It was only a year ago when many were sitting on pins and needles contemplating Y2K problems that may happen. Well, 2000 has come and gone and we are in the new millennium with still more new Christian music. Christian & Mainstream music sales were lower in 2000 than in years past, but 2001 is looking like it may be better.
There is a new studio album from dc Talk in the coming months, new CDs from Sixpence, Steven Curtis Chapman, Amy Grant, Third Day, Anointed and others.
Speaking of the group Anointed...According to an article in Billboard magazine, Denice "Nee-C" Walls, one of the founding members of the group Anointed is leaving the group. The parting is reportedly on good terms and Walls is said to have left to "pursue other interests." There has been no word on what the future may hold for the group.
The new CD that is slated for 2001 may or may not have tracks with Denice on them. Either way it will be most excellent!
Teen Pop Music topping sales
Perhaps the year's biggest surprise in Christian music was the avalanche of teen pop that hit during the summer months. Copies of Plus One's The Promise, Rachael Lampa’s Live for You and Stacie Orrico’s Genuine flew off store shelves even as critics questioned the wisdom of teenagers starting such public and demanding careers. Several girl groups such as ZOEgirl, V*Enna, Aurora, ShineMK and Whisper Loud also be-bopped their way into Christian music, to varying degrees of success.
With teen pop showing no signs of slowing down thanks to listeners’ voracious appetites for all things Britney, Christina, ’N Sync and Backstreet, Christian music's first boy band is finding unprecedented success. Slickly-produced, feel-good pop tunes combined with hip choreography and picture perfect good looks make Plus One a natural fit in a genre of music that's taken the nation by storm. A brief look at the group's recent accomplishments proves that these five young men could very well be on their way to joining their general market counterparts in becoming household names.
The group's debut disc, The Promise, which released May 10, 2000 set immediate Christian sales records and sold out at summer festivals. Over 150,000 copies had been purchased in just under four months!
Big Tent says Farewell
In an exclusive CCMmagazine.com interview, Big Tent Revival lead singer Steve Wiggins outlined what he calls a "collective decision" for the band to take the next year or so off to rest and recuperate from a grueling tour schedule, most recently to promote the disc Choose Life. "We're not really breaking up," Wiggins maintains. "Everyone just feels called to walk away for a while."
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