The Celebrate Mercy Conference is for women of all ages and guaranteed to be a life-changing event! You do not want to miss this inspirational and powerful day of world renowned speakers and extraordinary worship.
CECE WINANS RETURNS TO CHURCH ROOTS WITH THY KINGDOM COME
Eighth career release is the follow-up to 2005’s chart-topping, GRAMMY®-winning Purified.
LOS ANGELES ,CA–March 3, 2008) - Seven-time GRAMMY® winner CeCe Winans is set to once again share with the world her passion, praise-and-worship with her long-awaited eighth career album, Thy Kingdom Come, due April 1 on Winans’ own PureSprings Gospel label.
Produced by award-winning hit-makers Tommy Sims, Luther “Mano” Hanes, Percy Bady, Cedric &
“When you’re in the throne room, your focus is just God,” Winans said. “Nothing’s more powerful than that. When you do other music—positive music, gospel, inspirational, whatever you want to name it—you’re teaching lessons to other people, which is still very important. But nothing’s more powerful than when you’re face to face with God.”
Thy Kingdom Come is the follow-up to 2005’s chart-topping Purified, which showcased the gospel veteran interpreting buoyant, life-affirming songs with a contemporary edge. The album earned the songstress her sixth and seventh GRAMMY® awards in the categories of Best Gospel Performance and Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album.
For Thy Kingdom Come, Winans performs heartfelt, earnest songs for God and His church, reminiscent of her career-defining, RIAA Platinum-and Gold-selling albums Alone in His Presence, Alabaster Box, and Throne Room.
“It’s great to sing songs that help us or that encourage us to live right, or to talk right, or to love each other—and those are all powerful messages, things that God smiles upon,” Winans said. “But when you just talk about the power of the living God and His awesomeness and His holiness, nothing is more powerful than that. It penetrates the heart more than anything.”
The first single “Waging War” was serviced to radio and went for adds Feb 25. In preparation for the eagerly anticipated album, she also has some upcoming speaking
and concert dates which include an April 10 performance in
You can be one of the first to experience an amazing time of praise and worship with one of Gospel Music's most admired devotional singers, CECE WINANS. Her April 1st release is available for pre-order now through March 26th and can be delivered straight to your door without any hassle.
Though times of bleakness and recession are being reported and hopelessness is the order of the day, we must continue to invest in what will remind us of the report of the Lord, and that's worship. The selection of tunes were designed to bring joy, encouragement and take you to a place that true worshippers love to dwell. To beat the crowd, avoid standing in lines and keep up with CeCe’s appearances just by visiting www.cecewinans.com and ordering THY KINGDOM COME today.
Multiple GRAMMY®, Dove, Stellar, and Soul Train award winner CeCe Winans is one of the leading female vocalists in pop and Christian/gospel music. In her more than two decades as a performer, she has sold more than 3 million albums as a solo artist and 5 million as part of blockbuster duo BeBe & CeCe Winans, as well as attained a number of smash singles, including the epic “Count on Me,” her hit R&B duet with Whitney Houston. Throughout her career, Winans has garnered widespread media coverage, including cover stories for Essence, Jet, Women’s World, CCM, and Today’s Christian Woman, plus high-profile appearances on The Today Show, Good Morning America, Live with Regis & Kathie Lee, Oprah, and countless more. In 1999, Winans launched PureSprings Gospel, a boutique imprint for her own albums and those of new, up-and-coming talent in gospel music and beyond.
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Group 1 Crew
One dream. One chance. One crew.
When the conversation turns to musical influences, not many groups are likely to mention
Michael Buble, Beethoven, Stevie Wonder and flamenco music in the same breath. But it’s the
diversity in what inspires them, not to mention their distinctive faith backgrounds that makes
new Fervent artist Group 1 Crew stand out in a crowd.
And if their unique hybrid of hip-hop, rock, funk and soul wasn’t enough to distinguish Group 1
Crew on its highly anticipated 2007 self-titled debut, their passionate message of hope and
encouragement can’t help but set them apart—especially in a genre of music that typically
glamorizes violence, the degradation of women and the acquisition of all the luxuries money can
buy.
