The Reigning Female Vocalist of the Year is the Most Nominated Female Artist at this Year’s 42nd Annual Dove Awards, Which Includes a Nod for Artist of the Year
Nashville, TN – (March 9, 2011) – Fervent Records and reigning Dove Awards “Female Vocalist Of The Year” Francesca Battistelli, proves that she’s got the stuff with her sophomore album Hundred More Years landing in the No. 1 spot on the Christian SoundScan Album Chart and No. 16 on the Billboard Top 200 chart today, making it her highest charting album debut to date. The album features her current No. 2 single “This Is The Stuff.” Battistelli’s impressive debut is right on the heels of scoring four nominations including the prestigious Artist Of The Year for the upcoming 42nd annual Dove Awards, making her the most nominated Female Artist this year.
“I do what I do every day in the hopes that my music will inspire and bring light to my fans. And to know that you’re on the right path is an incredible feeling!” shares Battistelli. “I feel so blessed and can’t thank Christian radio, my fans and my team at Fervent Records, Paradigm Agency and Proper Management enough for all of their support in this release.”
USA Today calls the release “eloquent long-range views on family and love” rounding out their 3 ½ star review. And the Gospel Music Channel says Hundred More Years is “a gorgeous meditation on life’s fleeting moments and our desire to see them last forever.”
The leadoff single “This Is The Stuff” is already a smash hit at radio and “full of the witticism and appeal you’d hope for” (Soul-Audio). It is the perfect introduction to an album that takes the treasures of her debut My Paper Heart one-step further. Working with producer Ian Eskelin, she has crafted a CD that is every bit as hooky and infectious as its predecessor but whose subject matter, as befitting a young woman whose life has changed so dramatically, addresses a wider spectrum of the human experience.
Since her debut in 2008, Battistelli has earned a Grammy nomination (Best Gospel Song Performance), 2 Dove Awards and 15 Dove Award nominations. Her debut album delivered the smash No. 1 single “Free To Be Me” and hit singles “It’s Your Life,” “I’m Letting Go” and “Beautiful, Beautiful.” With over 400,000 copies sold and well over 840,000 downloads to date, Battistelli has become the best-selling new artist in the genre in the past eight years. Her music has also been featured on TLC's Jon & Kate Plus 8, ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, NBC’s The Biggest Loser, Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance, and several other television and movie outlets.
Fans can vote for this talented songstress for The Dove Awards’ Artist Of The Year by visiting http://www.watchgmctv.com/fanvote. Voting is now open and will close on April 19th at midnight (EST), with the winner being announced at the 42nd Annual Dove Awards show taped live at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, GA, on April 20th and broadcast on The Gospel Music Channel (GMC) on Sunday, April 24th at 8:00 p.m. EST.
For additional information on Francesca Battistelli and her upcoming album release, tour and media appearances, please visit www.FrancescaMusic.com.