Every year, Christian artists and fans gather to celebrate and honor the year's achievements in Christian music at the Gospel Music Association's Dove Awards. Now in its 56th year, the Dove Award remains a staple, attracting artists, industry professionals, and fans of all genres for a fun and powerful night. This year, I was honored to attend the Dove Awards once again alongside my friend and NRT's News Editor, Grace Chaves. We interviewed artists on the red carpet and experienced the show live firsthand.
We arrived at the red carpet and were immediately greeted by fellow media friends from Today's Christian Entertainment, including artists Grace Graber and Bay Turner, who were filling in for The Christian Music Guys podcast, the Christian Television Network (more on them), and others. As we finished setting up and the artist began walking through, I was honored to be a small part of the industry once again, helping to support the artists I love, whose songs have impacted millions, including myself. It's always a blessing to hear the stories behind these powerful songs and the hearts of all the fantastic people who are showing Jesus so beautifully, both on stage and behind the scenes.
After two hours of inspiring conversation, we were able to experience the whole award show at Birgdestone Arena. The show was nothing short of incredible, featuring performances from music artists such as For King & Country, CeCe Winans, Brandon Lake, Jelly Roll, John Batiste, Lauren Daigle, Ben Fuller, Carrie Underwood, and many more. Pop artist Tauren Wells hosted the night for the third consecutive year, bringing both humor and a powerful message about the truth of Jesus behind the music.
As we left the Dove Awards, both Grace and I were blown away by what God is doing in Christian music through artists of every style and genre. I even went to the Doves wearing a shirt with 88 upcoming artists' names on it to represent how God is using them just as much alongside the mainstays to share His Gospel.
Now, I'd like to address the issue at hand. This year's Artist of the Year winner, Forrest Frank, posted a video recently commenting on being convicted not to attend any award show days before the Dove Awards. Although this sparked massive responses from countless artists and Christian figures, including Jelly Roll taking a jab at Forrest in the comment section and on stage, I understand both sides.
On one side, Forrest's convictions seem pure, with his heart and desire being to release music that impacts people and gives God glory, rather than winning awards based on industry votes and standards. On the other hand, I love the Dove Awards, the K-Love Fan Awards, and especially NRT's own We Love Christian Music Awards. These events are meant to be joyful celebrations of each other as fellow creatives sharing the Gospel.
This year, the Doves impressed me more than ever with their focus on presenting the truth of Jesus boldly. It was a fantastic night that I'm thankful for, and for the amazing community of people all around who, whether or not we share the same views on award shows, believe in what God has done and is continuing to do through the powerful ministry behind the industry.
You can watch the 2025 GMA Dove Awards on TBN or YouTube here, and all our CTN here.
Bradden Ford is a Christian music junkie charged with maintaining NewReleaseToday's new release database of artists and releases. He lives just outside of Nashville, Tennessee.
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