Francesca Battistelli Performs with Andrea Bocelli for Worldwide TV Christmas Special

Grammy Award winning artist Francesca Battistelli will appear on the holiday special, "Andrea Bocelli: The Heart of Christmas," which is set to air on TBN December 20 at 8 pm. The holiday program will feature Battistelli singing a duet with the world-renowned classical music icon, along with a duet between Bocelli and his son, Matteo, select Christmas songs and more. "Andrea Bocelli: The Heart of Christmas" was filmed in Bocelli's hometown, Lajatico, in the Italian region Tuscany.

"It was the deepest honor to be given the opportunity to sing alongside such an iconic artist," exclaims Battistelli. "It was truly a dream come true to perform with Andrea Bocelli and in his home country. This was an experience I will certainly never, ever forget!"

TBN's foreign partners in Italy, UK, Canada, Germany, Central America, South America and other regions around the world will air the special on the 20th as well. "Andrea Bocelli: The Heart of Christmas," will also re-air on December 24.

"It's been an absolute joy to welcome TBN viewers into the little church in my beloved birthplace, Lajatico--the exact spot where I discovered, as a child, the power of music as an instrument of prayer," said Bocelli.

Winter Jam Crowned Top First Quarter Music Tour

Landing at #2 on Pollstar's newly published "2018 1Q YTD Worldwide Ticket Sales Top 100 Tours" chart, the Winter Jam 2018 Tour Spectacular takes the top spot of all music tours on the chart. Following the #1 tour "Disney On Ice," Winter Jam ranks ahead of first quarter tours by such superstars as Bruno Mars and Blake Shelton. 

Christian music's largest annual tour, Winter Jam hit 46 cities across the country from January through March, boasting a total of 17 sold-out shows, including capacity crowds at Philips Arena in Atlanta; St. Louis' Scottrade Center; and Kansas City's Sprint Center, among other leading venues. 
 
This year's Winter Jam Tour Spectacular was headlined by Platinum-selling and Billboard Music Award-winning rockers Skillet and showcased Kari Jobe (featuring Cody Carnes); Building 429; popular comedian John Crist; KB; tour creators and hosts, NewSong; Dove Award-winning chart-topper Jordan Feliz.

Hollyn joined Winter Jam for a 12-date stint in March, along with a variety of one-night-only special guests--this year including Los Angeles Angels' Albert Pujols;  Matthew West; Grammy-winning Francesca Battistelli; and ESPN analyst and former NFL quarterback Tim Hasselbeck and his wife, former FOX News anchor Elisabeth Hasselbeck, among others. 

Winter Jam #4 of All World Tours

Once again ranking among the biggest first quarter tours in the world, the Winter Jam Tour Spectacular brought its 2017 Eastern U.S. run to a close earlier this month. Christian music's largest annual tour landed at #4 on Pollstar’s “1Q YTD Worldwide 2017 Ticket Sales Top 100 Tours” chart, it was recently announced, ahead of tours by such artists as Twenty One Pilots, Drake and Guns N' Roses.

Hitting a total of 46 cities from January through April, Winter Jam played to more than 27,000 people at Atlanta’s Georgia Dome, marking not only one of the tour’s largest crowds to date, but the last concert ever at the historic venue. In addition, sellouts continued at St. Louis' Scottrade Center; Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis; Verizon Arena in Little Rock, Arkansas; and the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina, among numerous leading arenas. 

Showcasing 10 Christian music artists, Winter Jam featured Crowder, Britt Nicole, Tenth Avenue North, Andy Mineo, Colton Dixon, Thousand Foot Krutch and NewSong.  The tour was also highlighted by a special appearance from “Duck Dynasty” television star Sadie Robertson, as well as a message from acclaimed author, speaker Tony Nolan.

