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The 12th Annual K-LOVE Fan Awards Celebrate Music, the Messiah and So Much More at the Opry House in Nashville
The K-LOVE Fan Awards Weekend was a celebration and collaboration of Christian media but when it really came down to it the 12th Annual K-LOVE Fan Awards held at the Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee on Sunday, May 25, 2025 was really all about music and the messiah.
Jonathan Roumie - a.k.a. Jesus on The Chosen appears on the red carpet in Nashville. One of the first big moments of the afternoon was the sighting of Jonathan Roumie who portrays Jesus on The Chosen. We saw him on the pre-show red carpet with castmates Paras Patel (Matthew) and Noah James (Andrew) and then again later in the evening backstage accompanied by show creator, director, co-writer and executive producer Dallas Jenkins. The two spoke with the press about winning the Film Impact category for their work on Season 5 of the series. They also discussed the preparations for the next two seasons with Jonathan expressing trepidation about the physicality of the crucifixion. We were able to ask Dallas about the future of The Chosen and he revealed that, yes, there are plans to present the Book of Acts and perhaps the story of Moses. There was another Biblical character present as actor Michael Iskander and filmmaker Jon Erwin came backstage to meet and greet the media after taking the K-shaped trophy for House of David that just recently completed its first award-winning season on Amazon Prime. Similar to The Chosen it is a multi-season series and in this case is about the life of David. Primarily set in Israel in 1000 BC, the program follows David's journey from being a shepherd to his battle against Goliath and eventual kingship.
Brandon Lake greets the press after sweeping four awards; TobyMac shortly after his opening number; and, co-host Matthew West in a rare serious moment on Sunday. The pair thanked the crew behind the production and Michael shared his power verse which is Joshua 1:9 - "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." More than one artist touched upon the idea of "being still" pointing to Psalm 46:10 - "Be still, and know that I am God". Still, the most miraculous moment at the Opry came when the final award of the night in the "Song of the Year" category went to Brandon Lake ("The Broom") who completed the sweep in the categories that he was nominated in taking home his fourth letter-adorned statue of the evening after winning for "Male Artist of the Year", "Worship Song of the Year" and "Artist of the Year" earlier in the show. Yet, as Brandon and other winners pointed out the night was about the Messiah. During his four acceptance speeches Lake stated "all the glory goes to God – He is opening doors" and lastly as he received Song of the Year for "Hard Fought Halleluiah" – "Jelly is going to be so pumped". Next, via video there was Jelly Roll who had a big smile on his face - awed that he has gone from a jail cell to winning a K-LOVE award. Brandon talked to the press about having to learn the hard lessons of balancing family and a career while sharing that his wife is his second holy spirit. He also had kind words for Jelly Roll who collaborated on the raw and real "Hard Fought Hallelujah" which led to an appearance together on American Idol. He confessed that he was nervous there but everyone at A.I. was supportive and it has been reported that the faith-based Easter special did very well in the ratings.
Group of the Year for King & County; the always vivacious Lauren Daigle; co-hosts Matthew West, Jeremy Camp, Bart Millard and Mac Powell all smiles pre-show in Music City. Lake faced some very inspired competition as every "Song of the Year" was noteworthy for its excellent representation of the genre including some that were presented during the show such as the upbeat opening song "Nothin' Sweeter" (Toby Mac with Jon Reddick), "Desperate" (Jamie MacDonald), "Oh Death" (Mercy Me) and "That's My King" (CeCe Winans). Only a few minutes earlier CeCe shared some God moments in her career with the press before stating that "He is coming back soon" before returning herself to the stage for the show stopping finale. This year's extravaganza was hosted by Jeremy Camp, Bart Millard, Mac Powell and Matthew West who debuted a new and fictitious comedy band "4 In The Fire" at the Opry telling the audience that this was their first - and last ever - appearance together in public. Time will tell on that one. But, they did perform a number hoping that the quartet would deliver the best K-LOVE Fan Awards in history - even if they don't become best friends in the process. The Class of 2025 boasted the largest group of finalists in K-LOVE Fan Awards history. The year was notable for the large selection of newer Christian artists making the K-LOVE lists - including Forrest Frank - who had quite a fan club chanting his name outside the Grand Ole Opry House as the dignitaries gathered on the red carpet. The evening was packed with powerful performances from Jeremy Camp, Leanna Crawford, Crowder, Colton Dixon, Elevation Rhythm, for King & Country, Jordan Feliz, Jamie MacDonald, MercyMe, Mac Powell, Michael W. Smith, Jon Reddick, TobyMac, We The Kingdom, Matthew West, Zach Williams, Anne Wilson, CeCe Winans and Megan Woods making this event an historic Who's Who of Christian and Gospel music gathered together under the roof at the Grand Ole Opry. In his interview with the press Toby Mac was enthusiastic about the up-and-coming artists such as Terrian who are bringing a freshness to the industry. He also declared "I love the Bible" encouraging everyone present to read it and pray regularly.
