Blue Amber Photo
Brandon Lake was the top winner at the 54th annual GMA Dove Awards, which aired Friday (Oct. 20) on TBN and The TBN App, and was also simulcast on SiriusXM’s The Message. The show, hosted by Toren Wells, was taped Tuesday, Oct. 17, at Allen Arena on the campus of Lipscomb University in Nashville.
Lake received four awards: Entertainer of the Year, Songwriter of the Year (Performer), Worship Recorded Song of the Year, and Rap/Hip-Hop Recorded Song of the Year. “I’m so excited to be a part of this community,” Lake said as she accepted her Entertainer of the Year award. Lake is the first male solo artist to win in this top category since Zach Williams five years ago. This is the second time in three years that Lake has been named Songwriter of the Year – Entertainer.
Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Toby Mac, Blessing Offor and Jeff Pardo each received two awards.
Cobbs Leonard Wins Gospel Worship Album of the Year Anthems (Live) and Traditional Gospel Song of the Year, “It Is Well.” “This album means a lot to me because I’m a PC (pastor’s kid); I’m a church girl,” she said.. “One way to study the scriptures is through songs.”
TobyMac won Best Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year for the third time with the album Life after death. He first won in this category in 2013 with Look at this (No. 1 album on the Billboard 200) and again in 2016 with This is not a test.
TobyMac’s acceptance speech was one of the most emotional moments of the show. “I made this record in honor of my son Truett, my firstborn, who we lost,” he said. “…I wrote these songs in the harshest and coldest valley, and we still don’t know why God asks us to do this, but sometimes we fail to ask these questions. He didn’t promise us that we wouldn’t do difficult things, that we wouldn’t face loss. He promised that He would never leave us or forsake us. If you take the time to look into the harshest, deepest valleys, coldest places in this world, if you take the time to look, He is there. He is true to His word that He will not abandon us. I experienced it.”
TobyMac and Blessing Offor shared the award for Short Form Music Video of the Year (Performance) for “The Goodness.” Blessing Offor, a Nigerian-American singer-songwriter, won his second award for Best Pop Song of the Year for “Brighter Days.”
Pardo won Producer of the Year for the second year in a row and also won Non-Artist Songwriter of the Year, ending Jason Ingram’s four-year lock on the award.
However, Ingram won song of the year for “Goodness of God,” which he co-wrote with Ben Fielding, Ed Cash, Jenn Johnson and Brian Johnson. This marks the third year in a row that the winning song in this category has been the work of four or more songwriters, demonstrating that songwriting by songwriting teams is a trend in religious music as well as secular music.
Elevation Worship wins Worship Album of the Year for the second time in three years LION: Live from the loft. The group won two years ago for Basement of the old churchcollaboration with Maverick City Music.
New Artist of the Year was Katie Nicole, who became the most nominated woman this year with four nominations.
Composer, artist and choir director Dr. Bobby Jones received the Jackie Patillo Leadership Award. Jones has been a fixture in the gospel music industry since 1976 and was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2008.
Wells moved the audience with an extended speech in which he highlighted the current conflict in Israel, saying: “We stand with the people of God and, as the Scriptures teach us, we pray for peace in Jerusalem.”
Guest performers included Jordin Sparks singing “Love Me Like I Am” for KING + COUNTRY; Pastor Mike Jr. introduced Ricky Dillard for “Impossible”; and Wells teamed with Davis on “Take It All Back.” Take 6 performed with Ernie Haase and Signature Sound. The segment, which focused on hip-hop’s influences—as we’ve seen at many awards shows this year, in the midst of the genre’s 50th anniversary—featured Hulvey, Social Club Misfit, GRITS and TobyMac. The final two performances took the crowd back to 2002 with GRITS’ hit “Ooh Aah” which featured TobyMac.
The 54th annual GMA Dove Awards was organized by the Gospel Music Association. Jackie Patillo and Justin Fratt serve as showrunners and executive producers, with Curtis Stoneberger and Paul Wright serving as producers. Russell E. Hall returns as director, Michael Nolan as screenwriter, Scott Moore and Go Live Productions as production manager.
The encore performance will air on TBN and the TBN app on Friday, October 27th at 8:00 pm and 10:00 pm ET. You can watch the show on demand in the TBN app.
Here is a partial list of winners. A complete list of winners in all categories can be found at doveawards.com.
Artist of the Year
WINNER: Brandon Lake
CeCe Winans
for KING + COUNTRY
Lauren Daigle
Phil Wickham
New Artist of the Year
Ben Fuller
Halvi
John Reddick
WINNER: Katie Nicole
Naomi Raine
Song of the year
Build a Boat by Colton Dixon, Seth Mosley, Johan Lindbrandt, Sandro
Cavazza, Mikey Gormley
Fear Is Not My Future by Kirk Franklin, Brandon Lake, Jonathan Jay
Hannah Shackleford, Nicole Hannel
God Really Loves Us by David Crowder, Ben Glover, Jeff Sojka, Dante
Bow
WINNER: The Kindness of God by Ben Fielding, Ed Cash, Jason Ingram, Jenn
Johnson, Brian Johnson
“Gratitude” Written by: Brandon Lake, Ben Hastings, Dante Bowe.