An array of special guest artists and athletes appeared in various cities during Winter Jam’s first quarter outing, including Matthew West, Lauren Daigle; “Duck Dynasty’s” Willie & Korie Robertson; “American Idol” alum Danny Gokey, Francesca Battistelli, Jordan Feliz, Zach Williams, Atlanta Braves great Otis Nixon; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Chris Conley; and Nashville Predators captain Mike Fisher.

“This has been such a special year for Winter Jam,” said Eddie Carswell, tour creator and NewSong founding member. “The fantastic lineup, the packed arenas and the special guests who joined us made it an incredible tour, but the best part—as always—is seeing so many people come to Christ through this ministry each year.”

"This Is Winter Jam" Provides Unprecedented Access In One Night Only Event

This spring, Christian music fans will get an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the world’s largest annual Christian concert tour with “This Is Winter Jam,” in theaters Tuesday, April 19 at 7:00 p.m. local time.

This one-night event captures the blockbuster tour as never seen before. “This Is Winter Jam” showcases performances from Skillet, Jeremy Camp, Francesca Battistelli, for KING & COUNTRY, NewSong, Family Force 5, Building 429 and many more, and gives moviegoers unprecedented backstage access. The event also features interviews with Winter Jam artists past and present, along with an exclusive premiere of for KING & COUNTRY's "Priceless" music video, which features a first look at scenes from the group’s own upcoming feature film.

It’s a Fathom Events production and you can purchase tickets and watch a trailer here.

Winter Jam in Atlanta Adds Sadie Robertson

Winter Jam 2015 Dome Spectacular added Duck Dynasty star and Dancing with the Stars contestant Sadie Robertson to the lineup for Atlanta on February 7. Winter Jam is a 47-city, three month tour.

Sadie is no stranger to the spotlight. She was cast into the limelight as a star on A&E's reality show, Duck Dynasty. Known for her dimples and engaging smile, this 17-year-old high-schooler is more than a pretty face. A popular motivational speaker, Sadie spends her summers on mission trips and speaks at Christian youth camps sharing her message "to live original" as a Christian young person today. She recently competed on ABC's Dancing with the Stars, collaborated on a formal dress line in time for spring prom, and has written a book called "Live Original: How the Duck Commander Teen Keeps It Real and Stays True to Her Values."

"Our very first Dome Spectacular in Atlanta last year was such a phenomenal success with nearly 30,0000 fans and the addition of quality guest artists and celebrities, that it created a daunting task for us to try to top," said Troy VanLiere, tour producer. "But with the announcement of Sadie Robertson being added to our already stellar line-up, we are well on our way! Her character, integrity and the way she lives out her faith for the entire world to see on both Duck Dynasty and Dancing with the Stars is a perfect "heart-match" for Winter Jam. She'll be a big hit on the Winter Jam stage and something people won't want to miss. Plus there is more to come..."

In addition to Sadie Robertson making a guest appearance in Atlanta, the Winter Jam Dome Spectacular lineup will include Skillet, Jeremy Camp, Francesca Battistelli, Building 429, Family Force 5, NewSong, for King & Country, and evangelist Tony Nolan. The LifeWay Christian Stores Pre-Jam Party will also showcase performances by Blanca, About A Mile, and VERIDIA.
Winter Jam Tour Spectacular is a $10 at the door concert and no tickets are required. The Winter Jam event in Atlanta - hosted at the Georgia Dome for the first time in 2014 - has been aptly dubbed Winter Jam Dome Spectacular for the day. In 2014, the Atlanta event set a Winter Jam attendance record by attracting nearly 30,000 people.

“The Greatest Night in the History of Contemporary Christian Music”

The “We Will Stand” event is being billed as “The Greatest Night in the History of Contemporary Christian Music” and will be broadcast online live Wednesday, January 21, starting at 6pm CST at live.ccmunited.com. It will also be recorded and released as a DVD and companion CD.

“We Will Stand” features 28 artists including Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Point of Grace, Petra, Steven Curtis Chapman, Russ Taff and many more together with today’s CCM top artists including Francesca Battistelli and Kari Jobe for an evening of hit songs and performances that have changed countless lives for four decades. 

