Believe it or not, there is a little over a month before the 53rd Dove Awards kick in. The most prestigious award in the Christian music industry takes place on October 19th at 2:30 AM GMT+3.
The accolade is honoring outstanding accomplishments in different genres of Christian music since 1969. Even the coronavirus could not stop the show from coming and giving us a celebration. The show aired without an audience two years ago, and organizers pre-recorded all performances and winner announcements.
This year, the ceremony comes back in its usual format. There will be many excellent artists on the stage and powerful support from the hall. The less time we need to wait until the show, the more excitement is in the air! Here, we will share everything we know about the upcoming 53rd Dove Awards.
The 53rd Dove Awards co-hosts revealed
Last Thursday, the Dove Awards official website announced Erica Campbell and Chris Tomlin will co-host the ceremony. Both are stars in the Christian music industry and won Dove Awards more than ten times each!
Erica Campbell is a CCM singer and songwriter. She forms the gospel duo “Mary” with her sister, Tina. Erica won five Grammys, 16 Stella Awards, two AMAs, and 13 Dove Awards.
Campbell shared her joy about being invited as a co-host of the ceremony:
“So honored to be a part of Christian and Gospel music’s biggest night,” says Erica Campbell. “Let’s bring healing to this broken world and encourage us all in the process to keep sharing the gospel! I’m so excited to host this year’s Dove Awards alongside Chris Tomlin. This is going to be great!”
Chris Tomlin is also happy to be a part of the host team for the Dove Awards:
“What an honor it is to co-host this year’s Dove Awards alongside Erica Campbell. I have been fortunate enough to attend the Doves for many years and each time I am reminded of the power of a song. I have always said songs are like arrows out of a bow…. you never know how far they will go, how far they will reach, and how God is going to use them and I’m so excited to have the opportunity to celebrate not only the incredible artists, but also all the writers, producers, musicians, and teams that work passionately to create something that truly has an eternal impact.”
Tomlin is also a one-time Grammy awardee and won three Billboard Music Awards and 27 Dove Awards. In 2006, TIME magazine called him the “most often sung artist in the world”.
Maverick City Music is a leading nominee
The official website of the 53rd Dove Awards also published the list of all nominations. Singers, songwriters, producers, and labels will compete in 37 categories.
A worship collective Maverick City Music has the most nominations among all performing artists. These nominations are in eight categories, including Artist of the Year. The next most nominated group is for KING & COUNTRY with six nominations. Like Maverick City Music, Joel and Luke Smallbone have a chance to win an award for Artist of the Year.
CeCe Winans, Anne Wilson, and DOE are leading in the number of nominations as solo performing artists. All of them have four nominations. Anne Wilson is also nominated as Songwriter of the Year among artists.
Phil Wickham, Aaron Cole, and Jonathan McReynolds have three nominations each making them the most nominated male performing artists. Like Anne Wilson, Wickham has another nomination for Songwriter of the Year — Artist.
Other nominated performing artists include Lecrae, Dolly Parton, Zach Williams, Skillet, Ellie Holcomb, Carrie Underwood, and Bishop Leonard Scott.
More news to come
Gospel music’s biggest night of the year will start on October 18th at 6:30 PM in Brentwood, Tennessee. Everyone who wishes to visit Lipscomb University’s Allen Arena can buy tickets on the award’s official website.
The ceremony’s co-hosts and nominees are revealed, but the names of live performers on the show are still a mystery. They most likely will be announced a week before the award night. While waiting, Gospel music fans can recall the list of winners from the previous ceremony and check the Spotify playlist with all songs nominated this year.
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