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 Brianna Langley | Sep 2, 2014 | Opinion
For the second year in a row, Lipscomb University will be opening up its facilities to the Gospel Music Association as the host of the 2014 Dove Awards. Just as we did before last year’s ceremony, Lumination will be previewing some of the key categories. With categories and genres ranging from southern gospel performance of the year to most inspirational film of the year, perhaps the most unique and controversial award of them all continues to be the Rap/Hip Hop Song of the Year accolade. This year, Christian hip hop artist Andy Mineo seems to be sweeping the competition. Two of his songs, as well as one song in which he is featured, have been nominated. The complete list of the 2014 nominees for this category is as follows: • “100” by KB (ft. Andy Mineo) • “Dear Mr. Christian” by Derek Minor (ft. Dee-1 and Lecrae) • “Head Held High” by Rapture Ruckus • “Stop The Traffic” by Andy Mineo (ft. Co Campbell) • “You Can’t Stop Me” by Andy Mineo While all of these artists and songs were certainly deserving of the nominations they were given, only one will be receiving the award on October 7. As far as predictions as to which song will come out on top, my radio and gut instinct are both telling me that I should lean towards “Head Held High” by Rapture Ruckus. Rapture Ruckus’ blend of hardcore rap and poppy hip hop gives them a unique sound that appeals to a wide variety of listeners; from die-hard rap fanatics to a more upbeat, typically younger demographic. Also, their song “Head...
by Logan Butts | Oct 15, 2013 | Opinion
At most music-related awards shows, Artist of the Year is generally one of the biggest awards given out. The Dove Awards are no exception. Each year, the Dove Awards committee nominates the five artists who they believe were the most successful in the past 12 months for Artist of the Year, and this year’s nominees are one of the strongest groups ever. Chris Tomlin: One of the most successful Christian artists of all time, Tomlin received his seventh Artist of the Year nomination. For someone who has been nominated for a staggering 32 Dove Awards, and six Grammys as well, nominations no longer come as a surprise. Tomlin, known for famous worship songs such as “How Great is Our God” and “Whom Shall I Fear,” will be vying for his third Best Artist Dove Award. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0x5aEvl6Zdk Francesca Battistelli: After the huge success of her previous two albums, My Paper Heart and Hundred More Years, Battistelli garnered her fourth nomination for Artist of the Year. Battistelli, who previously won the award in 2011, is known for such hits as “Free to Be Me” and “Strangely Dim.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKSQjSdU8VA Lecrae: Lecrae has spent the last few years blowing up in the Christian nd mainstream music scenes. His 14 Dove Award nominations, including eight in the past two years, are evidence of that. Earlier this year, Lecrae won the Grammy Award for Best Gospel Album for his wildly successful album Gravity. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-p9BwiOGVj8 Tamela Mann: Thanks to the strength of her recent album Best Days and the lead single “Take Me to the King,” Mann received her first ever Artist of the Year nomination for...