Instead, captivating and relatable songs like “No Plan B,” “(Everybody’s Gotta) Song to Sing”
and “I Have a Dream” encourage listeners to pursue their God-given ambitions, no matter how
outlandish they may seem.
“I remember meeting a girl after a show who loved to sing,” says Group 1 Crew member
Manwell. “But instead, she was going to college to become a pharmacist, and I asked her why.
She said it was ‘too hard to try and become a singer’ so she thought she’d do the pharmacy thing
instead. Hearing those kinds of stories is why we wrote those particular songs because people
need to know that God has so much for us if we’re willing to follow through and use the gifts
He’s given us.”
And that’s precisely why Group 1 Crew’s Manwell, Pablo and Blanca have teamed together for
one unified purpose. Unlike many popular groups where members individually vie for the
spotlight, Group 1 Crew even wanted its name to have a singular message that communicates the
band’s desire to shine the love of Christ through the power of song.
Founded in a rather unlikely way, the group got its start when Manwell, a former solo artist and
veteran emcee started a Bible study with his friends and fellow musicians Pablo and Blanca. A
few years later, Manwell met Jeff Adams who would quickly become the band’s manager. And it
wasn’t long after that the band played a showcase for Fervent label execs in Nashville and signed
a record deal.
With the natural camaraderie that comes with friendship and long hours of making music
together, the group shares a passion for making a unique contribution to both the Christian and
mainstream hip-hop scenes. But in addition to making music that has street cred, one of the
group’s main priorities is reaching its peers with its message in a relevant, non-Christianese way.
Manwell understands the importance of speaking a language his peers can understand because he
didn’t always connect with the words that fellow Christians often use to communicate their faith,
either.
“Before I became a Christian in high school, I didn’t know anything about God at all,” Manwell
confesses. “I was a horrible kid. I was kicked out of three schools, did the whole crime thing—
robbing, stealing, trading merchandise and all that jazz.”
But after going to summer camp before his senior year in hopes of meeting a girl, he met God
instead. “The first night there, God showed up at the camp. When I say ‘showed up,’ I mean to
this day, I still remember it,” Manwell adds. “The entire room was just on its face—it was a
moment of pure humility. All I could say was ‘I’m not worthy’ and ‘I’m dirty.’”
While Blanca didn’t exactly share Manwell’s tendency to get in trouble, she also didn’t grow up
in a Christian family. After her parent’s divorce, however, the family was later reunited at a high
school play. After seeing the spiritually themed show, Blanca says that “God hit me, and I knew
it was time to get right.” And from something she describes as “so simple,” she got saved and
wanted to give her singing talent back to God.
Unlike Manwell and Blanca, Pablo grew up a little differently— as the son of a pastor. But like
many teenagers who embrace faith early on, Pablo went through a rebellious phase where he
followed the crowd instead of Christ. But when he was 19, Pablo says he “started going to
church because I wanted to and not because my parents woke me up to go. My faith was
becoming my own, and there was a hunger to know more.”
In addition to sharing its testimonies of God’s redeeming power, Group 1 Crew also takes
pleasure in keeping people guessing with its unconventional sound and bling-free sense of style.
And a word to the wise: Don’t assume they’re just a Christian counterpart to the widely
successful Black Eyed Peas.
“In hip-hop sometimes, people may look the part but lack in the originality department,”
Manwell says. “I’ve never liked being compared with other artists, the whole ‘they sound like
this or that particular artist.’ I want people to hear our album, and make their own decision about
how we sound.”
And if there’s one thing for sure about Group 1 Crew, it’s not like anything you’ve heard before
whether it’s the dancehall groove of “Clap Ya Hands,” the funk-laden opener “Love is a
Beautiful Thing” or the candid account of reaching out for God, the group addresses in “Forgive
Me.” Ultimately, Group 1 Crew hopes, too, that even people who don’t normally attend church
will easily be able to identify the hope in Jesus that has personally changed each band member’s
life.
