Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song

Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song
Awarded for	quality vocal or instrumental contemporary Christian music recordings and songwriting
Country	United States
Presented by	National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
First awarded	2015
Official website	grammy.com

The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song was a new category at the 2015 ceremony of the annual Grammy Awards. It combines two previously separate categories in the Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music field, Best Contemporary Christian Music Song and Best Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music Performance. The new category recognizes both songwriters and performers (solo/duos/groups/collaborations/etc.) and is open for singles or tracks only. Songwriters are only awarded a Grammy Award if it is a newly-written song. Grammy's for cover versions of previously recorded songs are awarded to the performer(s) only.

Along with the also newly formed Best Gospel Performance/Song category, these mark the only Grammy categories which honour both performers and songwriters in one category.

These changes were made in June 2014 by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences "in the interest of clarifying the criteria, representing the current culture and creative DNA of the gospel and Contemporary Christian Music communities, and better reflecting the diversity and authenticity of today's gospel music industry."^[1]

According to the Grammy committee, the move recognizes "the critical contribution of both songwriters and performers by combining songwriters and artists into the Best Gospel Performance/Song and Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song categories."

Gospel performances, which were previously recognized in the Best Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music Performance category, will now fall under the newly created Best Gospel Performance/Song category.

Recipients

Year^[I]	Artist(s)	Title	Songwriter(s)	Other nominees ^[III]	Ref.
2015	Lecrae featuring For King & Country	"Messengers"	Torrance Esmond, Ran Jackson, Ricky Jackson, Kenneth Chris Mackey, Lecrae Moore, Joseph Prielozny, Joel Smallbone and Luke Smallbone	Francesca Battistelli, David Arthur Garcia and Ben Glover for Write Your Story, performed by Francesca Battistelli David Crowder, Ben Glover and Matt Maher for Come As You Are, performed by Crowder Nathan Cochran, David Arthur Garcia, Ben Glover, Barry Graul, Bart Millard, Soli Olds, Mike Scheuchzer and Robby Shaffer for Shake, performed by MercyMe Bear Rinehart and Bo Rinehart for Multiplied, performed by Needtobreathe	[2]
2016	Francesca Battistelli	"Holy Spirit"	Song was written (and previously recorded) by Bryan & Katie Torwalt but as this category only awards newly-written songs, the songwriters' Grammy was not awarded.	Ed Cash, David Crowder and Seth Philpott for Lift Your Head Weary Sinners (Chains), performed by Crowder Matt Maher for Because He Lives (Amen), performed by Matt Maher Tai Anderson, Brenton Brown, David Carr, Mark Lee, Matt Maher and Mac Powell for Soul on Fire, performed by Third Day ft. All Sons & Daughters

See also

• Grammy Award for Best Gospel Song
• Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Christian Music Song

References

General

• "Past Winners Search". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Retrieved March 4, 2011. Note: User must select the "Gospel" category as the genre under the search feature.

Specific

1. Grammy.com, 12 June 2014
2. List of Nominees 2015

External links

• Official site