EMI celebrates 10 Grammy Nominations

EMI Christian Music Group is proud to announce the GRAMMY® nominations of their label group artists. The company’s labels received five nominations overall, and EMI Christian Music Publishing also collected five nominations. The 54^th Annual GRAMMY ® Awards will air live, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2011 at 8pm ET/7CT on CBS. The awards will be held in Los Angeles at the Staples Center.

“We earnestly celebrate the Grammy nominations of our artists,” comments Peter York, President, Label Group, EMI Christian Music Group. “It’s very rewarding to see each of these talented and deserving artists recognized in this way. We wish each of them the very best on Grammy night.”

Eddie DeGarmo President, Publishing, EMI Christian Music Group joins in saying, “It’s wonderful to see our songwriters and artists represented so broadly across the nominations.  It speaks to the deep well of talent that they indeed have. We are very proud of them all.”

sixstepsrecords’ internationally acclaimed artist Chris Tomlin’s 2011 GRAMMY® nominations for Best Gospel/Christian Performance, Best Christian Song (both for his No. 1 single “I Lift My Hands”), co-written by Louie Giglio and Matt Maher, and Best Christian Album (And If Our God Is For Us….)  find him a leader in the Christian/Gospel categories. Tomlin recently celebrated his fourth RIAA Gold Certification for his Christmas album, Glory In the Highest, and recently entered the Billboard Top 200 at No. 40 with his latest, How Great Is Our God: The Essential Collection. Tomlin’s first single from the project, “How Great Is Our God [World Edition],” features the international languages and voices of worship leaders from all over the globe. 

Sparrow Records’ Steven Curtis Chapman earned his 16th GRAMMY® nomination in the Best Gospel/Christian Performance category for his 46th No. 1 hit, “Do Everything,” featured on Chapman’s latest Sparrow records’ release, re:creation.  Chapman recently announced he will launch a spring leg of his successful  “Songs & Stories” tour in 2012 after performing in front of sold out crowds across the country this year.  Steven Curtis Chapman has sold over ten million records including two RIAA certified platinum albums and eight RIAA certified gold albums, in addition to winning five GRAMMY® awards.

Additionally, EMI Christian Music Publishing was also recognized for multiple songs including eight-time GRAMMY ® nominee TobyMac and Chris Stevens for “Hold Me” sung by rising star Jamie Grace, in addition to the previously mentioned writers Chris Tomlin, Louie Giglio and Matt Maher. EMI CMG Publishing also congratulates its songwriters in Gungor & Leeland as both acts were recognized for their artistic efforts with nominations for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album.

Lauded by The New York Times as “a vivid and compelling songwriter,” Matthew West earned his second career GRAMMY® nomination for “Best Contemporary Christian Music Song.” The nominated song “Strong Enough” has been a mainstay on the radio charts reaching #1 for three weeks on the AC Monitored chart. Currently West is promoting his first full length Christmas record titled The Heart of Christmas, the title track from which is currently in the Top 15 on mainstream AC radio. Additionally, THE HEART OF CHRISTMAS movie which was inspired by the GRAMMY® nominees viral holiday hit, “One Last Christmas,” will debut on gmc Sunday, Dec. 4.

Season 5 American Idol finalist Mandisa’s 3rd GRAMMY® nomination comes in the Best Christian Album category for her 2011 release What If We Were Real on Sparrow Records, which has sold over 100,000 units in less than nine months. Having recently celebrated her first No. 1 single at AC radio, she is currently touring with label mate and fellow GRAMMY® nominee Matthew West on The Heart of Christmas tour.  She has been seen on Today, Good Morning America, CNN Online, E! News Live, EXTRA as well as the pages of US Weekly and People magazine.

From the star-studded album (Music Inspired By) The Story, a joint venture between EMI CMG, Provident Label Group, Word Entertainment, Zondervan, World Vision, Proper Management and CAA, female vocal powerhouse Natalie Grant received her first GRAMMY ® nod for her latest single “Alive” in the category of Best Gospel/Christian Performance.