"We want our show to be one that everyone can come to and walk away experiencing the love of
Christ in a non-threatening way,” Manwell says. “Our music isn't for one specific demographic,
it's for anyone with a pulse. There’s love in our music, and it has meaning for anyone out there. I
think once people see that, they’ll get what we do.”
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If gospel music was looking for a new hip-hop sound with a side of P- funk then,
Group 1 Crew is the sound to be heard on the streets. These three talented duos have spread messages of encouragement, hope and the love of Jesus Christ in their songs. One can’t help but not be encouraged through their music. We spoke with them recently about being vessels used by God.
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GMM: How did Group 1 Crew come about?
Group 1 Crew: The group started in 2003 when I (Manwell) got out of
The bible study was started for many musicians in Orlando, (Blanca) we would meet every Sunday; when you put a bunch of musicians together in a room they are destined to do music together. During Manwell’s solo project we somehow began traveling to different churches together ministering and spreading the Group 1name.
GMM: How did you guys meet?
Group 1 Crew: We were friends of friends. Pablo’s brother is best friends with Blanca and I knew Pablo through my friend Paul. (Manwell)
(Blanca)The first person I met out of the group was Pablo, I was best friends with his younger brother in high school so, I would always be hanging out at the house, but we never talked much. Then one day I went over to the house to hang out with his brother and both Manwell and Pablo were in a mini studio, they had in one of the rooms recording.
They also heard I could sing so, they ask me if I would be interested in singing on one of the tracks. I did, and after that we were inseparable.
GMM: Listening to your music it seems to have a personal touch.
Group 1 Crew: Most of our music circles around personnel situations we have gone through or that we have seen people close to us go through. We only write about things we have been through, no one writes for us. It’s our life over a beat in all truthfulness.
GMM: Did you always want to do what you are doing?
Group 1 Crew: Yup!!! No plan b!!!
(Blanca) Sense I was a little girl I always dreamed of being able to travel the world singing! I feel so blessed to be apart of Group 1 Crew, because for me it’s honestly been a dream come true. I’m so happy I didn’t have to do it either alone. Having the boys around you feel safe and we never have to deal with situations that are thrown at us alone but, we deal with them together, as a team.
GMM: How has this changed your life?
Group 1 Crew: (Blanca) First and foremost I just got saved when I met Group 1 Crew. If it was not for accountability and the friendship that they had given me, I do not know where I would be right now. They play a big role in helping me live my life for God. It’s also changed my life, because I’m living out my dream!! When I least expected, God just begin to open doors for my life that I thought would never open.
Group 1 Crew: It’s an amazing feeling to do what you love to do for a living. It’s honestly just made us more aware of how amazing grace is. We just never saw this coming …That’s what’s great about it.
GMM: What’s next for Group 1 Crew?
Group 1 Crew: We are really excited about this new album we ready to share some new music. We have felt we have learned a lot from our first album, so on this album we were able to put a lot of impute and ideas. We will see how it goes.
A new record out in July, going on revolve tour, hitting all the festivals this summer….and in the name of Jesus, success that will make us fall to our knees and weep! God be glorified.
GMM: What advice would you give to someone needing encouragement or wanting to follow their dreams in whatever they feel God has called them to do?
Group 1 Crew: Follow their dreams in whatever they feel God has called them to? Don’t give up! There are too many people who allow their fears and insecurities or their parents tell them that their dreams are too lofty. It’s not realistic but since when did God deal in the realistic? My challenge to you is for you to handle the possible and let God do the impossible. It’s up to you to become skilled in whatever craft that the Lord has called you in. it’s up to him to open the doors. If you are called to be a singer, and then go take vocal lessons, practice your instrument, work on song writing, do everything you can do so when the doors open, you will not be found lacking. You do your part, God will do his part.
The word says that God will give you desires of your heart. He’s placed those dreams and desires in you for a reason, so know that he won’t give up on you until they are complete. He’s powerful enough to make possible the impossible, so never give up! If he did it for me, he could do it for you. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make you path straight. Proverbs 3:5-6
Interview by Maria D. Smith