The accolades continue to grow for Aaron Shust and his incredible career, as he was just fan-voted as Best Inspirational Artist on the About.com 2012 Readers’ Choice Awards. Voting began on the popular website February 22 with fans nominating twenty artists, and the top five artists who garnered the most votes became the finalists. Voting ended March 21 with Shust winning the category.
“I am so honored by this award and the support of my wonderful fans,” says Shust. “It means so much to me that people took the time to vote and I want to thank each and every one of you. And thank you to About.com for providing this opportunity for the fans’ voices to be heard.”
Shust just ended an incredible fourteen-week run on five Christian music charts at #1 with his last single, My Hope Is In You. His second single, RisenToday, is currently going for adds at radio. Both songs are from Shust’s current CD, This Is What We Believe on Centricity Music.
For more information on Shust and his touring schedule, which includes dates for the Called To Love Tour, please visit online at www.aaronshust.com <http://www.aaronshust.com> .
Due to the strong support of The Called To Love Tour last fall, a spring leg of the tour has been announced and will once again feature Centricity Music artists, Downhere, Aaron Shust and Jason Gray. The Called To Love Tour will run through March 15 - May 12, and will be sponsored by World Vision. Last year’s tour was a hit with audiences and brought powerful and fun-loving nights of ministry across the country.
“Jason Gray, Aaron Shust, and Downhere brought the house down at the Paramount Theater in Abilene, TX,” says promoter, Ken L. Fincher. “Their show was amazing and is still being talked about some 3 months later! These guys are gracious, inspiring, humble yet very engaging and entertaining. From the opening first song to the finale, audience members were on their feet, hands raised high, singing along to each song. It was truly a blessed evening.”
“We love these guys!,” exclaims promoters David & Susie Hartness of the Wilmington, NC date. “Not only are they very gifted musicians and songwriters, but they are such genuine and humble men who share God's love through word and song. We've hosted several of these artists more than one time, and they always exceed our expectations. If the spring leg of The Called To Love Tour comes anywhere near you please don’t miss it!”
All three participating artists will continue to showcase the great successes from their 2011 projects. Aaron Shust has achieved a record-breaking twelve-week run in the #1 spot on the AC Monitor chart with his hit single, My Hope is In You. The tune was also the Top 20 song of 2011 on Billboard’s year-end chart and recently was the #1 downloaded song on iTunes. The single is from Aaron’s CD, This Is What We Believe. Downhere’s song, Rest is #26 on the AC Indicator chart, and it’s from their critically acclaimed CD, On The Altar Of Love. Among the rave reviews for the album is JesusFreakHideout.com who exclaims…….one of the best releases of the year and earns Downhere another “A” on their report card.
Jason Gray’s single, Remind Who I Am was #15 for nine weeks on the AC Monitor chart, currently #8 on AC Indicator, has entered the CHR chart, is KLOVE’s #1 song, and was iTunes #1 downloaded song. The single is from Gray’s current CD, A Way To See In The Dark that was voted the #1 Album of the Year by the music website, Sound Opinion.
A hearty congratulations are in order for Centricity Music’s Aaron Shust for reaching a career milestone. Shust’s single, “My Hope Is In You,” this week became the longest running #1 song in 2011 on the AC Monitor chart, which remained in the top spot for eight weeks. The single also was #1 on the iTunes Single Christian chart last week. This is the longest running #1 for Shust as an artist and is the first #1 hit at AC radio for Centricity Music. The project is Shust’s debut with Centricity Music and the song is from the album, This Is What We Believe.
“What an amazing song! What an amazing artist!,” exclaims Mike Prendergast, Program Director, KLTY, Dallas, TX.
"With the economy and condition of our world the past few years so many people are losing hope,” says Joe Buchanan, Music Director, New Life Media. “I'm so grateful we have a song like 'My Hope Is In You' to point people to where true hope can be rediscovered.”
Shust’s follow-up single, “Risen Today” from This Is What We Believe, will go for adds at radio January 20, 2012. The song is a re-make of the well-loved hymn, “Christ The Lord Is Risen Today,” and gives the classic tune an upbeat delivery but with the same respect for the message of the lyrics. Fans will have the chance to hear Shust perform the song live on the spring leg of the highly-popular Called To Love Tour that launces in March 2012.
Aaron Shust’s single, My Hope Is In You, continues to resonate with fans and is showing no signs of slowing down. The song reached the #1 position on the AC Monitor chart last week after enjoying the top position on the AC Indicator chart for the past five weeks and on the Soft AC chart for six weeks. The tune continues to show strong support from radio with powerhouse WPOZ/Orlando, FL adding the single this week. This is a historic song for Shust’s label, Centricity Music, as it marks Centricity’s first #1 AC hit. Shust signed with Centricity Music in January 2011 and this is his debut single and album, This Is What We Believe for the label.
“When we signed Aaron we felt he was a great fit for the Centricity family and the label had a strong belief in his talent and ministry,” says Caren Seidle, General Manager, Centricity Music. “We are proud to have our first AC number one with him. The success of My Hope Is In You is the quintessential team effort, from Aaron and our A&R department making a stellar record with Ed Cash, to the radio department tirelessly working the song to our friends at Christian radio. I want to thank each person who was helped take this song to number one. Even though we have had radio success in the past, it sure sounds sweet to be able to say My Hope Is In You, the number one song from Aaron Shust.
Fans across the country are hearing Shust perform the hit song, along with other selections from the new project, on The Called To Love Tour. The tour teams Shust with his new labelmates, Jason Gray and Downhere.
