There are weeks in Christian music that are about concerts. There are weeks that are about interviews, new releases, business meetings or awards.

Then there is Dove Week.

For me, Nashville during the week of the GMA Dove Awards has increasingly become about something much bigger than what happens onstage. It is about relationships. It is about conversations over coffee and tacos. It is about running into somebody you interviewed months earlier while doing your Bible study in a coffee shop. It is about reconnecting with people you have known for more than a decade and meeting others for the first time.

And, perhaps most importantly, it is about remembering why we do all of this in the first place.

The theme of the 57th Annual GMA Dove Awards was “Together For One,” and by the time I left Nashville, that felt like a pretty accurate description of the entire week.

Sunday: Back Where It All Started

The trip began about as painlessly as air travel possibly can.

Flying Avelo out of Lakeland Linder International Airport has quickly become one of my favorite ways to travel. From being dropped at the terminal to checking my bag, going through security and sitting at the gate took less than 15 minutes. Avelo is definitely no-frills — bring your own snacks and grab your beverage after security — but for the convenience and price, I’ll gladly take it.

After landing in Nashville and picking up my ride for the week, there was one obligatory stop before anything else: In-N-Out.

I went with an onion-wrapped single cheeseburger and animal-style fries, and I may have found my new favorite way to order there. Without the bun, the grilled onion really allowed the seasoning and flavor of the beef to come through. It was a pretty great way to officially begin the trip.

But Sunday evening was when Dove Week really began.

The fifth annual Future Legacy Hip Hop Showcase at Cannery Hall immediately reminded me why I love the Christian hip-hop community.

The event took place upstairs at the intimate Row One Stage, but before I even made it into the room, the relationships had already started. I ran into Trig from Holy Culture, DJ Will from Jacksonville, Derek Minor and others I have crossed paths with throughout more than a decade in Christian hip-hop.

That was actually more significant to me than knowing every artist on the lineup — because I didn’t.

Outside of artists such as Don Ready and 1K Phew, much of the evening introduced me to artists I had not followed closely before. But the people in that room represented years of relationships, conversations, interviews and mutual respect.

Musically, the showcase moved comfortably between hip-hop and R&B.

CèJae brought a smooth R&B flavor. Don Ready was another familiar face, having previously joined me for a conversation in which he shared his powerful personal testimony. Tommy Zuko followed, then Parris Chariz, whose set included an appearance from Aaron Cole.

LaNell Grant brought a confident hip-hop flow, while Nathan Davis Jr. leaned heavily into his R&B vocals, even putting his own twist on familiar songs from artists ranging from Bruno Mars to Sabrina Carpenter.

Then 1K Phew brought the energy with songs including two of my favorites, “MOVE IT!” and “Hammer Time.”

What stayed with me most, though, was not a particular performance.

It was the community.

I have been around Christian hip-hop for more than a decade now, and there was something special about looking around the room and seeing people I have come to genuinely respect and love through the years. Dove Week had barely started, and already the trip was reminding me that Christian music is built on far more than releases, charts and stages.

It is built on people.

Monday: Sometimes Artists Need Clarity More Than Promotion

Monday became the busiest relationship-building day of the week, and unintentionally, one of the most educational.

It started on a beautiful, brisk Tennessee morning at 1819 Coffee in Thompson’s Station.

The historic property had a warm, almost farmhouse-like atmosphere, with worship music playing in the background. I grabbed a ham and cheddar scone and one of their signature coffee drinks, The Roderick, before meeting with Wisdom Moon.

Wisdom eventually showed me around more of the property, and we found a quiet place inside the larger historic home where we could talk without the typical coffee-shop noise.

What followed was one of the most valuable conversations of the week.

We talked extensively about independent artists, development, expectations and what happens when artists begin chasing opportunities before they are actually ready for them.

One idea from that conversation continued coming back to me throughout the rest of Dove Week:

Independent artists do not always need more promotion. Sometimes they need more clarity first.

An artist may say the goal is K-LOVE, a Dove Award, major radio or a massive publicity campaign. There is nothing inherently wrong with dreaming big.

But the better question may be: What is the next right step?

Is the song ready?

Does the artist know who the audience is?

Does the branding match the music?

