For King & Country, Anne Wilson snag top honors at 2022 K-LOVE Fan Awards
NASHVILLE — Christian artists For King & Country, Matthew West and newcomer Anne Wilson snagged top awards at this year’s K-LOVE Fan Awards held Sunday at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry House.
West, who hosted this year’s awards alongside Tauren Wells, won “Male Artist of the Year,” while Wilson, the 20-year-old powerhouse who released her full-length debut album, My Jesus in April, secured Female Artist of the Year as well as Breakout Single for “My Jesus.”
Brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone, better known as for King & Country, garnered the most honors of the night, winning Artist of the Year, Group/Duo of the Year and Song of the Year for “For God Is With Us."
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Katy Nichole, who performed at the awards ceremony, won Worship Song of the Year for “In Jesus Name (God Of Possible),” beating out genre veterans including Chris Tomlin, Elevation Worship, Phil Wickham and others.
“It's kind of unbelievable, because I look back on where I was a year ago, and I'm like, ‘This is insane. I can't believe I'm here right now. Like, I'm in awe,’” the 21-year-old Arizona native told The Christian Post.
Reflecting on God’s faithfulness over her life, the artist cited Ephesians 3:20 as one of her favorite verses: “Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.”
The artist said she wants to provide hope and encouragement through her music, pointing listeners to the One who sustained her in her darkest moments.
“Just a hold on,” she said. “Because in the moments that were hardest for me, I had to hold on. And I believe that God is in those moments, I really do. And I believe that He's the one you're holding onto.”
“Duck Dynasty” alum Sadie Robertson Huff won “Podcast of the Year” — a new category this year — for her podcast, “Whoa That’s Good.”
The speaker, author and actress told CP she "never pictured" herself being nominated for an award, calling the fact that fans chose to nominate her "an incredible honor."
Huff said that initially, she “just wanted to give good advice to people” — and that turned into a wildly popular podcast. She credited the show’s success to the fact that many young people are seeking out a mentor.
“It’s so hard to find a mentor in our day,” she said. “One, it’s just intimidating to go ask someone to be your mentor, and two, it's like, who do you ask? I'm surrounded by these incredible people. I can ask questions to and hopefully mentor people through that.”
She advised those seeking out a mentor to find someone “just a little ahead of you,” adding: “Maybe they’re a mom and you want to be a mom; maybe they lead a Bible study and you want to lead a Bible study … ask them on a first date. It’s a little awkward, but it’s always worth it.”
The Film Impact award was given to American Underdog, the Erwin Brothers film about NFL legend Kurt Warner and his wife, Brenda. The Erwins were also nominated for their 2021 film “The Jesus Music.”
“We make the films that we want to see,” Jon Erwin told CP. “We love being entertained. That's why I love to go to the movies. But we also love to be interested to be inspired and motivated. And so we just encounter a story, whether it's the interview with Kurt and Brenda Warner, which led to ‘American Underdog,’ that blew us away, or the first interview with Amy Grant … that led to what became ‘Jesus Music.’ It’s amazing that we get to tell stories that inspire us first, and then we let the audience into that.”
Tim Tebow took home the award for Sports Impact, while CCM legend Michael W. Smith won Book Impact for The Way Of The Father. The book honors Smith’s father, Paul Smith, who the artist said taught him about the character of God.
“My dad was the kindest man I've ever met in my life, who happened to be my dad,” Smith told CP. “And he just showed me how to do life. … My dad shaped me, just the way he loved my mom and my sister and the community, so [this award] means a little more.”
The K-LOVE Fan Awards aired on TBN on June 3. Performers at this year’s awards show included Blanca with Dante Bowe, CeCe Winans with Lauren Daigle, Jonathan Traylor with Jordan Feliz, Kirk Franklin with Maverick City Music, and Riley Clemmons with country star Walker Hayes.
Additional performances included CAIN, Elevation Worship, for King & Country, TobyMac and others.
Leah M. Klett is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: leah.klett@christianpost.com
