CeCe Winans has earned 18 Dove Awards and a slew of other industry accolades. Blessed with one of music’s greatest voices, Winans has crossed all stylistic, social and age barriers, making her one of gospel music’s most powerful ambassadors. Her latest recording, The Throne Room, is the first time Winans has recorded a worship album, and it has paid off with gold-selling sales. This August she will release her first pop project on Puresprings/Epic/INO.
Rebecca St. James has established herself as one of the most popular female vocalists in gospel music in the past decade. Her blend of modern pop/rock sound and bold lyrics has made her an outspoken voice for her generation. Australian born, she is a multiple Dove winner as well as a Grammy Award recipient and a best-selling author—with her new book SHE following solidly in the success of her previous #1 book Wait For Me.
Smokie Norful burst on the scene two years ago as one of the fastest rising young black gospel artists in history. Nothing better illustrates his impact than his 2004 chart success when Norful’s three recordings, I Need You Now, Nothing Without You and Limited Edition landed among the top 100 best sellers on the Billboard’s 2004 Overall Contemporary Christian Chart. That feat earned him the spot as Billboard’s Top Gospel Artist in 2004, the second straight year he received that recognition. His second album, Nothing Without You, will vie for two Dove Awards this year.
Australian worship leader Darlene Zschech made an indelible mark on America nearly 10 years ago, when Hillsong Music released a worship record from Zschech’s Hillsong Church in the U.S. through Integrity Records. Zschech’s song, “Shout to the Lord” was on that record and it quickly became one of the most sung worship song in churches across the country. In the past 10 years, the song has never been out of the top 10 of the CCLI (Christian Copyright and Licensing International), chart of the most used songs in U.S. churches. In addition to her music with Hillsong Church, Zschech’s also manages a successful solo artist career with INO Records, releasing her 2nd project in August of this year.
Israel Houghton is another of today’s breed of young artists who started as music worship leaders in their local churches before launching recording careers that have gained them nationwide fans. Israel serves as a worship leader at the Joel Osteen-pastored Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. With his group, Israel and New Breed, Houghton has grown a fan base far beyond the 25,000 members of Lakewood, and the group’s current release Live from another Level has already won numerous awards and is up for several Doves this year. Houghton, in fact, is one of the most nominated artists for the 36th Annual GMA Music Awards.
