Mandisa to join New Song's 'Beating Hearts Tour'; 'We are overcomers'
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Christian Examiner) -- Critically acclaimed NewSong is set to team up with award-winning vocalist Mandisa and singer/songwriter Danny Gokey in its recently announced "Beating Hearts Tour" across eight states this October.
According to Turning Point Media Relations, the tour will showcase selections from NewSong's best-selling worship 13-song live recording.
The group's first worship set in a decade, Faithful (Integrity Music) is highlighted by "This Beating Heart," "Make A Way," and the title song.
We've got hundreds of stories. We get emails and letters from people, how God has changed their lives. Those stories are absolutely what motives us to keep going.
NewSong, founders and hosts of the blockbuster Winter Jam Tour Spectacular, which annually ranks among the top first-quarter tours in the world, has helped provide a powerful platform for the Gospel in major arenas around the country since 1995.
Speaking of previous Winter Jam tours, NewSong member Billy Goodwin credits God with the band's popularity. "Somehow God seems to work it out, we get a bigger lineup ... just bigger crowds coming in, bigger responses to the Gospel," Goodwin said in a radio interview.
"We've got hundreds of stories. We get emails and letters from people, how God has changed their lives," Goodwin said. "Those stories are absolutely what motives us to keep going."
Vocalist Mandisa, who appeared on "American Idol," earned numerous awards for her chart-topping album Overcomer in 2013, inspired in part by a friend who successfully battled cancer.
"I want to proclaim some things to my listeners and one of them is that they are overcomers," said Mandisa. "Whether or not you feel it, it's a fact. We are overcomers."
In addition to an award-winning musical career lately highlighted on "American Idol," Danny Gokey also founded a nonprofit organization called Sophia's Heart after his late wife, which provides a place to live for homeless families in Nashville.
His latest album, Hope in Front of Me, is a testament to his worldview: "Life might not always makes sense, but it's not the end of the road. Turn the page. Move forward and keep putting your life in God's hands. There is always hope ahead."
The Beating Hearts Tour will feature artists whose lives and careers inspire audiences to praise God. With a career spanning more than 30 years, 19 albums, 20 #1 Christian radio singles, a #1 mainstream AC hit, a GRAMMY® Award-nomination and induction into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, among numerous other achievements, NewSong is an iconic presence in Christian music.
Goodwin is grateful that God has blessed the band's ministry. "It's just an incredible journey. It's awesome to be a part of and to realize that God's using us as a way to reach out to people."
The Beating Hearts Tour will visit Zanesville, Ohio, and Kingsport, Tenn., among other cities. To see a full tour schedule, visit NewSong's website.