A week after the 56el annual Dove Awards in Nashville, musicians and fans are still buzzing about electronic artist Forrest Frank’s decision to boycott the ceremony.
Frank was not at the Bridgestone Arena last Tuesday to receive Dove’s Artist of the Year award. A few days before, he announced on social media that he didn’t feel right getting an award for simply engaging in worship.
“I will not receive a trophy for something that is from Jesus and for Jesus,” he said in a video posted on Instagram, “I feel a conviction to go even a step further and say, ‘I don’t know if I even want to step on the stage; I don’t know if I want to step in the room.
“I have decided to take a stance of non-participation. I will not be attending the Doves or the Grammys.”
Ironically, the only way Frank won Artist of The Year was through personally submitting his music to the Gospel Music Association. Numerous people noted that incongruity on Instagram.
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Frank’s stance made national headlines when it was featured Friday in People Magazine. It also caused a ripple of discomfort across Nashville. Artists like Mike Donehey of Tenth Avenue North, Dan Bremnes, and Austin Cain all posted responses on their social media channels, saying they didn’t attend the Dove Awards for notoriety, but to celebrate their friends and support artists.
Mainstream rapper Jelly Roll (aka Jason Bradley Deford) asked why Frank was willing to still receive profits from his craft.
“I love that you said, ‘I don’t want to get a trophy for something that’s from Jesus for Jesus’ which is awesome – but also make MILLIONS of dollars doing that same thing that is From Jesus for Jesus,” Jelly Roll said.
Frank has been a bit of an outlier in the industry ever since he fractured two back vertebrae in July and wrote a song about it called “Lemonade.”
After many prayers were posted for Frank, he said his back was healed, but not before rocker Crowder, country singer Cory Asbury and Matthew West made follow-up jokes about their own injuries online. In August, Crowder announced that he broke his left leg, apparently while grilling meat, and had emergency surgery. He posted about the incident online and tongue-in-cheek thanked Frank for his prayers.
West joined the shenanigans after he received a bee sting on his left finger, releasing the now-deleted song “Honey.” Asbury then took it a step further, and made a video about his recent vasectomy.
Frank responded with another video, saying he took offense to Asbury’s joke. West and Asbury removed their posts and apologized to Frank en línea. Frank and Asbury later collaborated on a song “Misunderstood.”
Frank’s boycott was on the minds of some at the Dove Awards and host and artist Tauren Wells seemed to clearly address Frank’s concerns about trophies.
“Without Jesus we have no songs to sing. Without Jesus we have no stories to tell. We have no scripts to write, no books. We have no platforms. We have no Instagram followers. We have no subscribers. We have nothing to celebrate if it had not been for the Lord who is on your side,” he said.
“But because of Jesus, we have everything to celebrate . . . It is not about us. It’s not about our songs or our creativity; it’s about Jesus’ songs and about Jesus’ story.”
When gospel great CeCe Winans accepted the award for Gospel Song of the Year, she backed Wells up in responding to Frank’s concerns.
“Like Tauren said earlier, we don’t do what we do for this (award), we do what we do for Jesus,” she said.
“We get a chance to worship all over the world and do what we do. We have an awesome responsibility to bring as many people as we can when Jesus returns . . . Let’s remember why we do what we do so God would be glorified and so that as many souls as possible would come to know who Jesus is.”
Thousands of artists and guests were in the arena for the event, hosted by the Gospel Music Association. It has been a rough year for the industry, which has grappled with the fallout of sexual assault allegations against former Newsboys frontman Michael Tait and subsequently a lost record deal for the band.
The big winner at the Dove Awards was Brandon Lake, who took home five awards. He was performing his award-winning song “Hard Fought Hallelujah” with Jelly Roll when water — or rain in the indoor arena — began pouring down on the stage on the men and their band.
They continued performing anyway, which galvanized the audience.
Jessica Morris is a music periodista, podcaster and author based in Melbourne, Australia.
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8 Responses
Forrest Frank decided this on a personal conviction. Other artists seemed to take it as a judgement. That’s their issue not his. It’s not a boycott ~ it was a decision he made based on personal beliefs. How does this story contribute to “restoring the church”?
He clearly had a change of heart after he submitted his music. Do the other artists feel guilty? Why are they snarky towards him? It’s fine if they do not feel convicted to not participate, but don’t criticize someone else for what they believe.
Wow finally a Christian musician understands it’s about praising god and not fulfillment of one’s own narcissist self love for their own glory. The dove award vs Grammys awards. Not much difference other than the dove awards have people dressing with slightly more modesty.
It’s good to have a personal conviction. Yet when you decide to announce it on social media, don’t be surprised if people question the intention. Also, don’t expect others to follow suit; I know church people can be good for claiming “I’m just telling you MY conviction” as a backhanded way of saying they expect YOU (or other “real Christians”) to follow suit. Convictions should come from the Spirit, not passive aggressive, manipulative attempts at condemning or shaming.
As for awards shows, I personally have no problem with them for a few reasons:
– all sorts of industries have them to recognize excellence in quality of work and achievement; I’ve attended and/or been invited to them for consulting, banking, retail, tech, construction, architecture, and interior design….and found hearing the stories of various achievements to be inspiring.
– these events are also great for networking; I found both jobs and clients via connects made at an awards show
– I like being exposed to other people and their bodies of work I would not have normally met or come across in my usual network; it expands my horizons and network.
I have seen awards shows for acting and music (aka “Hollywood”) in the same way. I’ve been exposed to actors/artists and their work that would’ve never been in my playlist/streaming queue and been blessed by the discovery. I think the recent “anti-awards show” attitudes are really moreso about politics than anything else – people mad that an artist they like doesn’t vote like them. They can do what they want; and what someone else does shouldn’t be your influence anyway!
In the end, man gives the award, God gives the REWARD. Isn’t that what matters?
I have tried to picture Jesus attending the dove awards. Jesus hung out with the lowly, outcast and sinners. It is hard for me to picture Jesus all dressed up in fancy attire and gold jewelry walking down the red carpet to attend such an event.
I wonder if he’s willing to accept money for his worship? or is it just awards that he’s eschewing?
Was there any mention in the awards ceremony of the huge scandal that has engulfed a certain top Christian music band from Nashville Tennessee?
That is the test. Period.
Forest posted a statement of his own personal conviction. He said nothing about anyone else. If I said I do not drink alcohol because of my own conviction, that doing so would make me feel separate from God, does that automatically offend anyone who follows Jesus and still drinks wine with dinner? If it offends you, then maybe you need to look in the mirror and reflect on your own stance.