Artists and fans of Contemporary Christian Music convened in Nashville May 26–28 for the K-LOVE Fan Awards and the K-LOVE Fan Awards Weekend. The awards show airs tonight (June 2).
The K-LOVE Fan Awards is the only Christian entertainment awards show where the fans vote for those who “with excellence, engage and impact popular culture for Christ.” It showcases not only artists who work in the music industry, but also those behind some of the books, films/TV shows, sports and podcasts who have made an impact.
The weekend begins on Friday with multiple opportunities to listen to live interviews and hear music by multiple Christian artists and to meet the authors of books rated highly by fans.
Featured artists in 2023 included Colton Dixon, TobyMac, Matthew West, Katy Nichole and others. Artists Anne Wilson and Matthew West also signed copies of their books.
Kickoff concert
An official kickoff concert brought performances from Terrian, a vocalist for TobyMac’s band Diverse City, followed by Blessing Offor, a singer/songwriter who was born in Nigeria and came to America with his uncle to try and save his sight.
Performances by Katy Nichole and Colton Dixon were followed by TobyMac taking the stage to sing and to share about the loss of his son.
“There are some beautiful promises that come with a relationship with God,” he said. “He said He’d never leave us or forsake us. God might not make it better like that (*snapping his fingers*. He didn’t in my case. My boy is gone. But [God] never left. He stayed with me as He promised He would.”
Worship set
A Saturday morning “worship in the round” concert featured Brandon Lake, David Leonard, Jon Reddick, Josh Baldwin and Tasha Layton on stage at the same time, each taking turns sharing their songs and leading worship. More like a worship service than a concert, the crowd often stood with hands raised in praise while singing along.
After a lunch break, the music began again. Tasha Layton and Levi and Jennie Lusko signed books, while live interviews were conducted with artists including MercyMe, Brandon Lake and We the Kingdom.
The main event Saturday afternoon was the “Emerging Artists Showcase” hosted by Brandon Heath. Ben Fuller, Cody Carnes, Consumed by Fire, Dan Bremnes, and Rachael Lampa were featured.
Saturday evening included a “Songwriters Showcase” hosted by Steven Curtis Chapman, who is celebrating his 50th No. 1 song this year. The showcase was composed of two mini-concerts. The first half featured Cochren & Co, Matthew West and Anne Wilson, and the second half featuring MercyMe and Lauren Daigle. Artists also spoke on the importance of collaboration in music ministry.
Sunday morning rounded out the weekend with a worship service that had Chris Tomlin leading worship and Davis Nasser preaching.
The weekend concluded with the 10th annual K-LOVE Fan Awards Ceremony. Show hosts CAIN brought their usual liveliness to the role as the industry recognized artists who are impacting the world for Christ.
The K-LOVE Fan Awards will air Friday, June 2, at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. CST on TBN, with a replay of the show on June 10. Learn more about the K-LOVE Fan Awards at klovefanawards.com.
For more photos from the weekend, click here.
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