Newsong News: New Member, New Blog, New Tour, New CD

Mobile, Ala. – Integrity Music’s Dove Award-winning, Grammy-nominated hitmaker, NewSong (www.newsongonline.com) is making news on several fronts.

A New Member

Newsong is excited to announce that worship artist Drew Cline has officially joined the group as one of its lead singer. He replaces Michael O’Brien who left Newsong early this year to pursue his solo career and focus on a family ministry.

“We are so excited to welcome Drew Cline to the NewSong family. We are blessed and blown away by the character, passion and pipes that Drew brings. Drew begins a new chapter for NewSong that will have eyebrows raised and jaws dropped vocally,” said Troy VanLiere, of VanLiere-Wilcox, management firm for NewSong.

Cline, who has been performing live with NewSong since early summer, becomes only the third lead vocalist change in Newsong’s 25-plus year music ministry. He is also no stranger to Christian music. Since winning the Gospel Music Association’s (GMA) Music in the Rockies Spotlight competition in 2000 (with a vocal group he formed called AS IS), Cline has been an accomplished and sought-after session and studio vocalist in Nashville. He has also been a worship pastor at a Nashville-area church for four years and recently began recording a solo worship project, Way of Life, to be released in early 2007.

New Insider Blog

Beginning this week, NewSongOnline.com, the group’s official website, has launched its new blog. The NewSong Insider Blog, which will also be posted at Newsong’s My Space page (www.myspace.com/newsongonline), will be penned by the NewSong Insider, a writer who will be granted access to all the latest news and behind-the-scence buzz.

“We are blessed to have so many fans that want to know all about what’s going on with NewSong, both musically and spiritually; professionally and personally, and I think the new blog is going to be a fantastic opportunity for us to share more frequent communication with all those caring fans,” said NewSong founding member Eddie Carswell.

New Tour

Later this month, NewSong embarks on a new tour, the “Psalm 40” Tour, based on the #1 hit song from NewSong’s current Integrity release, Rescue. The 25 to 30-city-tour will also feature special guest Curb Records’ artist Nate Sallie and will run from August 13 to November 17th. More details on the tour will be forthcoming in an official tour release.

New Album

In another sneak-peak announcement, NewSong is putting the final touches on its second Christmas CD, The Christmas Hope, which will release in October on Integrity Records through Provident-Integrity Distribution. Produced by Bernie Herms (Natalie Grant, Nate Sallie), the holiday CD includes a new version of NewSong’s international hit, “The Christmas Shoes,” as well as six new songs and contributions by fellow Christian artists Anointed, Matthew West & Rachel Lampa. A Christmas tour will be associated with the new release.

About NewSong:

NewSong is a Dove Award winner and GRAMMY nominee. NewSong has recorded 14 albums featuring 19 No. 1 singles including such signature songs as “Arise My Love,” “Can’t Keep A Good Man Down,” “Red Letter Day,” and the recent cross-over hit, “When God Made You,” a duet with Natalie Grant. Their holiday anthem, “The Christmas Shoes,” became a #1 mainstream radio hit, and inspired a New York Times-bestselling book and CBS Movie of the Week. The album of the same name was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album in 2003. Their multi-artist “Winter Jam” Tours, which they began hosting in 1995, have grown to become the largest attended Christian music tours in the industry.

NewSong was originally founded in the early 80s when original members Eddie Carswell and Billy Goodwin along with several others served as the “house band” at their local church. Throughout the years, numerous talented artists have become NewSong “alumni” before launching successful solo careers of their own. Among those alums are Russ Lee , Charles Billingsley and Michael O’Brien.

About Integrity Music Group:

Integrity Music Group is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Integrity Media, Inc., a media/communications company that produces, publishes and distributes Christian music, books, films and related products. Integrity’s products are sold primarily through retail stores and direct to consumers throughout the United States and in over 160 other countries. Integrity is headquartered in Mobile, Alabama. Information about Integrity is available at www.integritymedia.com.