RCA Inspiration celebrates 16 nominations for the 38th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards coming up this summer, with nominations for album and song releases in 12 categories, including the major categories of Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, Albertina Walker Female Artist of the Year, Duo/Chorus Group of the Year, and Album of the Year.

The acclaimed projects receiving nominations include the hit collaboration Kingdom Book One by Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin (Fo Yo Soul/RCA), Clarity by DOE (Life Room Label/RCA Inspiration), and the releases of Worship & Justice by William Murphy and the Kingdom Business: Season 1 Soundtrack.

Garnering 8 Stellar Awards nominations, the GRAMMYⓇ-winning acclaimed live collaboration by chart-toppers Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin is nominated in album and song categories. The group’s live album Kingdom Book One (Tribl Records/Fo Yo Soul/RCA Inspiration), #1 hit Gospel single “Kingdom” (feat. Naomi Raine & Chandler Moore), and the single “Bless Me” are nominated for: Artist of the Year, Song of the Year (“Kingdom”), Duo/Chorus Group of the Year, Album of the Year, Contemporary Duo/Chorus Group of the Year, Contemporary Album of the Year, Urban/Inspirational Single or Performance of the Year (“Bless Me”), and Producer of the Year (producers: Tony Brown, Jonathan Jay, Kirk Franklin, Chandler Moore, Norman Gyamfi).

Garnering 6 Stellar Awards nominations is chart-topper DOE, whose hit debut album Clarity was released in partnership between Jonathan McReynolds’ Life Room Label and RCA Inspiration. Clarity (Life Room Label/RCA Inspiration) and her #1 hit Gospel single “When I Pray” are nominated for: Artist of the Year, Song of the Year (“When I Pray”), Albertina Walker Female Artist of the Year, Contemporary Female Artist of the Year, Urban/Inspirational Single or Performance of the Year (“When I Pray”), and Recorded Music Packaging of the Year (packaging: Tyler Simien).

Rounding out the Stellar Awards nominations are a nomination for Special Event Album of the Year, for the release of the Kingdom Business: Season 1 Soundtrack, featuring original music from the popular BET+ series “Kingdom Business,” and a nomination for Recorded Music Packaging of the Year (packaging: Tim Parker), for the album Worship & Justice by William Murphy.

The 38th Annual Stellar Awards will be taped in Las Vegas, NV on July 15th, 2023 and premiere on the new Stellar TV Network on July 24th.

RCA Inspiration congratulates the latest win for the hit album release of Kingdom Book One (Tribl Records/Fo Yo Soul/RCA Inspiration), as the acclaimed collaboration from chart-toppers Maverick City Music and Kirk Franklin (Fo Yo Soul/RCA) was just announced among the early winners unveiled for this year’s 54th NAACP Image Awards.

Winning in the category of Outstanding Gospel/Christian Album, their NAACP Image Awards win was announced on the show’s virtual awards first night that streamed on https://naacpimageawards.net/ on February 20th, with the winners unveiled in many of the music recording categories.

The week-long NAACP Image Awards celebration will continue to unveil more winners, honoring the achievements and legacy of Black excellence spanning the categories of film, television, music, literature, activism and more.

The NAACP Image Awards win for Kingdom Book One follows the album’s most recent wins at the 2023 GRAMMY Awards that took place February 5th, where the album and two featured songs garnered 3 GRAMMY Awards.

Released in 2022, the live album project with Kirk Franklin and the group Maverick City Music was recorded together with the voices of 1,300 inmates in a Florida prison yard, bringing awareness to mass incarceration, and sharing in the power of experiencing God’s love, finding comfort and healing.

RCA Inspiration celebrated multiple wins at the 2023 GRAMMY Awards, as the acclaimed album release Kingdom Book One Deluxe (Tribl Records/Fo Yo Soul/RCA Inspiration) swept its 3 nominated categories, winning Best Gospel Album, Best Gospel Performance/Song, and Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song during the GRAMMYs Premiere Ceremony.

