Casting Crowns Named Artist of the Year in K-Love Fan Awards
Winners were announced Sunday evening at the 2nd Annual K-LOVE Fan Awards at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry. The event was hosted by Dancing With the Stars finalist Candace Cameron Bure and award-winning artist Matthew West.
Broadcast live on the K-LOVE radio network, the fan-voted show “celebrated and promoted artists, athletes, authors and entertainers who, with excellence, engage and impact popular culture for Jesus Christ.”
With Casting Crowns receiving the evening’s biggest honor of Artist of the Year, other winners were announced in the following categories: Male Artist of the Year: Chris Tomlin; Female Artist of the Year: Mandisa; Group/Duo of the Year: Newsboys; Song of the Year: Mandisa, “Overcomer”; Worship Song of the Year: Hillsong United, “Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)”; Best Live Show: TobyMac; First Christian Artist to Appear on 7UP Can: Jamie Grace; Sports Impact: Carolina Panthers Linebacker Thomas Davis; Movie Impact: God’s Not Dead; and Book Impact: Max Lucado, You’ll Get Through This.
This year’s K-LOVE Fan Awards partnered with World Hope to aid in the revival of the people of Detroit. With every half-million votes cast, World Hope committed to unlock a newly remodeled home for a family in need in the city. With over 2 million votes tallied, four homes will be provided to Detroit-area families.
Additionally, last week World Hope released the new single, “Hope Can Change Everything” featuring Jeremy Camp, Bart Millard of MercyMe, Matt Maher, Francesca Battistelli, Jamie Grace and Dave Frey of Sidewalk Prophets on iTunes. The song shot up the iTunes Christian and Gospel Songs Chart, peaking at No. 2. Proceeds will go toward the Revival of Detroit efforts (revivalofdetroit.com). Click here to download “Hope Can Change Everything.”
The evening showcased performances and appearances from the worlds of music, sports, film and books, including MercyMe, Switchfoot, Chris Tomlin, Louie Giglio, New York Times best-selling author Ann Voskamp, K-LOVE NASCAR driver Michael McDowell, Michael W. Smith and Scott Stapp.
This year, fans could interact with Christian music artists at the K-LOVE Fan Awards Weekend. Starting May 30, the weekend began with the official Weekend Kickoff Concert, and all weekend, fans participated in the first ever K-LOVE Fan Zone, which featured a variety of fan-focused events, including tours of Jeremy Camp’s bus, celebrity basketball games and autograph sessions.
“Once again, the K-LOVE Fan Awards turned out to be far more than ‘awards,’ ” says Mike Novak, K-LOVE president and CEO. “We heard stories of God using music, movies, the printed word and the world of sports to touch His people and change lives forever. It’s an honor and very humbling to be one of the ways He reaches His people.”
The 3rd Annual K-LOVE Fan Awards is slated for June 1, 2015. For more information, visit KLOVEFanAwards.com.