Is there enough of a foundation in place to capitalize on the opportunity if somebody actually opens the door?

And is somebody around the artist willing to lovingly say, “Not yet,” when “not yet” is the answer they actually need?

From Thompson’s Station, I headed to The Well Coffeehouse near Lipscomb University to meet Josh Lauritch of 55 Promotion.

Two coffees later — apparently Dove Week also doubles as a caffeine endurance challenge — our conversation reinforced many of the same principles from another side of the industry.

Radio promotion is not simply sending a song to a giant list of stations.

Relationships matter.

The story around the artist matters.

Momentum matters.

Most importantly, a promoter might be able to convince someone to listen, but the artist still has to give that programmer — and ultimately the listener — a reason to care.

Radio also cannot operate in isolation. An artist who receives meaningful airplay still has to create content, do interviews, perform, connect with listeners and build a community around whatever opportunity that airplay creates.

The simplest way I can summarize that conversation is this:

Promotion can open doors, but the artist still has to be ready to walk through them.

That afternoon brought me to 12South and bartaco, where I caught up with Christian rock artist and worship leader Devin Williams.

Devin has previously joined me on Kingdom Builder, and getting to sit across the table from him rather than communicate through campaign emails and phone calls was another reminder of how important these weeks are.

We talked music, ministry, touring and the sometimes difficult process of determining where an artist fits.

Devin has a legitimate Christian rock identity, but worship has increasingly become part of his story too. That creates both opportunities and questions.

Christian rock has fewer artists fighting for attention, but it also has a relatively small radio ecosystem. Worship music has a much larger footprint, but it is incredibly competitive.

Sometimes the answer is not simply, “Which radio format should I chase?”

Sometimes playing shows, getting in front of people and developing a genuine audience may matter even more.

Devin’s recent focus has included “Be Glorified,” with additional live and acoustic material on the way, and I’m excited to see where that journey leads.

But again, what mattered most was the relationship.

Sometimes the best Dove Week moments happen nowhere near an official Dove Week stage.

Sometimes they happen over tacos.

A Night at Live Oak

Monday night brought another showcase, this time the 3 Strands Management Late Night Mix at Live Oak.

There was a very personal reason I wanted to be there.

3 Strands founder Krystal Polychronis has been connected to my own faith story in ways that go far beyond the music industry. Supporting her and what she has built means something to me personally.

The evening also brought an eclectic mix of artists.

Australian artist Daniel Hagen opened with a bluesy, roots-oriented sound that immediately grabbed my attention. Kaylin Kole followed with a soulful country flavor, then Holly Brand and Warren Peay continued the country influence.

A personal highlight came when my friend Adam Verdi took the stage.

I had recently seen Adam in a much more stripped-down setting alongside Grace Graber at Murray Hill Theatre in Jacksonville. At Live Oak, I got to see the other side of him.

Full band. Rock energy. Big sound.

He performed songs I already knew and loved, including “Honest” and “Hand of God,” along with some unreleased material I look forward to people eventually hearing for themselves.

Then came Amanda Mammana.

Amanda openly shared about living with a speech impediment, something that does not affect her singing in the same way. By her second song, I found myself almost forgetting I was supposed to be mentally taking notes.

Her voice was simply soothing.

Beautiful.

The kind of performance that gives you goosebumps without needing to explain why.

And once again, the spaces between performances became almost as meaningful as the performances themselves.

I ran into Johnny B, whom I previously interviewed for Kingdom Builder. I finally met Nashville-area artist and worship leader Doug Johnson after talking with him previously. There were old friends, new friends and conversations happening everywhere.

That may be one of the most valuable things about events like this.

Sometimes the best networking does not happen because somebody scheduled a meeting.

It happens because you showed up.

Tuesday: From a Private Screening to Christian Music’s Biggest Night

Tuesday began at Honest Coffee Roasters at The Factory at Franklin.

The Factory has become one of my favorite Franklin stops, and after a breakfast BLT and a seasonal coffee topped with a toasted marshmallow, I sat down to do some work and spend time in my Bible.

Then Nashville did what Nashville seems to do.

I looked up and ran into Colton Dixon.

I had interviewed Colton previously during Winter Jam, and what meant the most was that he remembered me and our conversation.

Again, it was not about running into a recognizable artist.