Dancing With the Stars Finalist Candace Cameron Bure and Matthew West to Host K-LOVE Fan Awards at Grand Ole Opry

TV star and current Dancing With the Stars finalist Candace Cameron Bure and Grammy-nominated Matthew West will host the K-LOVE Fan Awards on Sunday, June 1 at the Grand Ole Opry House.

Voting for the K-LOVE Fan Awards is open now until Midnight ET on Saturday, May 31. Partnering with World Hope to aid in revival efforts for the city of Detroit, MI., every half a million votes cast for the Fan Awards will unlock a newly remodeled home for a family in need in Detroit, with a goal of two million votes and four homes total. The first week of voting alone eclipsed 500,000 votes, unlocking the first home.

Winners will be announced live at the awards show in the categories of music, sports, books and movies.

Last week, K-LOVE announced key performers for the award show includingy Chris Tomlin, Hillsong UNITED, Steven Curtis Chapman, MercyMe, Francesca Battistelli and many more.

This year, fans will have more opportunities than ever to see and interact with their favorite Christian music artists at the K-LOVE Fan Awards Weekend. Starting Friday night, May 30, the weekend will start with a bang at the official Weekend Kickoff Concert, featuring performances by Tenth Avenue North, Switchfoot, for KING & COUNTRY, Rend Collective and a surprise headlining artist.

All weekend, fans will be able to participate in the first ever K-LOVE Fan Zone, which will feature a variety of fan-focused events including tours of Jeremy Camp's tour bus, celebrity basketball games, autograph sessions and more. Saturday night will end with the new Songwriters Spotlight, hosted by Steven Curtis Chapman. On Sunday, Michael W. Smith will start the day off with a special Worship Service at the Opryland Resort. The events of the day will lead to the official K-LOVE Fan Awards Show nearby at the Grand Ole Opry House.

Francesca Battistelli Performs Alongside Carrie Underwood

Grammy Award winning female superstar Carrie Underwood took to the stage at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville this past weekend with a very special guest, Francesca Battistelli!

Francesca, who made her Opry debut earlier in the year, was a last-minute addition to the bill for this Saturday night's events, which also included a performance by legendary Opry inductee, Charlie Daniels (“Devil Went Down To Georgia,” “Uneasy Rider.”)

The artist quickly shared the exciting news on Twitter:

"So honored to be playing the @opry again tomorrow night! Excited to share the stage with @carrieunderwood!"

Honesty Breaks into Top 15

Francesca Battistelli's new release, If We're Honest, debuts at #13 on the Billboard 200.  It's her third release and the closest she's come to cracking the Top 10.

Francesca Battistelli's Free To Be Me Is Golden

Francesca Battistelli earned Gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for her Grammy nominated single "Free To Be Me."  In 2012, Francesca received a Gold record for My Paper Heart marking the first debut album from a CCM artist in nearly a decade to receive RIAA-certified Gold status for sales in excess of 500,000 units. Casting Crowns' 2003 release was the last CCM debut album to receive RIAA Gold certification. Tomorrow, Francesca's third studio album, If We're Honest, is set to release worldwide.

With over 995,000 in album sales to date and over 1.9 million single downloads, she is the best-selling new artist in the genre in the past decade.

Francesca Battistelli to Make National Morning TV Debut on ABC's Good Morning America

Francesca Battistelli will perform her new single "Write Your Story" live on ABC's "Good Morning America" when she makes her national morning TV debut on February 13. Additionally, she'll unveil a portion of "When The Crazy Kicks In" from her forthcoming third studio album, If We're Honest, due out on April 22.

