Acclaimed singer / songwriter Chris Renzema releases two songs today (June 25) from his third full-length and second Centricity Music album, Get Out of the Way of Your Own Heart, which is set to release Sept. 3 and is available to preorder / add / save now. The double-sided single includes both the title track and “Stronger Love (feat. Leeland),” each with lyrics that cut to the bone while singing about hope and echoing the universality of both pain and praise.

The progression to the new album began with more than 36 million audio streams of Renzema’s independent project, I’ll Be The Branches, that was a personal, but less autobiographical, worship album. This recording was followed by the sophomore, Centricity Music debut Let The Ground Rest that sparked more than 90 million streams and began to reveal more of his life story weaved into the songs. Receiving well-over one million Spotify track saves over the last year, a 2020 Pandora “Artist to Watch” nod and a GMA Dove Award nomination for “New Artist of the Year,” Get Out of the Way of Your Own Heart continues Renzema’s more personal trajectory.

“I feel like a lot of what I was struggling with over the last year-and-a-half was mostly about me standing in my own way,” shares Renzema. “In the song, ‘Get Out of the Way of Your Own Heart,’ the lyric of the bridge encourages, Take yourself down off the line, give yourself a little grace. A lot of this new album is me trying to express and process feeling a little subpar and trying to allow myself to feel OK and to be a little nicer to myself.”

Along with the title track, this unique thematic mix is apparent in “Stronger Love,” which was co-written by and features Leeland Mooring. “We wrote ‘Stronger Love’ when things were viscerally divided in our nation, with culture preaching that the solution was somewhere within ourselves. So the song became about having an anchor and a hope in something bigger than us,” relays Renzema.

“Honestly, a lot of the sounds and songs on this record are coming from a place of like, ‘man I wish I could be playing fun music again live’,” continues Renzema. “This new album is very much geared towards being played in concerts, sang along to, rocked out to.”

Like his desire for real connections, music fans are responding similarly, scarfing up tickets as Renzema gears up for his 29-city, 32 concert “Hope or Nostalgia” fall tour. With sell-outs already logged, the tour has added second shows in select markets as ticket sales for every concert are nearing capacity.

Inspirational worship-pop duo Norden Pass announces the much-anticipated release of their third internationally released single, “God of Miracles”, to all streaming outlets as of June 25, 2021.

The song is the first one of 2021 for the group — made up of Tuakah Edward Whiangar Jr. and Micah Reierson — and continues Norden Pass’s signature contributions to the modern worship landscape, both lyrically and musically.

“I’ve never been this excited about a song release!” Whiangar shares. “It’s been a long time coming.”

With “God of Miracles”, songwriters Whiangar, Jonathan Gamble, and Jason Earley penned lyrics that challenge believers to view the obstacles of life the way God does, as opportunities for Him to show up.

“When we live our lives intentionally being aware of the presence of the Lord around us, we can begin to experience a peace within our current battle,” Reierson shares. “This song has continued to minister to me throughout the different hardships of the last year.”

The first words of the song capture the heart of this perspective shift: “When I see canyons, You see grounds you’re gonna move / When I see mountains, You see peaks you’ll take me to.”

Produced by Christian Hale of Centricity Music, “God of Miracles” continues to bring Norden Pass’s big, atmospheric modern worship sound, paired with soulful pop vocals and a rare synergy of acoustic and electronic instruments.

The June 25 single release is the first for Norden Pass since July of 2020, when they released “The Rock.” In March of 2020 they released their debut single, “Heaven’s on the Way.” This slow, methodical approach to releasing music shows how much Norden Pass puts into each track they release.

The words Norden Pass shared with their college campus newspaper as a new band in 2018 still apply today.

“Making music is a journey,” Whiangar shared with The USF Vessel. “I would say that I’m not the same person I was yesterday. I’m not the same person that I was at the start of this project; I have grown.”

Like the singles before it, “God of Miracles” shows Norden Pass’s commitment to honing their craft and tapping into a holy moment.

“God offers us an invitation from death to life through his son Jesus Christ,” Whiangar says. “Our prayer is that our music continues to point people to a place where they can respond to this invitation!”

“Come Back (Psalm 80),” the latest single from acclaimed singer/songwriter and worship leader Melanie Waldman, is now available. Penned by Waldman and produced by Waterdeep’s Lori Chaffer, the song is a gentle, yet urgent, plea inviting the Lord’s return and the restoration of His people. “Come Back” is the second single from Waldman’s forthcoming PSALMSONGS full-length set.

