Today for Artist Newsday, Dylan and I shared about events involving some of our artists online and in the local area!
Pray.com is excited to announce that Grammy Award-winning artists Chris Tomlin, Lecrae and Matthew West will join with other influential leaders to participate in the 2022 National Day of Prayer Broadcast on May 5, 2022, at 8 p.m. EDT.
The 2022 National Day of Prayer Broadcast will be carried out in all 50 states. On the evening of May 5th, faith leaders will come together in Washington D.C. to lead the nation in a time of worship and prayer.
Here is what Matthew Porter, who is the founder and head of strategic relationships for pray.com had to say about the even. “What an honor it is to have Chris Tomlin, Lecrae and Matthew West join us for this important annual event” he said. “While these talented, award-winning artists are known for their engaging music, at the heart of everything they create is a desire to exalt the Lord. What a beautiful opportunity it is to have them publicly support this event and join us in prayer.”
The 2022 National Day of Prayer Broadcast will reach more than 300 million homes across the world through television, radio and social media streaming. With a theme of “Exalt the Lord Who Has Established Us,” based on the verses in Colossians 2:6-7, the event will bring people together from all backgrounds to lift their hearts to heaven, praise God for his many blessings, and pray for a revival to take place among His children.
Other speakers who will be involved in leading worship and prayer include Pastors Samuel Rodriguez, Allen Jackson, Ronnie Floyd, Miles McPherson and Mark Batterson, and ministry leaders such as Anne Graham Lotz and Tim Barton, along with National Day of Prayer Task Force President Kathy Branzell.
Here is what she had to say about the event. “What a privilege it is to have these spectacular Christian artists lend their influence to help rally people of faith to participate in the 2022 National Day of Prayer Broadcast. We’re grateful they’ve chosen to align their hearts with us as we exalt the Lord and pray together as a nation.”
Maverick City Music will be in Columbus along with Kirk Franklin for their KINGDOM Tour on Wednesday, June 22nd. The gang will be at the Schottenstein Center performing some of their breakout songs along with songs from their recent EP “Breathe”. Jonathan McReynolds will also serve as a special guest for the tour. The Columbus show will begin at 6:45pm run through most of the night.
For more information on this concert along with many other concerts coming up in the area, visit wnzr.fm, click on the events button, followed by the concerts tab!
We gotta stay awake ’cause nobody knows the day or time, The trumpet’s gonna blow and the skies are gonna open wide
This song, of course, is our #1 on the NZ Top 10: Jesus is Coming Back from Jordan Feliz, Mandisa, and Jonathan Traylor!
Congratulations to Richard of Fredericktown for correctly guessing our song poetry this week! He wins a WNZR Voice of the Cougars drawstring backpack!
It seemed like just a few weeks ago when we were talking about the Grammy Awards! And now, just like that, they’re over! Congratulations to some of our WNZR artists who took home some hardware from the 64th annual Grammy Awards.
Cece Winans: Best Gospel Performance/Song, Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song, Best Gospel Album
Elevation Worship & Maverick City Music: Best Contemporary Christian Music Album
Also, Steven Curtis Chapman is coming to Mansfield along with his organization, Show Hope, for their “Hope for the Journey Conference”. The event will take place Saturday, April 30th, and it is an all-day event!
You’ve been searching, carrying burdens If you’ve been lost and looking for a home If you’ve been drifting and something is missing You should know that you are not alone
This week was a stumper, so tune in next week for a chance to win with us on The Afternoon Drive!
Katy Nichole and We Are Messengers are in the news! Both of them have had huge surprises come their way in completely different ways.
We Are Messengers celebrated their first #1 single at Christian radio with “Come What May” with a commemorative plaque presentation on the Grand Ole Opry stage during Casting Crowns’ “The Healer Tour”.
The band’s label, Curb Records surprised the group after their opener for Casting Crowns and this is what they had to share about the experience. “[We are] so very thankful for the kindness of God in our lives, His spirit working through these songs and the incredible team that has worked tirelessly with us for many years. What. A. Night!!”
We Are Messengers are set to embark on their Wholehearted Tour starting Thursday, April 7th. The tour takes the band through 19 sites all the way until May 7th.
New music star Katy Nichole has hit hits No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Christian Songs Chart with her song “In Jesus Name (God of Possible)”. Her viral debut single has also topped the iTunes Christian & Gospel Songs chart for eight consecutive weeks so far, never leaving No. 1 since it released Jan. 26.