The live album collaboration between GRAMMY-winning chart toppers Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin (Fo Yo Soul/RCA) dominated the Gospel categories with Kingdom Book One Deluxe awarded Best Gospel Album, and the songs “Kingdom” awarded Best Gospel Performance/Song and “Fear Is Not My Future” awarded Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song.

Kirk Franklin has done it again, since last taking home GRAMMY wins in the Best Gospel Performance/Song and Best Gospel Album categories in 2020 for his most recent solo album LONG LIVE LOVE, and its hit song “Love Theory.” With these three additional wins for this latest album Kingdom Book One Deluxe, this now marks a total of 19 GRAMMY Awards in Kirk Franklin’s career.

Recorded with Maverick City Music, Franklin and the group continue to bring the power of Gospel to reach everyone with their 22-track album. Released in 2022, their collaboration created an electrifying live worship experience, recorded in a Florida prison yard together with the voices of 1,300 inmates, to share a message of love and awareness to the plight of mass incarceration.

The GRAMMY-winning Gospel song “Kingdom” was written by Kirk Franklin, Jonathan Jay, Chandler Moore, and Jacob Poole. The Contemporary Christian Music-winning song “Fear Is Not My Future” was written by Kirk Franklin, Nicole Hannel, Jonathan Jay, Brandon Lake, and Hannah Shackelford.

Next up, the Kingdom Book One album is nominated at the 54th NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Gospel/Christian Album, with voting open at https://vote.naacpimageawards.net/, until February 10th. Separately, Kirk Franklin is one of the executive producers of the popular television series “Kingdom Business,” which was just renewed for Season 2 on BET+.

The 65th GRAMMY Awards aired from Los Angeles, on Sunday, February 5th, 2023.

Check out the GRAMMY acceptance speeches for their 3 winning categories here:

https://youtu.be/gpPs_IpsAeg

Check out the album, Maverick City Music x Kirk Franklin: Kingdom Book One Deluxe (Tribl Records/Fo Yo Soul/RCA Inspiration)

https://MaverickCityXKirkFranklin.lnk.to/KingdomPR

RCA Inspiration celebrates six nominations for the 65th GRAMMY Awards, with nominations for releases spanning both Gospel and the Contemporary Christian Music categories. Garnering nominations are the acclaimed songs and albums by GRAMMY-winning chart toppers Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin (Fo Yo Soul/RCA) for their musical collaboration, and GRAMMY-nominated chart topper DOE (Life Room Label/RCA Inspiration) for her full-length debut album.

With three nominations, 16-time GRAMMY-winner Kirk Franklin and GRAMMY-winning group Maverick City Music are nominated in the category of Best Gospel Album, for their poignant live album collaboration Kingdom Book One Deluxe (Tribl Records/Fo Yo Soul/RCA Inspiration). Two songs featured from their album are their #1 Billboard Gospel Airplay hit “Kingdom,” which is nominated for Best Gospel Performance/Song, and “Fear Is Not My Future,” which is nominated for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song.

With three nominations, DOE makes a smashing debut rising further into the spotlight as a solo artist with Clarity, which is nominated for Best Gospel Album. Marking her full-length debut solo album, two songs featured from Clarity are her #1 Billboard Gospel Airplay hit “When I Pray,” which is nominated for Best Gospel Performance/Song, and “So Good,” which is nominated for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song. Her new nominations make a total of six career nominations, following DOE’s three prior GRAMMY nominations as a featured artist and in her family group Forever Jones.

Released in July 2022, check out the 22-track album by Kirk Franklin and Maverick City Music below, and catch them performing together live as they wrap up their Kingdom Tour this month. Playing to packed arenas on their nationwide tour since the summer, Kirk Franklin also has a slate of solo projects including performing on the famed “Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade” (airing on Thanksgiving, Thursday 11/24 at 9 AM on NBC), hosts Kirk Franklin’s Praise channel on SiriusXM, has new episodes out now from the second season of his podcast “Good Words with Kirk Franklin,” and is executive producing/starring in another holiday movie, “Kirk Franklin’s The Night Before Christmas” (airing on Saturday 12/10 at 8 PM on Lifetime).