“In 2020, I started singing through the Psalms to draw close to God,” Waldman shares. “Without worry for genre, structure, rhyming, or any of the usual songwriter rules, I explored a wide-open canvas. With each Psalm I drew from an array of musical influences I have enjoyed throughout my life. It just so happens that I wrote ‘Come Back’ as I had been on a kick of listening to lo-fi beats, and this really comes through in Lori Chaffer’s production of the song.”

“In Psalm 80, the psalmist pleads for his nation, God’s chosen vine,” she explains. “He urges God to ‘come back and restore us.’ There are no coincidences, and I didn’t plan it. I didn’t choose this specific Psalm or write this song on behalf of our nation. Nonetheless, it’s clear to me that ‘Come Back’ is a plea for our world today. It’s as relevant today as it ever was. The song is a cry for our nations to return to the Lord, and for restoration at His hand.”

“Come Back (Psalm 80)” follows the album’s debut single, “Praise the Name,” which released in March. Waldman is also set to bow additional singles ahead of the nine-track PSALMSONGS release in October.

As a worship leader, speaker and songwriter, Melanie Waldman creates songs and cultivates worship experiences that help restore hope by reminding people who they are, and that God is always at work in their lives. Haunted by a childhood of darkness, fear and abuse, and a young adulthood of suppressed feelings, manipulation and lies, Waldman’s life was changed forever in a miraculous personal encounter with Jesus. With a mission to encourage and inspire others to press on to the great fullness that awaits in Christ, Waldman’s powerful testimony is the heartbeat of her ministry. She and her husband, Scott, split their time between New Jersey and Nashville.

After releasing his highly anticipated album CLOUDS (THE MIXTAPE) earlier this year, NF will embark on his first North American headline run in two years, the CLOUDS TOUR, presented by Live Nation.

The pre-sale starts on June 22 at 10 a.m. local; fans who sign up for the NF e-mail list at nfrealmusic.com will get first access to tickets. The Spotify presale launches Wednesday June 23 at 10 a.m. local time and general on-sale begins at 10 a.m. local time on Friday June 25 here.

The CLOUDS TOUR launches on September 22 in Maryland Heights at Hollywood Casino Ampitheatre, ​and rolls through ​20 cities across the country, ​concluding on October 17 in Houston, TX at Cynthia Woods Pavilion ​Mitchell presented by Huntsman. ​This is the first tour in support of his chart-topping latest project CLOUDS (THE MIXTAPE). NF is supported by Michl on this tour.

CLOUDS (THE MIXTAPE) bowed at #3 on the Billboard Top 200, marking his third consecutive Top 3 debut on the chart. It currently holds over 470 million streams. Prior to release, it reached #1 on the Apple Music Pre-Add Chart. NF set the stage for CLOUDS (THE MIXTAPE) with the title track “CLOUDS,” which has gathered over 29 million views on the music video. It notably trended #1 on YouTube globally, notched his highest debut on the Billboard Hot 100 at #53, and surpassed over 55 million global streams. NF has quietly cemented himself as one of the most impactful artists in the world without ever compromising or changing who he is. The artist, director, and producer has eclipsed 18 billion streams, picked up over a dozen gold and platinum certifications, sold out arenas, and regularly maintained a place in the “Top 500 Most Listened-To Artists on Spotify.” He also logged two consecutive #1 debuts on the Billboard Top 200 with Perception (2017) and The Search (2019).

TOUR DATES:
SEP 22: Maryland Heights, MO — Hollywood Casino Ampitheatre
SEP 23: Noblesville, IN — Ruoff Music Center
SEP 24: Clarkston, MI — DTE Energy Music Theatre
SEP 25: Cincinnati, OH — Riverbend Music Center
SEP 27: Cuyahoga Falls, OH — Blossom Music Center
SEP 28: Burgettstown, PA — The Pavilion at Star Lake
SEP 29: Bridgeport, CT — Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater
OCT 01: Gilford, NH — Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
OCT 02: Columbia, MD — Merriweather Post Pavilion
OCT 03: Raleigh, NC — Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
OCT 05: Tampa, FL — MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
OCT 06: Jacksonville, FL — Daily’s Place
OCT 07: Pelham, AL — Oak Mountain Amphitheatre
OCT 09: Simpsonville, SC — CCNB Amphitheatre at Heritage Park
OCT 10: Charlotte, NC — PNC Music Pavilion
OCT 12: Brandon, MS — Brandon Amphitheater
OCT 14: Rogers, AR — Walmart AMP
OCT 15: Oklahoma City, OK — Zoo Amphitheatre
OCT 16: Austin, TX — Germania Insurance Amphitheater
OCT 17: Houston, TX — Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman

Three-time GRAMMY nominated, genre-defying artist Crowder’s latest album ‘Milk & Honey’ (6.11) is No. 1 on the Billboard Christian Albums Chart, making it Crowder’s third appearance atop this chart upon a debut. Released in full in Dolby Atmos via sixstepsrecords/Capitol Christian Music Group, the record is also Top 5 all-genre on the Billboard Digital Albums Chart.

The lead single — and five time Billboard Christian Songs chart topper –“Good God Almighty” is also sitting atop the Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart for the second time. Crowder recently performed the anthem to a sold out Grand Ole Opry by opening the 2021 K-LOVE Fan Awards, bringing everyone to their feet to kick off the evening. He also performed an acoustic version of the track as part of a GRAMMY Museum Spotlight Session, HERE.

Crowder will headline a 30+ date ‘Milk & Honey Tour’ this Fall, kicking off Thurs., Sept. 30th at the Smoky Mountain Center for Performing Arts in Franklin, NC. For tickets and more information, visit crowdermusic.com.

Grammy award winner Chris Tomlin revealed the track listing and country collaborations today for his upcoming Chris Tomlin & Friends: Summer EP releasing July 2. The EP, produced by Corey Crowder, contains three new songs featuring Chris with superstar Tyler Hubbard (Florida Georgia Line), who also served as executive producer, Jimmie Allen and Russell Dickerson. The project also includes two previously released tracks featuring Russell, Florida Georgia Line and Thomas Rhett from Chris Tomlin & Friends, his #1 debuting album released last year. Chris spoke to USA Today/Tennessean about his excitement for the new music, his growing relationships in Nashville, and this new wave of cross genre collaboration, one that is founded in faith and brings a message of unity and hope to an even greater audience.

“There is incredible power in collaboration and to be able to come together again with some of the biggest names in Country music and write songs about our shared faith is something that could only be orchestrated by God,” shared Chris. “I am so grateful for Tyler, Russell, and Jimmie’s willingness to use their platform and influence for something that has the power to change people’s lives. This project has always been about smashing up the genres and allowing music about faith and love to meet people where they are and be right in the center of our lives. My hope and prayer are that these new songs will have a lasting impact that goes beyond anything we could ever see or know.”

Today, in celebration of Juneteenth, Billboard Music Award-winning music collective Maverick City Music releases their newest project, Jubilee: Juneteenth Edition. The new album is a dual-side feature consisting of a live produced gospel A-Side and a Rap/R&B/Pop produced B-Side. Jubilee features a wide range of guest artists, including heavy-hitters from gospel, R&B, Pop and Rap: Ciara, Rapsody, Tamar Braxton, Jonathan McReynolds, Israel Houghton, Jekalyn Carr, and more.

Maverick City Music recently made headlines for their Top Gospel Album Billboard Music Award win for the April 2020 release of Maverick City Vol. 3 Part 1. The group earned double nods in the category and was also a finalist for Top Gospel Artist. Their newest release Old Church Basement, a collab album with Elevation Worship, broke streaming records at both Apple Music and Spotify. On Apple Music, the group set a new worldwide record for the most first-day streams for a Christian and Gospel album, and on Spotify, the album broke the U.S. record for the most streams in a day for an album by a Christian group and was No. 4 out of all U.S. albums its first weekend of release.

This upcoming fall, Maverick City Music will embark on its first-ever tour and the shows will feature electrifying performances with collective members Dante Bowe, Chandler Moore, Naomi Raine, Joe L. Barnes, Aaron Moses and special guests, including Lecrae, on certain dates. The group recently added 13 more tour dates after selling out their original 11. The new dates are set in even larger venues, including the Barclays Center in NYC and TD Garden in Boston. Learn more about the tour and tickets: https://tourlink.to/maverickcitytour

Stream/order Jubilee: Juneteenth Edition HERE

In the US, Juneteenth is the day recognizing the news of the Emancipation Proclamation finally reaching slaves in Texas. To honor Juneteenth 2021, Apple Music commissioned a specially curated collection of songs – Juneteenth 2021: Freedom Songs.  The compilation features original compositions and covers in service of the holiday from Amaarae, Black Thought, Chloe x Halle, D Smoke, H.E.R., Hit-Boy, Honey Dijon, Jean Dawson, Jimmie Allen, Kane Brown, Kirk Franklin, Madison Calley, Maverick City Music, Saba, Sech, Tobe Nwigwe, Tems, Terrace Martin & Brandee Younger, Willie Jones and Zeal & Ardor. In addition, Ghanaian American visual artist Kwadwo Obeng pairs with some of the artists works to create timeless visualizations of their individual Juneteenth messages. The Juneteenth Freedom Songs playlist is available today only on Apple Music. Listen HERE.

