MercyMe Celebrates 3 Billboard Music Award Nominations: 'We Are So Honored!'
Coming off the success of the hit film "I Can Only Imagine," multi-platinum-selling contemporary Christian band MercyMe garnered three nominations for the 2018 Billboard Music Awards.
MercyMe earned nominations in each of the genre's categories — Top Christian Artist, Top Christian Album (Lifer) and Top Christian Song ("Even If"). The most recent nods mark a dozen career nominations for the band, according to a statement sent to The Christian Post.
Lifer is the group's most recent No. 1 album, and holds the nominated "Even If," which dominated the Billboard and Mediabase radio charts with a 19-week streak at No. 1.
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MercyMe celebrated the news on Facebook, writing: "We are SO honored to have 3 nominations at the 2018 @BBMAs! Don't miss the show, LIVE May 20th on NBC. #BBMAs."
The announcement comes on the heels of the success of the recently-released film "I Can Only Imagine." The film is the "true story that follows the life of Bart Millard, lead singer of the Christian band MercyMe, whose abusive father died of cancer and inspired him to write the mega-hit song, "I Can Only Imagine." The story beautifully illustrates that nobody is ever too far from God's love — or too far from an eternal home in Heaven," the movie's synopsis states.
The faith-based film brought in $17.1 million at the domestic box office during its opening weekend, superseding early expectations. The independently made Erwin brothers picture ranked third overall, behind "Tomb Raider" and "Black Panther."
Previously, Millard told CP he hopes his story provides encouragement to anyone who feels they are beyond the grace of God.
"Our story is not over. As long as there's breath in our lungs our story is still being written. If you were to ask me to name one person that the Gospel would never reach, I would have told you my dad 100 times out of a 100," he confessed. "He was the meanest person in my life, not to mention the way that I was hurt. I didn't want grace to be [extended] for him in the first place."
His father later changed after receiving Christ.
"The change was such a huge deal in my life that it literally shifted the trajectory of my life. The reason I do what I do today is [because] if the Gospel can change that dude, the Gospel can change anybody. And I mean that with all of my heart because it wasn't supposed to work on him."
MercyMe just wrapped the "MercyMe LIVE" Tour selling out 16 markets, including Nashville, Columbus, St. Louis and Minneapolis with Tenth Avenue North and special guest Tim Timmons.
The Grammy Award-winning group will reprise the line-up with longtime friends Tenth Avenue North for "The Imagine Nation Tour" this fall with 20+ markets on the docket. Visit www.MercyMe.org for the latest.
The "2018 Billboard Music Awards" will broadcast LIVE coast to coast from MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday, May 20 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