As the song continues to resonate with people of all backgrounds across the world, Nichole is also receiving numerous invitations to sing the song live. Going from 0 to 50 concerts on her schedule so far, upcoming events include “Good Friday Nashville” with Chris Tomlin at Bridgestone Arena April 15th. She also recently sang “God Bless America” at the NASCAR WISE Power 400 live held at Auto Club Speedway, joined Big Daddy Weave for four concerts and sang “In Jesus Name (God of Possible)” last week during Jason Gray’s SiriusXM The Message Acoustic Story Time event.
She created this song from words in her prayer journal that were written in the midst of a global health crisis and in response to her own story of suffering, hope and healing. She suffered for years with scoliosis before a new doctor took out the metal rods that had been placed in her back, which miraculously went straight, no longer giving her pain.
People worldwide are hearing Nichole’s song and telling their own heart-warming, and many times heart-breaking, stories. Each story branches out into a series of new shares that continues branching virally. More than 7,200 examples of this can be seen now on TikTok.
You picked up your share of scars along the way But now you’re standing in the sun, you’ve fought your fight and your race is run The pain is all a million miles away
This, of course, comes from Casting Crowns with their top song “Scars in Heaven”!
Congratulations to Janell of Mount Vernon for correctly guessing this week’s song poetry. She wins a Voice of the Cougars drawstring backpack!
It’s Artist News Day today on the show. I talked about how Lifeline 2022 is coming up. I also shared some artist news about artists related to the station.
Here are both of the stories that I used:
Last week, Maverick City Music and Kirk Franklin announced that they are going to tour together. The tour is called the Kingdom Tour which will feature special guests Jonathan McReynolds and Housefires. The tour kicks off June 1st at the FTX Arena in Miami, FL and wraps up in Denver, CO at Ball Arena on July 31st.
They will be in Cleveland on Friday, June 17th at the Blossom Music Center.
They’ll also make an appearance in Columbus on Wednesday, June 22nd at the Schottenstein Center.
Tickets go on sale starting this Friday, March 18th at 10am on Ticketmaster.
This past Friday, Jordan Feliz released his Say It (Deluxe) album. It has 18 tracks in it and it is his third full length album ever. One song that is in it is a song that we play here on WNZR titled “Jesus Is Coming Back” featuring both Mandisa and Jonathon Traylor. “Jesus Is Coming Back” is quickly rising up the charts. As of last week, it was number seven on the Billboard NCA Monitored chart and number four on the AC Indicator Chart.
Here is what Jordan had to say on the song. “‘Jesus Is Coming Back’ is one of my favorite songs…and being able to have Jonathan Traylor and Mandisa sing on this has been massive,” he said. “I’ve known Mandisa for four or five years…she’s just the sweetest human. And I’ve been a fan of Jonathan’s ever since hearing him sing. They are two incredible people and singers, and they brought so much to this song.”
Some other songs in the album include; Glorify, Stained Glass, Next To Me, and many more! There are 18 songs in the album.
We gotta stay awake ’cause nobody knows the day or time, no The trumpet’s gonna blow and the skies are gonna open wide Ooh, yeah. He’s coming for us (Yeah, yeah) just like He told us (Yeah, yeah) It’s been a long wait (Yeah, yeah) but there’s a new day (Yeah, yeah) And we’re gonna sing Hallelujah when the King arrives (Yeah, yeah, yeah) Oh, you know you gotta
We had a stumper this week! Make sure to tune in next week for a chance to win TWO 2021 Voice of The Cougars drawstring backpacks!
Well, this may be the busiest Artist Newsday we have had in quite a while! Dylan and I brought you up to date on some of WNZR’s favorite artists who hit the news this past week.
Last Friday, Matt Maher released his new single titled “Leaning” featuring Lizzie Morgan. You can find the single on any digital platform that you listen to music on. He explains this song as an honest yet poignant look at life’s toughest seasons and how Jesus tells us that we’re not alone. Here is what the chorus of the song reads.
“What a fellowship, what a joy divine what a priceless gift God I’m yours and You are mine, Let my restless soul be still and know I am leaning on your everlasting arms.”
Here is what Maher and a couple of his co-workers had to say on the song. “There are times in life where on either side of a difficult season you’re either asking, ‘How am I going to get through this?’ or, you’re on the other side looking back in amazement saying, ‘How did I get through this?’ That’s where I find that the most sincere, real, authentic prayers get prayed,” he shares. “You’re praying out of desperation or gratitude and you find out what your support structure looks like – friends, family, loved ones who come around you hold you up. They become real signposts for the face of Jesus. But what about those who have no one? What does Jesus have to say to them? He says, ‘I no longer call you strangers, I call you friends. This is what I find so compelling about the friendship of God and the message of Christianity. Life is not a stacked tower of personal achievement, pride, egos, success, or vanity…it’s extending to others what Jesus says in the scriptures. ‘In this world, you will have trouble. But you are not alone. You can put your weight on me.'”