“2021 marks an important moment in Black History with Juneteenth finally being recognized as a holiday by cities and states across America. Until now, many people were not taught about the importance of June 19th in public schools and corporations and state governments weren’t giving time off. This is a very big moment in history that the mainstream is embracing and acknowledging the day enslaved Black Africans were set free from physical bondage by the US government —a painful part of American history that can no longer be a side-note,” said Ebro Darden, Apple Music global head of Hip-Hop and R&B. “Our teams at Apple Music are pushing the Black Music Month conversation internationally, working to make sure the world understands that all popular music today was started by Black people. The significance of these recognitions is helping normalize the truth and the trauma done to Black people worldwide by white supremacy and racism.”

Darden adds, “Juneteenth 2021: Freedom Songs is an idea born with the desire to make sure new sounds were available for this important day. Many corporations and state governments are acknowledging Juneteenth now, so our idea was to help lift this day higher and create more awareness. Black artists from many genres and from around the world contributed this moment this year, the same way Black creatives and storytellers over centuries shared their talent, soul, joy and pain to create all the music the world enjoys today.’”

Artists taking part in Juneteenth 2021 Freedom Songs were commissioned by Apple Music to speak to the spirit of this day through the majesty of music. The project spans over 20 artists and a dozen genre perspectives from Hip-hop, Gospel, Metal, Jazz, R & B, Country and more. Within this collection, the listener uncovers the complexity of the Black experience against the backdrop of the historical touchpoint that is Juneteenth. From joy to pain and from hope to rage, Freedom Songs is a sonic journey through covers from the past and new works of today.

A full list of participating artist quotes and info on their songs can be found below.

Additionally, Apple Music will celebrate Black artistry and influence all month long in honor of ‘Black Music Month 2021,’ an exploration of the legacy, artistry, impact, and influence of Black musicians around the globe through Playlists, DJ Mixes, Original Content, Apple Music TV, Radio Programming & More. Check out Apple Music’s celebration of ‘Black Music Month 2021’ HERE.

Apple Music Original Playlist: Juneteenth 2021 Freedom Songs

Black Thought (Original Song “Approximately Free”)
D Smoke (Original Song called “Kinfolk”)
H.E.R. (Cover of “Inner City Blues” by Marvin Gaye)
Hit-Boy (Original Song “Back In Traffic”)
Jimmie Allen (Cover of Charley Pride’s “Kiss An Angel Good Mornin”)
Kirk Franklin (Cover of “We Shall Overcome” called “Overcome 2021″)
Madison Calley (Cover of “Lift Every Voice And Sing”)
Maverick City Music (Original Song “Breathe”)
Tobe Nwigwe (Original Song “Passing Through”)
Willie Jones (Cover of Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song”)
Amaarae (Cover of Herbie Hancock’s “Butterfly”)
Tems (Cover of John Legend’s “Ordinary People”)
Zeal & Ardor (Original Song “Calloway”)
Sech (Original Song “Somos Iguales”)
Kane Brown (A reimagining of his own song “Worldwide Beautiful”)
Saba (Original Song “Black Astronaut”)
Honey Dijon (Original Song “Unleash”)
Chloe x Halle (Cover of TLC’s “Waterfalls”)
Jean Dawson (Original song “Ghost”)
Terrace Martin & Brandee Younger (Cover Song “Damage”)

ARTIST QUOTES
Kirk Franklin, “We Shall Overcome”
The gospel giant honors the hope that is born from trauma.
“The Black experience in America is just so multilayered,” gospel legend Kirk Franklin tells Apple Music. “The things we celebrate are also things birthed out of tragedy. We are a group of people who have historically always taken lemons and made lemonade. I think [Juneteenth] is more than the acknowledgment of the day because we still have the issues of Reconstruction, we have Jim Crow, we still have segregation. Juneteenth was not this ‘Meet us in the promised land’ moment, because we still had to deal with and address so many other issues. And there is a myriad of systemic issues that people of color continue to have when it comes to the political history of the Americas.”
For Apple Music’s 2021 Juneteenth-inspired Freedom Songs, an exclusive collection of covers and originals, Franklin recorded an exclusive-to-Apple Music cover of gospel turned civil rights protest anthem “We Shall Overcome.” “To be able to take this historic chant that has meant so much to so many people of African descent and to be able to find a tone and a narrative and to be able to reimagine the different verses and reimagine the DNA of the song is humbling,” he says. “I hope that it’s something special for people.”

