In our special WE LOVE CHRISTIAN MUSIC AWARDS editorial series, members of the NRT staff have a back-and-forth discussion about this year's nominees. In Part 4 of our series, NRT Executive Editor Marcus Hathcock and NRT News Curator Caitlin Lassiter talk about the guys and gals who made the best music of the past year.

Marcus: I'd say 2016 was an interesting year, perhaps a bit of a lopsided year as far as male and female artists go. While male artists have dominated Christian music for a few years now, the small but mighty number of female artists made quite a splash, too. I'd love to see more female artists making a buzz, but the ones that did this past year did a great job.

Caitlin: Yeah, I don't think I could agree more with that! I've felt for a long time that the female artists are far outnumbered and this year it seems to have taken a turn as they begin to make their comeback of sorts. It's nice to see a good amount of both who definitely deserve this award and have made their voice heard this year.
 
Marcus: OK, so with five great nominees in both categories, who should win and who will win? I'm not going to lie; it was tough to come up with five nominees in the Female Artist of the Year category, for reasons we just stated. But there are definitely some singers in there I'm excited about. Britt Nicole is a staple, Ginny Owens is a mainstay who just released some of the best pop music of her career, Hillary Scott has the star power as the lady in Lady Antebellum, Meredith Andrews is kind of a party crasher as an emerging solo force, and Lacey Sturm--wow! She's definitely my pick, as her rock voice has been sorely missed!
 
Caitlin: I'd agree with Lacey being a top pick for this, but I also see Hillary and Britt as having really good chances. Britt has been away for a little while and I think fans are excited to see her back with new music and even a different sound, so I wouldn't be surprised at all if her fans show up here. Hillary, like you said, has the star power in this category. There's not only the impact she's had on the Christian music genre to consider, but also the crossover deal with her country music roots. I think she brought the two worlds together, at least in terms of the fans, and that alone is a reason for this award to go to her. 
 
Marcus: I do think Britt Nicole will win this, though, because she has the most name recognition among the broadest segment of Christian music fans. She'll easily get her SECOND win in this category--she previously won it in 2012 during the first annual WE LOVE Awards. 

Caitlin: Ultimately, I think Hillary Scott will take this, because of the reasons I listed above and also because of how big "Thy Will" ended up being for her in this genre. 
 
Marcus: True story! That was a HUGE song, and nominated for Song of the Year, too. OK, so what about the dudes? Who's your pick? 

Caitlin: For me, it's an easy pick for who I think should win the guys' category. Jordan Feliz has proven over the last year in many ways why he deserves this win. I don't know that I've ever seen someone (aside from maybe Lauren Daigle) make such a debut with a standout album and chart-topping singles. It's easy to forget that he's so new because the music and the fan-connection already screams veteran here, so my pick goes to him. 
 
That being said, I also wouldn't be surprised to see Chris Quilala or Phil Wickham take the win. Both of their voices blow me away and the presence they've had in the worship community this year is something to be honored for sure.
 
Marcus: Male Artist of the Year SHOULD be Jordan Feliz, agreed. He has had a great 2015 AND 2016, and shows no signs of stopping. Derek Minor has emerged, however, as a standout in hip-hop, which is a great sign for the future of that genre, being bigger and broader than just Lecrae's Reach Records. 

As far as who WILL win, despite having a stellar year as a solo artist and as part of Jesus Culture, Chris Quilala doesn't have a chance against the bigger names on the ballot, but that said, don't discount former Next Big Thing Spencer Kane, who has a formidable force of rabid fans who have in the past turned out in HUGE numbers to vote for him. He's had a good year, too, because he did join Anthem Lights in addition to releasing a killer album this year. 
 
Caitlin: Yeah, I hate that name recognition plays such a big part in this, but because it does, Chris most likely won't get it. Speaking of Derek, I also have to say that I appreciate the musical diversity in artists here. We have hip-hop, pop and worship all represented well and I think that says a lot about where our industry has been this year. 

Marcus: It's a great category to be sure! And it also says a lot about how different the WE LOVE Awards are! In the end, as with all of the categories, it'll come down to who best mobilizes their fans! 
 
OK, now it's up to you! Head over to www.weloveawards.com and VOTE NOW through Jan. 27, 2017, to make your pick for this and all 18 categories in the 5th Annual WE LOVE CHRISTIAN MUSIC AWARDS! 


PREVIOUS WINNERS OF FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR:
4th Annual (2015) Lauren Daigle
3rd Annual (2014) Francesca Battistelli
2nd Annual (2013) Mandisa
1st Annual (2012) Britt Nicole    

PREVIOUS WINNERS OF MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR:
4th Annual (2015) Jonathan Thulin
3rd Annual (2014) Colton Dixon
2nd Annual (2013) Colton Dixon
1st Annual (2012) Lecrae