Tauren Wells Announced As Host & Performer For 54th GMA Dove Awards

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (September 19, 2023)
The GMA Dove Awards sold-out Nashville event will be held October 17th, 2023, and will air exclusively on TBN and the TBN app, Friday, October 20th, 2023 at 8:00p.m. ET and 10:00p.m. ET

The Gospel Music Association is pleased to announce Tauren Wells as the host for the 54th Annual GMA Dove Awards. Named the GMA Dove Awards Contemporary Christian Artist of the Year and New Artist of the Year in 2018, the eight-time winner and 17-time nominee will also be performing on the show. The GMA Dove Awards are happening live and in person in Nashville, TN, on October 17th, 2023 at the Allen Arena. Tickets for the live show are sold-out. Tune in to the broadcast exclusively on TBN and the TBN app, Friday, October 20th, 2023 at 8:00p.m. ET and 10:00p.m. ET, with an encore presentation on October 27th, 2023 at 8:00p.m. ET and 10:00p.m. ET.

Tauren Wells is a celebrated platinum-selling musician, preacher, public speaker and father, with eight GMA Dove Awards (including Contemporary Christian Artist of the Year and New Artist of the Year), 10 GRAMMY® nominations and a Billboard Music Award nomination. In addition, Wells has achieved six number 1’s, 330+ million career video views and over 1.1 billion global streams to date and counting. Through his precise artistry, masterful lyrics and dance-oriented performances, Tauren uniquely connects his contemporary Christian and Gospel sound with elements of pop, hip-hop and R&B. With “Joy In The Morning” (2022), his first record with Capitol Records/CCMG and third career album, he emphasizes his genre-bending musical talent and limitless creative range— drawing from a lifetime of influences across gospel, pop, R&B, and more. Wells continues to inspire joy with his latest body of work Take It All Back. Released in August 2023, the four-song EP includes high-impact collaborations with We The Kingdom, Davies and Fred Hammond, plus a powerful new version of “Crazy About You.” Having toured with industry greats (Lionel Richie, Mariah Carey, etc.) and performing on Good Morning America, Fox & Friends, Tamron Hall Show and The Kelly Clarkson Show, Wells most recently brought his show stopping vocals and electrifying signature dance production across the U.S. with his “Joy in the Morning” headline tour. Born and raised in Michigan, Tauren currently resides in Texas with his wife and four sons. In 2024, The Wells family will be opening a church in Austin, TX called the Church of Whitestone.

“I’m excited and honored to be hosting this year’s GMA Dove Awards – truly such a special celebration of Christian and Gospel music,” says Wells.

The theme for the 54th Annual GMA Dove Awards is Joyful Echo. Isaiah 42:12 from The Message says, “Make God’s glory resound, echo His praises from coast to coast.”

“What Joyful Echo makes me think of is the writer in scripture that says one generation will tell another of the greatness of God. That essentially the goodness of God will be echoed from one generation to another,” says Wells. “What joy it brings the believer to be able to tell those coming from behind us how great, how good, how awesome God is. It’s also cool to note that as you declare God’s praises and sing of His goodness, it reverberates throughout history the greatness of our God.”

To download images of the host, click here. For official social media assets, click here. Logos for the 54th Annual GMA Dove Awards are located here. For the complete list of nominees, visit doveawards.com

The 54th Annual GMA Dove Awards are produced by the Gospel Music Association. Jackie Patillo and Justin Fratt serve as showrunners and executive producers, alongside Curtis Stoneberger and Paul Wright as producers. Russell E. Hall returns as director, Michael Nolan as scriptwriter, Scott Moore and Go Live Productions as production manager.