Maverick City Music, “Breathe”
The Atlanta-hailing contemporary Christian collective reminds us that our breath is sacred.
Like many who had learned the story behind Juneteenth as children, Maverick City’s Jonathan McReynolds was confused. “I had a very basic understanding and assumed at that point that someone could get on their cell phone and just call and tell everybody,” he tells Apple Music. “I remember my first reaction was ‘Why did it take so long?’” While that sort of indignation at the news of the Emancipation Proclamation not reaching some slaves until well over two years after its instatement is hardly uncommon, the faith-driven praise and worship collective is likely well familiar with the biblical directive of “lean not unto thine own understanding.” For their contribution to Apple Music’s Juneteenth-inspired Freedom Songs, a collection of covers and originals, the group delivered “Breathe,” a song McReynolds says he hopes reminds fans to be grateful in each moment. “Chandler [Moore] was praying in the session and talking about how the events that have taken place in America have a lot of us—especially Black men—waiting for the next shoe to drop,” McReynolds says. “As we began writing our way through it, we just realized this connection to all of the breaths that have been snuffed out over the past years because of racism and discrimination. So the first idea was centered around us bracing ourselves for the next issue, the next trending topic, the next killing, the next trial, and how necessary it is for us as believers—and just people in general—to make sure that we don’t miss out on living, praising, and believing because of worry.”

“Ain’t Nobody Like Jesus,” a new project from Grammy and Dove Award-winning producer and musician Ron Rawls makes its debut today. The new album from the Red Torch Music label is available for streaming, downloads and purchase at all digital outlets. A new single, the title track, goes for adds to gospel-formatted radio outlets.

“The heart behind this record was to have fun and express the joy in our hearts and our love for Jesus through creativity in music,” Rawls says about the new album and single. “We purposefully left a lot of space so things can breathe. There are definitely moments where the music is brimming, but hopefully you can hear and feel each voice and instrument as they speak.”

Rawls, who has worked as a touring musician during the last few years, currently is musical director for popular artist and “American Idol” alum Mandisa. Rawls earned his Grammy and Dove Award wins as producer on Mandisa’s 2013 album, “Overcomer,” which took home the Best Contemporary Christian Music Album Grammy in 2014.

Rawls launched his solo artist career in 2019.

Musical talent runs through Rawls’ DNA. Growing up in a musical family, he first played piano at his church in his hometown of Huntsville, Alabama. Later, he relocated to the Nashville area, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in music production and technology from Middle Tennessee State University.

Macmomoh Music recording artist and gospel music minister Bee Cee Moh has announced her new project “The WonderLines” (Vol. 1) is ready! and will release June 26th (2021) exclusively on Boomplay Music for streaming/download. The Nigerian-born singer also revealed the artistic cover art and tracklist for the project, fueling heightened anticipation among fans.

According to Bee Cee Moh, “The WonderLines” is a two-part project, and “The WonderLines” (Vol. 1)  marking the first is tagged “African Medleys”. The full project is aimed at blessing the body of Christ with new songs of praise and worship unto God Almighty.

“The WonderLines Project” (Vol. 1): African Medleys, boasts four (4) powerful tracks including the successful lead single “Follow Jesus” which dropped in March to wide acclaim. All songs on the new project are originals, written and composed by Bee Cee Moh.

Since making a graceful debut on the gospel music scene with “Daalu” in 2017, Bee Cee Moh has served several great songs to her growing fanbase. She dropped her first album, iTAGG, in 2018, highlighted by the fan-favorite “Wo Mi,” and her uplifting single “Immanuel”. “The WonderLines Project” is her next body of work and it promises to be a blessing to all.

“The WonderLines Project” (Vol. 1) Tracklist

1. Follow Jesus
2. Yanga In The Holy Ghost
3. Living God
4. Your Love