This isn’t the only song that Maher is planning on releasing this year. He will be on the road quite a bit this year with plans to travel to Europe to tour with Rend Collective, along with visiting numerous summer and fall festivals. You can visit his website for more information regarding tour dates and upcoming events.
K-LOVE recently announced via live-stream that reigning Christian Songwriter of the Year Matthew West and ten-time GRAMMY nominee Tauren Wells will co-host the 9th annual K-LOVE Fan Awards taking place on May 29 at Nashville’s iconic Grand Ole Opry House.
Both artists are excited to host, releasing statements soon after the announcement from K-LOVE.
“I’m looking forward to hosting the K-LOVE Fan Awards again this year, and excited to be joined by my buddy Tauren Wells,” remarked West. “This fan voted awards show is always a special event where we get to gather together and celebrate how God is working through the hope-filled messages of Christian music. This will be a night to remember.”
“The K-LOVE Fan Awards is always a highlight of my year. Getting to reunite with all the artists I love and respect in our genre, developing deeper connections with fans, and celebrating the God who has given us something to sing about is something truly special,” said Wells, who released his new single “Fake It” last week. Adding, “This year, I will experience the awards from a different vantage point as a host alongside K-LOVE Fan Awards veteran, Matthew West. He has done such an incredible job and I can’t wait to team up!”
The 2022 K-LOVE Fan Awards are open to the public, providing an experience for fans that is impossible to match anywhere else. Tickets are on sale with travel packages still available at www.klovefanawards.com.
Huge thanks to Jesus Freak Hideout for covering these amazing artists with amazing articles that we use for all of our shows!
In the waiting, in the searching In the healing and the hurting Like a blessing buried in the broken pieces
Congratulations to Julie of Frazeysburg for correctly guessing that the lyrics for today are from Zach Williams’ hit song “There Was Jesus”, sung alongside Dolly Parton! Julie wins the Voice of the Cougars drawstring backpack!
Some big names are headed on tour soon to start 2022! Dylan and I talked about both For King and Country and Newsboys on the show today.
Over the weekend, For King and Country partnered with internationally renowned DJ R3HAB to release a remix of their hit song “Relate”, currently sitting at #1 on WNZR’s NZ Top Ten! The new version of the song is available on all streaming services now!
Relate has since hit #1 on Billboard’s Christian Airplay chart, as well as Mediabase’s Christian AC Airplay chart, marking the 10th career #1 for the duo from Australia.
To celebrate the original song’s success, For King and Country will embark on their “What Are We Waiting For” Tour, taking them through 34 cities with special guest artist Dante Bowe! For ticket information, make sure to visit www.forkingandcountry.com.
Newsboys is starting off 2022 with their latest release, Stand, featuring longtime friend and former band member, TobyMac. The single and lyric video is available now on your streaming platforms. The group’s swiftly selling “STAND TOGETHER” tour with special guests Danny Gokey and Mac Powell launched in mid-January.
The song “Stand” proclaims the faith of a believer through the trials and victories facing us today. Member Michael Tait says, “We tried to write a song that speaks to the very purpose and mission of every human, we finished the song and were like ‘this feels like an album theme’. Let’s face it, I am a man of color, and people are trying to tell us black and white can’t get along. So, when people ask you ‘where do you stand?’ we hopefully say that it lies within. To also have our longtime friend and brother Toby join us on the single is such a blessing. It feels like such an anthem for today and we hope it affects the listener as we intended.”
The “Stand Together” tour is making two trips to Ohio this month. They will be in the closet one being in Circleville, OH at Heritage Nazarene Church.
WNZR has 10 NEW DJs and we are spotlighting each of them EVERY Monday up until April! Go listen to Marcy’s first conversation with Colin Ashworth from yesterday’s “Meet the Staff Monday”.
There’s a name that can silence every fear There’s a love that embraces The heartache, the pain and the tears
Congratulations to Holly of Laurelville for correctly guessing the song: Be Alright from Evan Craft, Danny Gokey, and Redimi2! Holly wins a Voice of the Cougars drawstring backpack for her correct answer!