It was about realizing that an interview can become a relationship.

That has increasingly become one of the things I value most about doing Kingdom Builder. I do not want conversations to exist simply so somebody can promote a new single for five minutes. I want to hear the story, the testimony and the “why” behind the music.

Sometimes months later, those conversations continue unexpectedly over coffee.

From there, I headed deeper into The Factory for one of the most exclusive opportunities of the week: a private media screening at Kingdom Story Company of Drummer Boy.

A full review will be coming soon!

What I can say is that it was a special opportunity to experience the film inside Kingdom Story’s private screening space alongside a small group of invited media, followed by conversation surrounding the project.

Later that afternoon, I spent time with Erica Boutwell of The Fuel Music along with Dawn Michele and Gina Osmar from ALTIRA, continuing relationships that have developed through our work together with ALTIRA. Once again, the importance was not announcing some major business transaction.

It was getting face-to-face time with people I normally communicate with remotely.

That evening, it was time for the centerpiece of the week:

The 57th Annual GMA Dove Awards at Bridgestone Arena.

“Together For One”

Watching the Dove Awards on television is one thing.

Being inside Bridgestone while the show is actually being recorded is something else entirely.

The production is live in the room, but the television audience later sees the polished version. That means those of us in attendance experience the pauses, transitions, camera setups and moments that may never make the finished broadcast.

Tauren Wells returned as host and once again brought plenty of personality — and enough dad jokes to last several Dove Weeks.

The show opened musically with TobyMac and Mr. TalkBox, which carried a little extra nostalgia for me because I have known Byron “Mr. TalkBox” Chambers since much earlier in my Christian music journey through the Save the City Records circle.

There were plenty of standout performances throughout the evening.

Elevation Worship performing “So Be It” from the Ryman was a personal favorite simply because I already love the song.

Tye Tribbett did exactly what Tye Tribbett does.

He took us to church.

Brandon Lake and Lainey Wilson performed “The Jesus I Know Now” from a pop-up stage much closer to our section, creating one of the cooler visual production moments of the evening.

A beautifully staged Dolly Parton tribute brought Amy Grant and Natalie Grant together. A clip of Dolly singing “How Great Thou Art” transitioned into the live performance as Amy and Natalie eventually moved toward center stage while archival footage played behind them. The tribute then moved into “I Will Always Love You,” the song Dolly originally wrote and recorded before Whitney Houston introduced it to another generation.

It was one of the most touching moments of the evening.

But another performance hit me in an entirely different way.

CeCe Winans introduced Tauren Wells, who was joined by Naomi Raine for “What a Miracle Feels Like.”

I was not particularly familiar with the song going into the night.

Maybe that is part of why I was not prepared for what happened.

My family has been walking through some difficult things, and somewhere in that performance, it simply hit me.

I started crying.

There was no professional analysis happening at that point. I was not thinking about radio formats, publicity, production or whether I should take a photo.

I was simply listening.

That moment reminded me that as much as music has become part of what I do professionally, it still has the ability to reach into my own life when I need it most.

That may have been my favorite moment of the entire Dove Awards.

Not because it was the biggest production.

Because it was personal.

Celebrating More Than the People Holding the Trophy

There were major awards throughout the evening, of course.

Phil Wickham was named Artist of the Year. Josiah Queen’s “Dusty Bibles” received Song of the Year. Jamie MacDonald was named New Artist of the Year and eventually brought the evening to a celebratory close with “Left It In The River” as confetti filled Bridgestone Arena.

Hulvey took home Rap/Hip Hop Album of the Year, another encouraging moment for Christian hip-hop.

But sitting in the arena, I kept thinking about all the people whose names never get called from the stage.

For every artist holding a Dove Award, there are producers, musicians, songwriters, managers, publicists, radio promoters, label teams, booking agents, media outlets, photographers, designers, distributors and countless others helping move that music forward.

Working through Kingdom Impact Group has given me an entirely different appreciation for that side of the equation.

Sometimes the person who helped make an opportunity possible never gets photographed holding the trophy.

That does not make their contribution any less important.

The inaugural Community Impact Award for Peace & Purpose, presented to God Behind Bars and accepted by president and CEO Jake Bodine, also served as another reminder that impact cannot always be measured by chart positions or streams.

