by Kathryn Farris | Oct 12, 2019 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
It’s that time of year again — a white tent has been placed outside Allen Arena, and weekly parking email warns of an expansive list of closed parking spots for Tuesday evening when Lipscomb will host the 50thannual Dove Awards. It’s Lipscomb’s seventh year hosting the GMA Dove Awards, and as usual, several genre heavyweights will be in attendance. This year’s guest list includes artists like Lauren Daigle, Amy Grant, Hillsong Worship and MercyMe. Performances are expected from the five new artist of the year nominees Riley Clemmons, Austin French, Kelontae Gavin, Josh Baldwin and Aaron Carter. The nominations for major category song of the year shine a light on writers and performers like Francesca Battistelli’s “The Breakup Song” and Lauren Daigle’s “You Say.” Daigle’s song “You Say,” co-written by Jason Ingram and Paul Mabury, recently broke the record for the longest No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart. Presenters will include comedian John Crist, Kathy Lee Gifford, for KING & COUNTRY and Lipscomb alum Pat Boone. Lumination will bring you full coverage of the big event, so check back Tuesday evening. Till then, check out last year’s coverage here. Photo by Ben...
by Erin Turner | Aug 13, 2015 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
Christian music artists, fans and community members will return to Music City this fall to unite for the 46th Annual GMA Dove Awards show, “Better Together.” “Since 1969, the GMA Dove Awards has honored the outstanding achievement and excellence of our music community,” GMA executive director Jackie Patillo said in a press release. “We hope to bring much more light to our mission with this year’s ‘Better Together’ theme as we focus on unity, diversity and creativity and come together during this exciting time in our industry.” The awards show will be held under Lipscomb’s roof in Allen Arena for the third consecutive year on Tuesday, Oct. 13. The Gospel Music Association now calls Lipscomb home after holding the awards show in Atlanta. Most may know Nashville as home of country music, but it is now a hub for the Christian music industry as well. On Wednesday, Aug. 12, a press conference was held at which award nominations were announced and Mayor Karl Dean spoke about the importance of music in Nashville’s community. “Not only do we get to celebrate the diversity of the music in Nashville, but we also get to celebrate the fact that hundreds of music fans will be traveling here in October and they will get to see our city firsthand,” Dean said. “Music is one of the top econmic drivers we have. It is the city’s DNA and it is who we are.” Dean described the music industry as Nashville’s “econmic engine,” with 215 million people listening to Christian and Gospel music each month, for example. “Lipscomb, along with other campuses, is a huge part of the boom we’re...
by Cory Woodroof | Oct 7, 2014 | News Slider
The sound of banging drums, clapping hands and joyful praise filled Lipscomb’s Allen Arena once more as the Dove Awards returned to campus for their 46th ceremony. The event, hosted by Christian hip-hop sensation Lecrae and MercyMe frontman Bard Millard, made its grand return to Nashville last year after spending time in Atlanta and chose Lipscomb as its new nest. University president Randy Lowry addressed the show crowd by sharing a thought he had – that, 123 years ago, Lipscomb once used to be the farm of school founder David Lipscomb. To Lowry, the ground that Lipscomb founded his school on now holds a new purpose. “I don’t know what he had in mind, but he could not have possibly have imagined this evening with this entertainment and this worship and this crowd in this place,” Lowry said. In the audience was Lowry’s 95-year-old father, whose attendance was applauded by the crowd. The Dove Awards being hosted on Lipscomb’s campus holds even more significance because the group that runs the show, the Gospel Music Association, now calls the university their home. With a year of hosting the event under Lipscomb’s belt, the school – including its security team – was better prepared to deal with the ins and outs of hosting such a massive undertaking. Lipscomb’s Assistant Director of Campus Security Patrick Cameron provided some insight into how the security staff was better able to facilitate the ceremony. “[Having already prepared for a Doves show] really helps,” Cameron said. “We were very fortunate to experience it last year, so we kind of worked out a lot of the bugs we...
by Logan Butts | Oct 3, 2014 | News Slider
In less than a week, the 45th annual Dove Awards will be taking place in Allen Arena. With Lumination’s final installment of our Dove Awards preview series, I will be breaking down the Best Artist category. This year’s nominees for Best Artist are: Casting Crowns 2 Hillsong United 5 Lecrae 4 Mandisa 5 NEEDTOBREATHE 3 Switchfoot 4 The lineup is full of heavy hitters in the world of Christian music. All of the artists up for this award earned nominations in multiple categories. The Casting Crowns notched two nominations, NEEDTOBREATHE earned three, Switchfoot and Lecrae received four each and Mandisa and Hillsong United lead the pack with five. Hillsong United have to be considered the favorite in this category. Their smash hit “Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)” earned nominations in the categories of Song of the Year, Worship Song of the Year, Contemporary Christian Performance of the Year and Pop/Contemporary Song of the Year, and it is the favorite to take home most of them. “Oceans” and the band in general have been everywhere this year, so I would not be surprised if they ended up going home with a wheelbarrow full of trophies. Switchfoot, NEEDTOBREATHE and Casting Crowns are always formidable foes when it comes to Chrsitian music awards, but I do not think they can stop the momentum Hillsong has built up. Mandisa is another strong opponent. Her song “Overcomer” was nominated for four awards as well. Keep her in mind as a potential dark horse candidate if she begins to pick up awards throughout the show. However, I think the true threat to Hillsong’s night of...
by Erin Turner | Sep 29, 2014 | News Slider, Opinion
For the second year in a row, Lipscomb is hosting the 45th Annual Dove Awards. On Tuesday, Oct. 7, the title for New Artist of the Year will be given to one of five artists. The nominees are as follows: 1 Girl Nation Andy Mineo Ellie Holcomb Hillsong Young & Free Love & The Outcome Andy Mineo seems to be a popular artist as he offers a different sound for those who listen to Christian music. Mineo’s popularity is distinct, as he has two songs nominated for Rap/Hip Hop Song of the Year — “Stop The Traffic” and “You Can’t Stop Me.” Mineo’s album Never Land is also nominated for Rap/Hip Hop Album of the Year. Hillsong Young and Free, not to be confused with Hillsong United, has become popular for the younger crowd. Their song “Alive” has been nominated for Pop/Contemporary Song of the Year. In addition, their album We Are Young & Free has been nominated for Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year and Praise and Worship Album of the Year. Contrary to the upbeat sounds of Andy Mineo and Hillsong Young and Free, Ellie Holcomb offers a more folk, singer-songwriter sound. Holcomb’s album As Sure As The Sun was nominated for Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year. Although she is not nominated for as many categories as the other artists listed, I think she could easily take away New Artist of the Year. Holcomb’s sound resonates more with me, and I would guess it does for many other college students as well. As I listen to her music, I imagine myself sitting in a coffee shop studying or fellowshipping with friends. Her...