Another Tuesday, another Artist Newsday! Today, We Are Messengers hit a huge milestone on one of their new songs! Also this weekend, a HUGE Christian music festival will kick off!
Rock the Universe 2022 kicks off this Friday for an unforgettable weekend of faith and fun at Universal Studios in Florida. Fans and youth groups can once again come together at Florida’s biggest Christian music festival to enjoy gripping performances by some of Christian music’s top artists, including…
Friday, January 28
Saturday, January 29
for KING & COUNTRY
Casting Crowns
Crowder
Zach Williams
Matthew West
Big Daddy Weave
Jordan Feliz
Cory Asbury
Rhett Walker
We the Kingdom
Riley Clemmons
Social Club Misfits
Those attending the festival will also enjoy access to both Universal Parks in addition to the three days of worship. Rock the Universe 2022 runs from Friday all the way to Sunday morning.
We Are Messengers song “Come What May” has hit #1 on the Billboard Christian Airplay Chart. It also has spent 11 straight weeks at #1 on the Mediabase Christian Audience Chart. This marks the first time that the group has been at #1 on both charts.
Here’s what the groups front man Darren Mulligan had to say about the success. “God’s kindness has always been obvious to me, but today is extra special and a sweet example of how fond He is of people like us,” he shared. “I am so very thankful for our management team, Curb | Word Entertainment, and our incredible promo team who have brought this song to radio. We cannot express our gratitude for the never-ending love, support and encouragement of every single radio station in the USA. I’m honored to be a part of this community, and We Are Messengers will continue to share the news of Jesus with a world that needs Him more than ever.”
We Are Messengers will be hitting the road with Casting Crowns on “The Healer Tour” beginning February 17th and departing on the first leg of their headlining “The Wholehearted Tour” with special guests Apollo LTD and Stephen Stanley on April 17th.
Thank you to jesusfreakhideout.com for their great coverage of your favorite artists on WNZR!
Praise Him in the morning Praise Him in the noontime Praise Him when the sun goes down
That was Good God Almighty from Crowder!
Congratulations to Steve of Mount Vernon for correctly guessing the song and winning TWO Voice of the Cougar string backpacks! Tune in tomorrow for our Who Am I Trivia with Dylan and Joe!
It’s our first traditional Artist Newsday of 2022, and some of your favorite artists are already making the most of the new year!
For King & Country recently launched a pre-order of its upcoming new album What Are We Waiting For, along with its new song called “Unsung Hero”. The new album What Are We Waiting For asks a pivotal question in a pandemic-riddled world. Brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone provide the answer across 13 original tracks that confront relevant issues and confirm the duo’s commitment to community, diversity and family. Some featured artists in the album are Dante Bowe, Kirk Franklin, and Tori Kelley. Some songs that are included in the album are Relate, For God Is With Us and Together.
Here is what Joel and Luke Smallbone had to say about this album. “What’s been particularly beautiful about this album is that we were able to be home with our families while making it,” They shared. “We cannot wait to now take more new songs on the road, to see you out there and make new memories with you all!”
The recently released song, “Unsung Hero” is the most personal track on the upcoming album and is lovingly dedicated to the parents of Joel and Luke. The brothers raise their voices in reverent solidarity for the couple who made them the men they are today. You will be able to listen to the real-life story of the Smallbone family and its journey from Australia to America.
Here is what the duo had to say about their parents. “Mom and Dad’s sacrificial love and selflessness inspires us to this day,” They said. “It’s hard to put into words what they mean to us, but they are both truly unsung heroes of ours. “Unsung Hero” goes out to every mom and dad, as well as every child who sees a hero in their parents.”
Three-time GRAMMY-nominated artist Crowder kicked off the new year at Passion 2022, performing to a SOLD-OUT crowd at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta earlier this week. Crowder hit the stage during the annual gathering’s triumphant, in-person return – the largest of its kind, which brings together collegiate students from campuses across the nation and around the world for two days of life-changing worship, teaching and a challenge to live for what matters most.
Crowder’s current single “In The House” is climbing the Christian radio charts, and he has more than 30 tour stops through the spring, hitting the road with TobyMac to serve as direct support on the Hits Deep 2022 Tour, which includes shows in NYC, Denver, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and more. Fans can purchase tickets to Crowder’s upcoming shows by visiting crowdermusic.com.
Come all you weary Come all you thirsty Come to the well That never runs dry
Congratulations to Jack of Mount Vernon for correctly guessing God So Loved by We The Kingdom. Jack wins TWO $5 gift cards to Everlasting Cup!
Driving Notes 