If We're Honest comes three years after Battistelli, Christian music's best-selling new artist in the past 10 years, released her sophomore album, Hundred More Years. "

44th Annual GMA Dove Awards' Nominations Announced

Top Nominees Include Chris Tomlin, Lecrae, Matt Redman, Tamela Mann and Wayne Haun

Artist of the Year Nominees are Chris Tomlin, Francesca Battistelli, Lecrae, Tamela Mann and TobyMac

New Artist of the Year Nominees are Capital Kings, Colton Dixon, for King & Country, Rhett Walker Band and Tasha Cobbs

Awards to broadcast on UP 

Top Nominees Include Chris Tomlin, Lecrae, Matt Redman, Tamela Mann and Wayne Haun

Artist of the Year Nominees are Chris Tomlin, Francesca Battistelli, Lecrae, Tamela Mann and TobyMac

New Artist of the Year Nominees are Capital Kings, Colton Dixon, for King & Country, Rhett Walker Band and Tasha Cobbs

Awards to broadcast on the UP television network

- See more at: http://www.uptv.com/news/2013/44th-annual-gma-dove-awards-nominations-announced#sthash.EqoobqNr.dpuf

Pepsi Presenting Sponsor for Inaugural K-Love Fan Awards

K-LOVE, the leading Christian radio network with a weekly listenership of over 13 million people, is bringing the first ever fan-voted award show in Christian music history to Nashville. The K-LOVE Fan Awards will be held on Saturday, June 1st at 7:30pm at Nashville's historic Ryman Auditorium.

Starting today through May 31 fans can vote for their favorite nominees at KLOVEFanAwards.com  in categories celebrating artists, athletes, authors and entertainers who, with excellence engage and impact popular culture for Jesus Christ. Leading artist nominees are TobyMac and Newsboys with three nominations each. See below for the complete list of nominees in each category.

Nominees were determined by K-LOVE with consideration given to airplay, spins, impact and overall performance. Winners are solely determined by fan vote online. The winners will be announced at the awards show hosted by the stars from A&E TV's popular show "Duck Dynasty," Phil and Kay Robertson and Jase and Missy Robertson. A&E's top show surpassed "American Idol" ratings last week during the "Duck Dynasty" finale.

Performers already slated are fan favorites TobyMac, MercyMe, Amy Grant, Third Day, Newsboys, Casting Crowns, NEEDTOBREATHE, Steven Curtis Chapman, Matthew West and many more.

In addition to the unprecedented list of performers, sport figures set to attend the special evening include Mike Fisher (Nashville Predators), Barrett Jones (Two-time National Champion from Alabama), Jason Hanson (21-year Detroit Lions kicker), Alfred Morris (Washington Redskins) and Hugh Freeze (Head football coach from the University of Mississippi). Representing the movie impact category will be Kirk Cameron (Monumental, Fireproof), Alex Kendrick (Facing the Giants, Fireproof, Courageous) and David Evans (The Grace Card).

In honor of the awards, Pepsi will be launching their Christian Artist Can Panel series at the weekend's events. The four artists that will be featured include Matt Maher (Dr. Pepper), Francesca Battistelli (Diet Pepsi), Matthew West (Pepsi), and TobyMac (Mountain Dew). Each artist will be featured on three million cans for a total of 12 million cans - 12 million new ways to change lives. On each can a link will be featured to receive a free download from each artist.

In addition to the presenting sponsor, the official charity sponsor has been revealed as World Vision.

Word Entertainment to Release The Bible: Music Inspired by the Epic Mini-Series

Word Entertainment will release a musical companion to the History Channel's mini-series "The Bible" on March 12. The 12-track album highlighting themes from the mini-series features Christian  artists including Francesca Battistelli, Jason Castro, for KING & COUNTRY, Chris August, Big Daddy Weave, Group 1 Crew, Dara Maclean, Point of Grace, and Sidewalk Prophets. Superstars Wynonna Judd and Kenny Rogers also come together on the compilation for a special rendition of "Mary Did You Know?" The mini-series, which airs every Sunday through March culminating on Easter, drew in 27 million viewers this past Sunday making it the No. 1 cable telecast of the year and the No. 1 show in all of TV for the night.