Maverick City Music x Kirk Franklin: Kingdom Book One Deluxe (Tribl Records/Fo Yo Soul/RCA Inspiration)

https://MaverickCityXKirkFranklin.lnk.to/KingdomPR

Released in February 2022 by Jonathan McReynolds’ Life Room Label in partnership with RCA Inspiration, check out the 11-track album by DOE below, and catch DOE live on her headlining solo tour, “A Night of Clarity” Tour during the month of December at City Winery in multiple cities. DOE has continued releasing new solo work with the Spanish tracks out now, “When I Pray (Mi Oración)” feat. Blanca, “En Ti Yo Esperaré (What I’m Waiting For)” feat. TWICE, along with the holiday song “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” feat. IAMSON. She is nominated for Favorite Gospel Artist at the upcoming American Music Awards, and performs on the upcoming “Gospel Superfest Holiday 22” special (airing in national syndication from 11/28 to 12/25, check local listings).

DOE: Clarity (Life Room Label/RCA Inspiration)

https://doe.lnk.to/ClarityPR!WW

The 65th GRAMMY Awards will air live from Los Angeles, Sunday, February 5, 2023 on CBS and stream on Paramount+ at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT.

RCA Inspiration and Provident Entertainment celebrate three NAACP Image Awards nominations for album and song releases in the Gospel/Christian categories. Recognizing these inspirational collaborations released in 2021, chart-toppers Jonathan McReynolds and Mali Music (K Approved Enterprises/RCA Inspiration), H.E.R. and Tauren Wells (Provident Entertainment), and Kirk Franklin (Fo Yo Soul/RCA) each garnered nods for the upcoming 53rd NAACP Image Awards.

Nominated in the category of Outstanding Gospel/Christian Album is the duet project released by hit-makers Jonathan McReynolds and Mali Music, featuring their live performances on Jonny x Mali: Live in LA (Life Room Label/K Approved Enterprises/MNRK/RCA Inspiration). Nominated in the category of Outstanding Gospel/Christian Song, are: the co-artist collaboration by hit-makers H.E.R. and Tauren Wells, who recorded the uplifting single “Hold Us Together (Hope Mix)” (RCA/Provident Entertainment), and hit-maker Kirk Franklin, for his song “Overcome 2021” (Fo Yo Soul/RCA), released on Apple Music in June 2021 for its exclusive “Juneteenth 2021 Freedom Songs” Playlist.

The 53rd NAACP Image Awards will air live on Saturday, February 26th, 2022 at 8 PM/7C on BET.

RCA Inspiration celebrates over ten nominations for song and album releases at the upcoming 52nd Annual GMA Dove Awards. The nominations span artist releases in eight categories, with hit artists Kirk Franklin (Fo Yo Soul/RCA), Marvin Sapp, Travis Greene, Koryn Hawthorne, Mali Music, Kelontae Gavin, DOE, Melvin Crispell, III, and All Nations Music garnering nods in artist, song, and album categories. Top categories include Song of the Year nominations for two songs performed by Koryn Hawthorne and Marvin Sapp, and two Gospel Artist of the Year nominations, for Kirk Franklin and Travis Greene. The remaining nominations span the genres of Contemporary Gospel, Traditional Gospel, and Gospel Worship.

Separately, Kirk Franklin also garnered a Song of the Year nomination and a Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year nomination as a writer on the track he recorded with for King & Country, “Together” (feat. Kirk Franklin & Tori Kelly), as well as a Songwriter of the Year (Artist) nomination.

