The 14th Annual We Love Christian Music Awards returns with a refreshed vision, expanded categories, and a renewed focus on the songs that defined the past year. Voting is now open at https//nrt.cc/WLA14Vote, where fans can choose the winners in all 13 categories through Friday, February 20. Winners will be revealed during the WLA14 Winners Announcement Special, airing Sunday, March 22 at 8PM EST 7PM CST on YouTube, giving fans everywhere a shared experience. This year places special emphasis on song-driven categories, with the addition of COUNTRY/ROOTS SONG OF THE YEAR, and the return of DANCE/REMIX SONG OF THE YEAR and MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR. With an overwhelming number…

Christian rock legends Petra have unveiled the official track listing for their brand new studio album, HOPE, set to release in 2026. This marks the band’s first project of all-new material in over 20 years, since 2003’s Jekyll and Hyde. The track titles suggest the band is still looking to live up to their name and bring a healthy dose of classic rock stylings. You can view the track listing below 1. Filthy Lucre 2. Kiss the Coals 3. Oxygen 4. Skin in the Game 5. We Rejoice In Hope 6. Miracle Maker 7. There Will Still Be A Dawn 8. Thorns 9. Looking Back 10. Deliver Us The lead…

Heaven’s Metal Magazine, which celebrated its 40th year in 2025, has released its second back-in-print edition this year, including a sure-to-be-controversial list of “The Top 25 Christian Metal Albums Since 2010.” The respected magazine published a “Top 100 Christian Metal Albums of All Time” list when it released its 25th Anniversary issue. “We did not want to tackle that beast of a project again,” said Editor Doug Van Pelt, “so we decided to just pick up where we left off.” Human Code, featuring George Ochoa of Deliverance, Recon, and Worldview fame, won the coveted spot of #1 with its 2024 release, Break the Silence. “Honored to be considered,” said Ochoa.…

Richard Smallwood, an eight-time GRAMMY® Award-nominated, classically trained composer and gospel recording artist, died on Tuesday, December 30th at 1236 AM at the Brooke Grove Rehabilitation and Nursing Center. He died of complications of kidney failure. He was 77. Over the last five decades, he’s written some of the biggest songs of the gospel music genre such as “I Love the Lord” which was remade by Whitney Houston and the Georgia Mass Choir for 1996’s The Preacher’s Wife soundtrack and Boyz II Men’s 1997 album, Evolution, closed with a song “Dear God” that included a refrain of it. “Total Praise” was covered by Destiny’s Child on their 2007 acapella track,…

On New Year’s Day, Samuel Day is stepping into a new season with the release of his uplifting electronic pop single “Through the Night,” accompanied by an official music video. The release marks Day’s debut with NRT Music, as he is officially welcomed to the label’s growing roster of quality Christian artists. “Through the Night” is a danceable, infectious anthem about finding the right person when love once felt stacked against the odds. Refusing cynicism and choosing belief, the song captures the joy of finally making it through the night–even written while Day was single, leaning fully into hope. Chilled, vibey verses build into a bouncy, fireworks-level hook that bursts…

At the Dove Awards earlier this year, Tauren Wells joked about songs and moments that have been “CeCe’d,” that rare transformation where something good becomes timeless once CeCe Winans touches it. Well Tauren, it might be time to update the definition. Because New Year’s Eve on CBS is about to get officially CeCe’d. On Wednesday, December 31, CeCe Winans will take the stage for CBS’ New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash, broadcasting live from Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park in Nashville, Tennessee. Hosted by country hitmaker HARDY and comedian Bert Kreischer, the national broadcast features an all-star lineup that reads like a modern country hall of fame, Keith Urban, Dierks…

Hey Millennials. If your back is starting to hurt, you’re debating whether it’s worth staying up until midnight on New Year’s Eve, and you’ve already scoped out the couch as your final destination for the night, first of all, welcome. Second, don’t worry, you’re not alone. In fact, according to a familiar trio from your iPod, you’re NEVER ALONE. Because yes, it happened. Two thirds of BarlowGirl have quietly re-entered the chat. Alyssa and Lauren Barlow are officially back as simply Barlow. Not only that, but they’re also back with a record deal. In a statement shared by the duo, Alyssa and Lauren laid it out plainly, honestly, and without hype: “Getting…

Christian rock can sometimes feel like playing a game of Mad Libs… Switchfoot announces a tour alongside Lit and Fuel. Just a year ago it would’ve felt strange to hear Brandon Lake releases new single with Jelly Roll. However, faith-adjacent artists stepping onto stages that once felt off-limits is what makes our unique form of entertainment so special. If we are to be the light in the darkness, you have to take some big swings. And now, in a move that feels ripped straight out of a Hollywood screenplay, former Jewish street racer turned Christian pastor Aaron Schwartzbart is opening for L.A. Guns at the legendary Whisky-A-Go-Go on New Year’s…

Nearly a year ago, when we first took over CCM Magazine, I started talking out loud about the future of Christian music, the one I could see forming just over the horizon. I said it plainly. Mark my words. In a year, we’re going to be talking about guitar-driven rock bands again. A lot of people laughed. Some rolled their eyes when I suggested that the GMA should establish a rock commission. The response was simple. Show us the evidence. I’m looking at you, Justin Fratt… here it is. Not only is this a fresh-faced group of artists, it’s being ushered in by one of the most genre-bending, creative, and…