“In the Name of Jesus (God of Possibility)” by Ethan Hulse, Katie Nicole, David
Andrew Spencer, Jeff Pardo
Love Me as I Am by Joel Smallbone, Luke Smallbone, Michael
Pollack, Josh Kerr
“Perfectly Beloved” by Rachel Lampa, Andrew Ripp,
Ethan Hulse
The Same God by Brandon Lake, Steven Furtick, Chris Brown, Pat Barrett
Then Came Christ by Bart Millard, Phil Wickham, Jason Ingram, David
Leonard
Songwriter of the Year – Artist
WINNER: Brandon Lake
Chris Brown
Dante Bow
Kirk Franklin
Phil Wickham
Songwriter of the Year – Non-Performer
Ben Glover
Ethan Hulse
Jason Ingram
WINNER: Jeff Pardo
Jonathan Jay
Producer of the Year
WINNER: Jeff Pardo
Kenneth Leonard
Samuel AS
Wayne Hone
Ben Glover and Jeff Soyka
Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year
WINNER: “Bright Days” – Blessing
“I’m So Blessed (Best Day Remix)” – CAIN
“Love Me Like I Am” – for KING + COUNTRY ft. Jordin Sparks
“God in the Story” – Katie Nicole feat. Big Daddy Wave
“Thank God Yes” – Lauren Daigle
Song of the Year Recorded by Worship
WINNER: “Gratitude (Radio Version)” – Brandon Lake
“Honey in the Rock” – Brooke Ligertwood, Brandon Lake
“Holy Forever” – Chris Tomlin
“Fear Is Not My Future (Radio Version)” – Maverick City Music ft. Brandon
Lake, Chandler Moore
“This is our God” – Phil Wickham
Best Bluegrass/Country/Roots Recorded Song of the Year
“Jordan” – Deryn and Brooke Aldridge, ft. Ricky Skaggs, Mo Pitney, Mark Fain
WINNER: “Good Morning Mercy” – Jason Crabb, Dylan Scott
“Matchless” – Tiffany Coburn, ft. Grace Point
“The Way of the Triune God (Hallelujah Version)” – Tyler Childers
“The Guilt of Jesus” – Zach Williams, ft. Walker Hayes
Song of the Year Recorded in Spanish
“Guarda Tu Corazon” – Alex Surdo
“So Good (Cuán Bueno)” – DOE, ft. Lilly Goodman
“Nubes” – Indiomar, ft. Blanka
WINNER: “Coritos (En Vivo)” – Miel San Marcos, Daniel Calveti, Marcos Witt, Ingrid
Rose garden
“Suelto” – Saray Rivera
Gospel Worship Recorded as Song of the Year
“One Name (Jesus) (Live)” – Naomi Raine
WINNER: “Impossible” – Pastor Mike Jr., ft. James Fortune
“I Still Have You” – Smokey Norful
“The Moment (Live)” – Tasha Cobbs Leonard
“You’ve been good to me” – Zacardi Cortez
Contemporary Gospel Song of the Year
“New Day” – Blanca, ft. Jekalyn Carr
WINNER: “Your World” – Jonathan McReynolds
“Miracles” – Kierra Sheard, ft. Pastor Mike Jr.
“Bless Me” – Maverick City Music, Kirk Franklin
“Get Up” – Ty Tribbett
Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year
My tribe – Offering blessing
Jesus changed my life — Katie Nicole
Always only Jesus – Spare me
WINNER: Life after death — TobyMac
On a hundred highway – Zach Williams
Worship Album of the Year
Come here – Bethel Music
Fair offer (Live) – CAIN
God is good! (Live) — Cody Carnes
WINNER: LION: Live from the loft – Worship of exaltation
lamb of God — Matt Redman
Southern Gospel Album of the Year
Think about it – Great Vision
Come in – Guardian Quartet
John 3:16 – Perris
WINNER: Believe – Hoppers
Hymns and Worship — Triumphal Quartet
Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year
My truth –Jonathan McReynolds
WINNER: Kingdom, book one (deluxe) –Maverick City Music, Kirk Franklin
Impossible – Pastor Mike Jr.
Winner (Deluxe) — Tamela Mann
All new — Ty Tribbett
Rap/Hip-Hop Album of the Year
WINNER: Church clothes 4 – Lecrae
Sunday in Lagos – Limoblaze
Everybody loves a comeback story – Social Club Dregs
Tree — Stephen Malcolm
NEW HOLLYWOOD – WHATTUPRG
Gospel Worship Album of the Year
Revival of the tent – Forward City/Travis Green
Closer than you think — Jonathan Traylor
collide — Todd Galbert
Output -Zacardi Cortez?
WINNER: Anthems (Live) – Tasha Cobbs Leonard
Feature Film of the Year
Big George Foreman
Family camp
I heard the bells
WINNER: Jesus Revolution (Directors) John Erwin, Brent McCorkle, (Producers) Kevin Downes, Andrew Erwin, Daryl Lefever, Josh Walsh
Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story