Phil Thornton, SVP and General Manager of RCA Inspiration says: “Congratulations to Kirk, Marvin, Travis, Koryn, Mali, Kelontae, DOE, Melvin, and All Nations Music! Thank you to the GMA for the multiple nominations honoring their music and artistry. It’s a thrill to be able to celebrate the inspiring songs and strength that Gospel and Christian music continue to deliver, and we look forward to an amazing night!” 

The 52nd Annual GMA Dove Awards will be held on Tuesday October 19th, 2021 at Allen Arena in Nashville, TN, and air on Friday October 22nd, 2021 on TBN. Recognizing the range of Christian and Gospel music and entertainment, the Gospel Music Association’s (GMA) Dove Awards honor Contemporary Christian and Gospel to Rap/Hip Hop, Rock, Pop/Contemporary, Inspirational, Spanish Language, Worship, Film and more.

The full list of RCA Inspiration’s GMA Dove Awards nominations is below.

SONG OF THE YEAR

“Speak To Me”-Koryn Hawthorne (Writers: Donnie McClurkin, Jeremy Hicks, Johnta Austin, Troy Taylor)

“Thank You For It All”-Marvin Sapp (Writers: Aaron Lindsey, Christopher Thomas Leach, Jamone Davis, Marvin Sapp)

GOSPEL ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Kirk Franklin (Fo Yo Soul/RCA)

Travis Greene

CONTEMPORARY GOSPEL RECORDED SONG OF THE YEAR

Koryn Hawthorne, “Speak To Me”

TRADITIONAL GOSPEL RECORDED SONG OF THE YEAR

Melvin Crispell, III, “Wonderful Is Your Name”

GOSPEL WORSHIP RECORDED SONG OF THE YEAR

Travis Greene, “ Good & Loved” (feat. Steffany Gretzinger)

CONTEMPORARY GOSPEL ALBUM OF THE YEAR

DOE, DOE-EP (Life Room Label/RCA Inspiration)

Koryn Hawthorne, I Am

Mali Music, The Book of Mali (K Approved Enterprises/RCA Inspiration)

TRADITIONAL GOSPEL ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Marvin Sapp, Chosen Vessel (Verity Records)

GOSPEL WORSHIP ALBUM OF THE YEAR

All Nations Music, Come Alive (Deluxe) (All Nations Music/RCA Inspiration)

Kelontae Gavin, The N.O.W. Experience (Marquis Boone/RCA Inspiration)

RCA Inspiration, one of the premiere labels in Gospel and inspirational music, congratulates Mali Music (K Approved Enterprises/RCA Inspiration) on his first GRAMMY Award win. Announced during the 63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards Premiere Ceremony, Mali Music won Best Gospel Performance/Song as a co-performer in the Jonathan McReynolds & Mali Music #1 hit song “Movin’ On” (RCA Inspiration/eOne). Mali Music, who’s also a co-writer on the soulful track (credited as Kortney Jamaal Pollard), garnered this GRAMMY win on his fourth career nomination, following three prior nominations across Traditional R&B, Urban Contemporary, and Gospel categories.

Also during the Premiere Ceremony, Kierra Sheard (Karew Entertainment/RCA Inspiration) made a featured appearance in the all-nominee special performance that kicked off the show. In the musical tribute to Marvin Gaye’s “Mercy, Mercy Me (The Ecology)” celebrating the classic song’s 50th anniversary, the three-time GRAMMY nominee sang in the star-studded lineup that comprised twenty of this year’s nominees across Jazz, Latin, R&B, Gospel, Rock, Instrumental and other categories.

Phil Thornton, SVP and General Manager or RCA Inspiration says, “Congratulations to Mali Music on his GRAMMY win! It’s an honor to celebrate his creativity and incredible work as an artist this past year. Congratulations also to Jonathan McReynolds on his GRAMMY win, who we have the pleasure of working with as a label partner with his Life Room Label on the artist DOE. And kudos to Kierra Sheard and all the nominees on their amazing performances in the opening tribute number.”