The Times – The Isaacs
• My Savior – Carrie Underwood