July 25, 2020
“Who You Say I Am” Named Song of the Year;
Essential Music Publishing Named Publisher of the Year;
Ethan Hulse Wins Songwriter of the Year
Press Release
(Nashville, TN) July 27, 2020 – BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.) is proud to pay tribute to the best and brightest in Christian music with its annual Christian Awards celebration. The honorees were announced today on BMI.com and across the organization’s digital platforms, celebrating the encouraging and uplifting music of BMI’s Christian songwriters. To honor these achievements, BMI created a page on its website where fans can watch special video messages and performances, listen to award-winning music, and learn more about their favorite songwriters: https://www.bmi.com/christian2020.
“I look forward to the BMI Christian Awards every year, and 2020 is no exception,” says Leslie Roberts, Executive Director, Creative, BMI Nashville. “This year has been a difficult one for so many reasons. I am thrilled to be able to celebrate and honor these songs that are so full of hope and have brought comfort to so many during this tumultuous time in our world.”
The Song of the Year title went to “Who You Say I Am,” written by Ben Fielding and Reuben Morgan and published by Capitol CMG Publishing and Hillsong MP Songs. The song was nominated for Top Christian Song at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards and won the GMA Dove Award for Worship Song of the Year in 2019. It peaked at number two and spent an impressive 109 weeks on the Billboard US Christian Songs Chart.
For the second year in a row, the Songwriter of the Year award went to Ethan Hulse, who wrote “Confidence,” “Haven’t Seen It Yet,” “Known” and “Scars.” In 2019, Hulse won his first BMI Award and was simultaneously named Songwriter of the Year.
Essential Music Publishing took home the Publisher of the Year award. The company had the highest percentage of copyright ownership among the year’s most-performed songs, including the hits “Confidence,” “Even Then,” “Freedom Hymn,” “Haven’t Seen It Yet,” “Known,” “Living Hope,” “Only Jesus,” “Resurrecting,” “Scars,” “Survivor,” “Till I Found You,” and “What a Friend.”
In addition to the major award winners, BMI is also paying homage to the Twenty-Five Most Performed Christian Songs of the Year (2019). This year’s group of inspirational winners featured 14 first time award winners, including Jeff Bumgardner (“Even Me”), Austin French (“Freedom Hymn”), Gareth Gilkeson (“Counting Every Blessing”), Lyn Rowell (“I Believe He’s Alive”), and Shane Stevens (“Beat Up Bible”), among others. Veteran Christian artist and 6-time Songwriter of the Year winner tobyMac took home his 29th award for “Everything.”
For a complete list of winners, video messages and performances, go to
https://www.bmi.com/christian2020.
To join the conversation on social media, follow us @BMI and use #BMIChristian.
ABOUT BMI:
Celebrating over 80 years of service to songwriters, composers, music publishers and businesses, Broadcast Music, Inc.® (BMI®) is a global leader in music rights management, serving as an advocate for the value of music. BMI represents the public performance rights in over 15 million musical works created and owned by more than one million songwriters, composers, and music publishers. The Company negotiates music license agreements and distributes the fees it generates as royalties to its affiliated writers and publishers when their songs are performed in public. In 1939, BMI created a groundbreaking open-door policy becoming the only performing rights organization to welcome and represent the creators of blues, jazz, country, and American roots music. Today, the musical compositions in BMI’s repertoire, from chart toppers to perennial favorites, span all genres of music and are consistently among the most-performed hits of the year.For additional information and the latest BMI news, visit bmi.com, follow us on Twitter @BMI or stay connected through Broadcast Music, Inc.’s Facebook page. Sign up for BMI’s The Weekly™ and receive our e-newsletter every week to stay up to date on all things music.
Media Contacts:
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Courtney Craun
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