Clockwise from top: Dallas Jenkins and friends from The Chosen; Ezra and Lauren; Jon Erwin and Michael Iskander; getting busy on the red carpet with Matthew West and Colton Dixon; K-LOVE's Lauree with Matthew West; and Joey Tran talks to Anne Wilson. On Sunday, Matt Maher talked about his work with Sanctuary Mental Health Ministries which is a Vancouver-born ministry which seeks to support, engage, and open conversations of mental health and well-being within the Church. Later, host Mathew West told the press that he writes songs that he needs to hear which happen to be things others can relate to. We asked Mathew if his song "Don't Stop Praying" was a nod to Journey's "Don't Stop Believing". West said it was written for someone he knows that is dealing with - and has not yet been delivered, from addiction - so the prayers keep going up. Leanna Crawford who won Breakout Single of the Year for "Still Waters" talked about Psalm 23 concluding that going through the hard stuff can sometimes be good. Jon Reddick of "No Fear" fame reinforced that idea when he discussed the challenge of being strong for his wife when she was fighting cancer. The K-LOVE Awards Show was packed with praise music and seven of the 2025 categories were dedicated to music. However, the other four brackets honored the best in faith-based television, movies, podcasts and books. There was also a non-voting Sports Impact Award that was given to Patty Gasson. Patty is a NFCA Hall of Fame head coach at Oklahoma University. Her softball teams have won many national championships. In addition to being a great sports coach she is a life coach encouraging her athletes to be women of faith with the message - win or lose - give the glory to God. Although the main event was the awards show the whole weekend was a celebration of Christian media. Next to the Opry House is the Gaylord Opryland Resort where much of the festivities took place. Both Friday and Saturday were packed with artists interviews which on Friday included a special appearance by for King & Country. People from around the country attend this event to enjoy worship and concerts which are also a big part of this gathering. Friday's Songwriting Showcase featured Seph Schlueter, Terrian, Matt Maher and Tauren Wells. Saturday's lineup included Brandon Heath, Colton Dixon, Ben Fuller, Katy Nichole and Danny Gokey. Another high-point that made for spectacular viewing on the TBN broadcast was when for King & Country joined Michael W. Smith on the latter's hit "Place In This World" that was first released 35 years ago. The trio ascended to the balcony of the Opry House as the fans in attendance lit the scene up in glorious fashion with assistance from their cell phone lights held high in the air.
Clockwise from top: Anne Wilson, Tasha Layton, Megan Woods, Jon Reddick, Jamie MacDonald, Dawn Jordan, Colton Dixon, Jenn Johnson and Leanna Crawford at the K-LOVE Fan Awards. As first timers reporting on the red carpet we enjoyed mingling with some friendly members of the media who were all veterans of past K-LOVE Fan Awards festivities. First up was Joey Tran from Dallas, Texas who enthusiastically greeted us before getting down to interview many of the top acts that all concluded with them blowing hearts imprinted with musical notes into the air. Next, Kely Kirschenmann and her team from Hollywood Prayer Network brought their unique mission that includes praying for artists all the way from Cali to Music City. More locally was the team from NewReleaseToday consisting of Bradden and Trineesha Ford who were diligently and professionally conducting their business on the tight confines of the colorful space. But, most of our "Awe and Wonder" - which happened to be the official theme of this year's K-LOVE Fan Awards - was reserved for the tiny powerhouse with a microphone Ezra Hayden who held down prime real estate on the red carpet for his website Ezra Speaking where we watched him interview Lauren Daigle and the cast from The Chosen. Later, the sharp-dressed, precocious and particularly articulate 10-year old drew a lot of the attention from the stars backstage in his front row seat where he was often called on first by the artists who were all impressed by his quality Q&A skills that he has perfected since setting out on his reporting journey in 2020. Or, about half of his life so far! K-LOVE FAN AWARDS 2025 WINNERS: Artist of the Year - BRANDON LAKE | Male Artist - BRANDON LAKE | Female Artist - CECE WINANS | Group of the Year - for KING & COUNTRY | Worship Song of the Year - BRANDON LAKE "That's Who I Praise" | Song of the Year - BRANDON LAKE "Hard Fought Hallelujah (feat. Jelly Roll)" | Breakout Single - LEANNA CRAWFORD "Still Waters" | Film Impact - "THE CHOSEN" Season Five | Book Impact - MATTHEW WEST "My Story Your Glory" | Podcast Impact - MAX LUCADO "Max Lucado – Encouraging Word Podcast" | TV/Streaming Impact - "HOUSE OF DAVID" | Sports Impact - Patty Gasso The K-LOVE Fan Awards nominees were determined by a weighted combination of spins, streaming and consumption, single song downloads, album sales, and activity on social networks. However, it is the fans who choose the winners as revealed at the K-LOVE Fan Awards Show on May 25, 2025 which was aired exclusively on TBN Friday, May 30, at 7:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. ET. If you did not catch the program it should be available afterwards and be on the lookout for the announcements for the K-LOVE Awards Weekend in 2026.
Clockwise from top: Michael W. Smith, Katy Nichole, bodie, Lauren Daigle, Blanca, Colton Dixon, Patty Gasso, Terrian, Joey Tran with Chris Tomlin, Matt Maher, Crowder and CeCe Winans in Nashville. Related Links: For more information on the K-LOVE FAN AWARDS and the other organizations mentioned please visit the following links - K-LOVE Fan Awards | K-LOVE | There Was a Lot of Love to Go Around at the K-LOVE Awards in Nashville | TobyMac Kicked Off the K-LOVE Fan Awards Weekend with a Captivating Concert in Nashville
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