"Roma and I are delighted that Word Entertainment and their talented Christian roster partnered with us on this project," commented producer Mark Burnett. "When we heard Francesca Battistelli's rendition of 'In Your Eyes' we immediately loved it. All of the artists' music fits beautifully with our vision of 'The Bible.'"


"The Bible: Music Inspired By The Epic Mini-Series" Track listing:
1. "In Your Eyes" - Francesca Battistelli
2. "Live Like That" - Sidewalk Prophets
3. "This Side Of Heaven" - Chris August
4. "Starting Line" - Jason Castro
5. "Love Come To Life" - Big Daddy Weave
6. "Crave" - for KING & COUNTRY
7. "Fearless" - Group 1 Crew
8. "What Love Means" - Everfound
9. "Home" - Dara Maclean
10. "Wash Me Away" - Point Of Grace
11. "Not For A Moment (After All)" - Meredith Andrews
12. "Mary, Did You Know?" - Wynonna Judd and Kenny Rogers

Best Female Christian Vocalist of All Time

Half a decade ago, I shared my thoughts on who I thought were the best female Christian vocalists of all time.

Criteria include song quality, vocal prowess, ability to play an instrument and/or craft a song, and of course my personal bias...

An updated list:

10. Nichole Nordeman

9. Crystal Lewis

8. Margaret Becker

7. Natalie Grant

6. Mandisa

5. Ginny Owens

4. Britt Nicole

3. Jaci Velasquez

2. Joy Williams

1. Amy Grant

Honorable Mentions:

Francesca Battistelli

Lisa Bevill

Christine Dente (Out of the Grey)

Brooke Fraser

Rachael Lampa

Leigh Nash (Sixpence None the Richer)

Rebecca St. James

Kathy Troccoli

Thoughts?

Francesca Battistelli's Paper Heart is Golden

Francesca Battistelli, received a surprise onstage Friday night at Disney World's "Night of Joy" when she was presented with a gold album for her debut release My Paper Heart. This marks the first debut album from a CCM artist in nearly a decade to receive RIAA-certified Gold status for sales in excess of 500,000 units. Casting Crowns' release in 2003 was the last debut album to receive RIAA Gold certification.

Battistelli's 2008 debut album features the No. 1 single, "Free To Be Me," and Top 10 hits, "I'm Letting Go," "It's Your Life" and "Beautiful, Beautiful."  Since her debut in 2008, Francesca Battistelli has earned a Grammy nomination (Best Gospel Performance) and six Dove Awards. On October 16, the singer is set to release her first solo Christmas album, Christmas, which includes classics and newly-penned tunes. She also has songs showcased on two additional holiday albums due out the same day: Word Record's A Very Special Christmas: Bringing Peace on Earth and A Very Special Christmas 25th Anniversary benefitting the Special Olympics.

Disney's Night of Joy Turns 30

"Disney cares about the family like we care about the family," says Brandon Heath, one of the Christian artists who performed this weekend at Walt Disney World's 30th annual Night of Joy. "It's a common goal that we have to enrich families. They can come enjoy the rides and attractions, and they can enjoy great music."

Third Day, Chris Tomlin, Casting Crowns, Francesca Battistelli, MercyMe, Chris August, Royal Tailor, Red, Disciple, Thousand Foot Crutch, NEEDTOBREATHE, Lecrae, Kutless, Dara Maclean and Yolanda Adams were among the acts performing at three different stages Friday and Saturday nights (Sept. 7-8) at Disney' Magic Kingdom.

It's been three decades since Disney launched the first Night of Joy with a line up that included Scott Wesley Brown, David Meece, Shirley Caesar, Leon Patillo, Benny Hester, Petra, Phil Keaggy and Sheila Walsh. Since then the festival has become one of Christian music's premiere events drawing fans from all over the world with an audience heavily populated by church youth groups. During the event, Disney hosts a special lounge for youth pastors where they can interact with artists.

