Speak To Me” named gospel song of the year by BMI; Aaron Lindsey, J Drew Sheard II, Kierra Sheard and Jeshua “TedyP” Williams tied for songwriter of the year; Be Essential Songs Honored as Publisher of the Year
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BMI’s Gospel Songwriter of the Year was a four-way tie between Aaron Lindsey, J Drew Sheard II, Kierra Sheard and Jeshua “TedyP” Williams. GRAMMY, Dove and Stellar Award-winning songwriter Aaron Lindsey was honored for two chart-topping songs, “It Belongs to Me,” co-written and performed by Juan and Lisa Winans (feat. Marvin Winans) and “Thank You for It.” All,” co-written by Jarmone E. Davis and Marvin Sapp. J Drew and Kierra Sheard were honored for co-writing “His Love” and “It Keeps Happening”, which marked Kierra’s “first #1 single at Gospel radio as a solo artist and her third #1 overall on the Gospel Airplay chart. as quoted from The Christian Beat. This is also the first time siblings have received this honor at a Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards ceremony. GRAMMY Award-winning songwriter/producer Jeshua “TedyP” Williams was honored for his work on “Hold Me Close” and for co-writing “Trouble Won’t Last” with Keyondra Lockett, which won her first BMI award for hit single.
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – MARCH 31: (LR) BMI Vice President Catherine Brewton, BMI’s Wardell Malloy AVP Creative Los Angeles, Kierra Sheard and J. Drew Sheard II pose for a photo on stage during BMI’s 2022 Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards on March 31, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Erika Goldring/Getty Images for BMI)
BMI’s Gospel Publisher of the Year went to Be Essential Songs for having hits such as “In Spite of Me,” “Movin’ On” and “Never Lost” in its repertoire.
Throughout the ceremony, the music continued with featured performances from gospel greats and BMI pioneers gospel music icons Marvin Sapp and Kirk Franklin, as well as rising gospel star DOE. After receiving his sixth BMI Gospel Award for “Thank You for It All,” Sapp gave a moving rendition of the chart-topping single. The music continued with DOE’s uplifting performance of “Brighter,” from his 2020 self-titled debut EP. To close the performances, Greg Cox joined Franklin on stage for a soulful rendition of “Strong God,” which reached the number one spot on Billboard’s Gospel Airplay chart.
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This marks Franklin’s 19th BMI Gospel Award. After the performance, Franklin paid tribute to Dr. Bobby Jones, who was recognized with a standing ovation for his many years of supporting the gospel music community with his show “Bobby Jones Gospel” on BET, which was the original series oldest of this network.
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – MARCH 31: Kirk Franklin and Marvin Sapp attend BMI’s 2022 Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards on March 31, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Erika Goldring/Getty Images for BMI)
Author: Black Gospel Radio
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