Sometimes the greatest measure is simply whether lives are being changed.

Perhaps that is where the Dove Awards’ “Together For One” theme made the most sense to me.

This industry may celebrate individual artists, songs and albums, but very little happens alone.

One More Nashville Night

After the Doves, I headed over to the Museum of Christian & Gospel Music, a place we had the privilege of covering last year shortly after its opening.

This time I had a chance to see the museum’s event space in action, and I loved how intimate it felt. It seems like a great room for smaller performances and industry gatherings.

I also reconnected with friends including Marcel Patillo, also known as I AM ABLE, and Kennis Clark, whom I first got to know during last year’s trip.

I stayed long enough to catch some of Marcel’s performance before finally admitting something every Dove Week attendee eventually has to admit:

I was tired.

Very tired.

So I called it a night.

Wednesday: Relationships First

By Wednesday, the formal Dove Awards portion of the week was behind me, but some of the most important conversations were not.

A major highlight was my first in-person meeting with Steve Shore at K-LOVE in Franklin.

I intentionally did not want that conversation to become a hard artist pitch.

Yes, I work with artists.

Yes, there will naturally be opportunities in the future when I may send him music.

But relationships work better when they are actually relationships.

The meeting gave me an opportunity to listen, learn more about what K-LOVE is doing and continue building trust rather than walking into the room with a stack of songs and asking, “Can you play this?”

That approach reflected something I heard repeatedly throughout the week.

The music industry is still built on relationships.

Technology changes.

Platforms change.

Radio evolves.

Social media changes almost weekly.

But trust still matters.

Listening still matters.

Doing what you say you are going to do still matters.

And serving people well still matters.

Wednesday evening slowed down considerably as I spent time with the Bailey family, another relationship that grew out of previous Kingdom Builder coverage.

Sometimes interviews lead to another interview.

Sometimes they lead to friendships.

I am increasingly grateful when it is the second one.

The night ended in the most glamorous way imaginable after several days of Christian music industry meetings:

Waffle House.

It was only around 7:30, but it was already dark, so we decided it counted as a late-night Waffle House run anyway.

Honestly, after several days of showcases, meetings and the Dove Awards, sitting around eating with friends and having absolutely nothing to accomplish may have been exactly what I needed.

Thursday: One Last Conversation

My final morning in Tennessee included one more meaningful conversation, this time with Brian Connelly at ONYX + ALABASTER in Franklin.

Like several other meetings during the week, it was not about forcing a business outcome.

It was about talking music, ministry, relationships, where things are going next and how we can potentially serve one another in the future.

That felt like an appropriate way to end the trip.

Dove Week began with music and relationships.

It ended with music and relationships.

Everything in between simply reinforced why those two things belong together.

What I Brought Home From Dove Week

Looking back, several ideas kept repeating themselves no matter whom I was talking with.

Artists need clarity before they need promotion.

Promotion can create opportunities, but it cannot build an artist’s entire career.

Radio matters, but radio alone does not create a fanbase.

Artists need people around them who care enough to tell them the truth.

And perhaps most importantly:

Relationships still matter.

That is something Dove Week makes impossible to ignore.

A conversation that begins through an interview can become a friendship.

A promotional campaign can become a long-term working relationship.

Someone you met at last year’s Dove Week may be the person you are grabbing coffee with this year.

You can walk into a coffee shop to do Bible study and unexpectedly reconnect with somebody you interviewed months ago.

You can watch somebody you have known for years step onto one of Christian music’s biggest stages.

And you can sit in an arena filled with thousands of people, hear a song you barely know and suddenly find yourself in tears because God knew exactly what you needed to hear.

That is the part of Dove Week that a list of winners cannot capture.

I love the Dove Awards.

I love the performances.

I love discovering new artists.

I love talking about radio, publicity, release strategy and all the things that come with working in Christian music.

But after another week in Nashville, I came home reminded that none of those things matter nearly as much if we lose sight of the people.

This industry is at its best when we stop treating one another simply as artists, promoters, media contacts, radio programmers, managers or opportunities.

We are people serving people.

We are telling stories.

We are pointing toward something bigger than ourselves.

And hopefully, when we do it well, we really are Together For One.