Casting Crowns frontman Mark Hall and fellow Casting Crowns members Juan DeVevo and Hector Cervantes were surprised with a huge Stars Wars cake recognizing their birthdays. Third Day's Mark Lee and Mac Powell, Moriah Peters, and members of Red and Royal Tailor were on hand to sing and celebrate.

Hall, who has long been known as a big Star Wars fan, recently auctioned off his collection to benefit charity. "We raised about $20,000 selling my collection," he told Billboard. "We sold the Han Solo desk, the emperor's chair, helmets and paintings and all sort of stuff I accumulated over the years. My son and I started a collection several years back. I'm trying to teach my son: 'Stuff is cool, but ultimately people are more important than stuff.' To prove that to him I said, 'hey man, I really felt like God is wanting us to do this.' So it was something we did together and he got to see that you can have your hobbies, but it needs to lead to something bigger. The money went to World Vision and we supported water efforts in Rwanda."

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Winter Jam Tour Again #1 Among All Tours

The Winter Jam Tour Spectacular has shattered its own record to become the #1 tour in the world (first quarter) for the second consecutive year. According to Pollstar's 2012 Worldwide First Quarter Ticket Sales Charts - Top 100 Tours, Winter Jam outpaced attendance for all other tours, including Cirque du Soleil - "Michael Jackson: The Immortal," Pink Floyd's Roger Waters, The Black Keys, Jason Aldean and Brad Paisley, among others.

Founded and hosted by NewSong and this year headlined by Grammy®-nominated Skillet, the 47-city tour ended April 1 and saw 32 sold-out concerts and surpassed last year's record attendance by more than 10,000, playing to a total of nearly 535,000 people.

"Being the headliner on Winter Jam was an incredible opportunity for Skillet," said the band's frontman, John Cooper. "The fans, the music, and the message were absolutely relevant and impacted people's lives each and every night. The worst part of Winter Jam was having to end the tour and go back to 'normal' life!"

In addition to headliners Skillet, this year's tour also featured Sanctus Real, former Newsboys frontman Peter Furler, Kari Jobe, Building 429, Group 1 Crew, illusionist Brock Gill, and speaker Nick Hall. In addition, the OneVerse Pre-Jam Party included performances from Dara Maclean, For King & Country and We As Human.

Following its January 6 launch in Charleston, West Virginia, The Winter Jam 2012 Tour Spectacular played to capacity audiences in some of the country’s top venues, including Atlanta’s Philips Arena; The Wolstein Center in Cleveland; Oklahoma City’s Chesapeake Energy Arena; the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee; and the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina, where more than 20,000 were in attendance.

Since its formation by NewSong in 1995, Winter Jam has featured many of the top names in Christian music, including TobyMac, Jeremy Camp, Steven Curtis Chapman, Third Day, Newsboys, Tenth Avenue North and Fireflight, among others. The tour has also been instrumental in helping launch the careers of such acclaimed artists as Francesca Battistelli, Chris August and Sidewalk Prophets.

For further information, visit www.jamtour.com

42nd Annual GMA Dove Awards

The Gospel Music Association Dove Awards show was held and recorded last night. It was a night that paid tribute to gospel music’s veterans and recognized the industry’s emerging talents as the show entertained a sold-out crowd at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre. Hosted by Sherri Shepherd, the show will be broadcast Sunday night on gmc at 7 PM.

Francesca Battistelli was the evening’s top winner. The show touched other areas including country music (Kenny Rogers performed), TV (TBS' Tamela Mann won Traditional Gospel Album) and Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow introduced Third Day.

Francesca Battistelli Heads Back to the Studio

It’s been quite a busy summer for Francesca Battistelli. She started recording her next album, she and her husband Matt have begun to 'baby-proof' their new home in Georgia and travels to shows almost every weekend. Despite the crazy life she may have right now, she can clearly see God working in her life and is thankful for it all! On StereoTruth she talks about the top 5 musicians she’d like to tour with some day including Needtobreathe and TobyMac.