Aaron Shust delivered Centricity Music an important milestone as My Hope Is In You stayed at #1 on the AC Indicator Chart for the third week, while the song is enjoying its fourth week at the top of the chart on the Soft AC chart. This marks Centricity Music’s first #1 AC single. At the same time, the song is #4 at AC Monitor, while reaching the #1 position on the Canadian Christian Radio Chart. My Hope Is In You is the first single from Shust’s debut project for Centricity Music, This Is What We Believe. This is Shust’s third chart-topping single of his career with My Savior, My God and O Come O Come Emmanuel going to #1 in 2006 and 2007 respectively.
Shust is currently on the road with The Called To Love Tour that launched Oct. 1. Shust joins his Centricity Music labelmates, Downhere and Jason Gray. For tour updates please visit www.centricitymusic.com <http://www.centricitymusic.com> .
Centricity Music has announced an exciting new tour for this fall that features three of their artists…. Downhere, Aaron Shust and Jason Gray. World Vision presents The Called To Love Tour that launches October 1st and runs through November 13th. All three artists are releasing new projects this fall; Aaron Shust This Is What We Believe (8/23), Downhere, On The Altar Of Love (8/23), and Jason Gray A Way To See In The Dark (9/13). The teaming of these popular and high-profile artists will bring audiences a meaningful and fun evening of worship and music.
“This will be my 6th tour with Downhere, a group of guys that I not only respect and love, but also have lived a lot of life with them on the road,” says Jason Gray. “I’m a fan. I love their new record and am grateful that I get to be part of sharing it with their audience. I’ve gotten to know Aaron over the past year, too - a humble man of God who pursues excellence in his passion to honor God. I’m excited to get to know him better and am grateful to be a part of this exciting chapter of his ministry. I’m honored to be in such great company and it will be fun for us to all share in celebrating the release of our new records. That we get to serve Jesus together while also partnering with World Vision is more than I should hope for, but am grateful. The only problem is that sharing the stage with such excellent people will mean I’ll have to work harder. Thanks a lot guys - why do you have to be so awesome?!”
“Any time we get to hit the road with our music, we consider it a privilege and a joy,” adds Marc Martel, leader singer, Downhere. “When we get to go out with good friends like Jason Gray and Aaron Shust, it is even more rewarding, giving the fans a unified, well-rounded experience with performers who not only share the same bus, but also the same heart and vision.”
"I couldn't agree more with Marc and Jason; chemistry is so important when doing Kingdom work,” says Aaron Shust. ”Even though what we do is described as 'playing', an artist's work can be emotionally draining, so having like-minded brothers to walk with on the journey and pour back into your life is a blessing. I'm so grateful to have those relationships in my band and on this tour with Jason Gray and Downhere."
For more information about the tour please visit www.centricitymusic.com and for the individual artists; www.downhere.com, www.aaronshust.com and www.jasongraymusic.com.
Dove award winning artist Aaron Shust, traveled to Indiana, PA to shoot his new video for the hit single, My Hope Is In You. Vinegar Hill Creative oversaw the production with David Altrogge and Michael Harnet serving as directors for the taping. The video will world premiere on HearitFirst.com and will also have special promotions to coincide with the premiere.
The concept of the video is a couple turning to their faith as their daughter faces medical issues. It’s a subject familiar to Shust as he faced his own life threatening medical struggles with his 2-year-old son, Nicky. Due to a miraculous healing after months of prayer, Nicky is now a healthy toddler and doing very well.
My Hope Is In You was the most added song on the radio add date two weeks ago and was the second most added last week. The single is currently on three charts; AC Monitored, New & Active (#33); AC Indicator, charted at #24; INSP, charted at #18; and starting to receive adds on the CHR chart.
For more information and tour updates on Aaron Shust please visit online at www.aaronshust.com or www.centricitymusic.com.
Centricity Music announced today that five-time Dove Award winning artist, Aaron Shust, has signed with the label. Shust’s first Centricity project is scheduled for an early summer release and he is currently writing new songs for the album. The first single is expected to ship to radio early this year.
“I am thrilled to be working with a family like Centricity Music.,” says Shust. “Their commitment to spreading the good news of God's grace through their artists' music is refreshing, challenging and exciting.”
“We are so honored to add such a talented singer/songwriter as Aaron to our roster,” says Caren Seidle, General Manager, Centricity Music. “He is known for breaking molds and has been very successful with an individualistic approach to his music and ministry. We feel this signing will be a good match since Centricity Music supports the individual styles of each artist.”
Besides writing songs for the new CD, Shust completed a 50 city tour with Big Daddy Weave on the Hope Restored, Fall 2010 Tour. Shust remained active on the tour scene last year by performing on the Summer Block Party with 33 Miles and a spring tour with new labelmates, Downhere.
Shust exploded onto the Christian music scene in 2005 with his first album, Anything Worth Saying, which led to the artist singing with Brash Records. The second single from the project, “My Savior, My God,” started generating airplay on its own and rose to #19 on the Christian Radio & Records chart before being released to radio. Once released, it shot to #1 on six charts by April of 2006. At the GMA Awards in 2007, Shust was honored with three Dove Awards for Song of the Year ("My Savior, My God"), Songwriter of the Year, and New Artist of the Year. Shust’s second studio album, Whispered And Shouted, released in June 2007 and in 2009, Shust released his third and final CD for Brash Records, Take Over. The project included the Christian radio hit, “To God Alone.” At the 41st Annual Dove Awards this past spring, Shust won two awards; Veggie Tales Music: Here I Am To Worship (Children’s Music Album) and Glory Revealed II: The Word Of God In Worship (Special Event Album).
In the past year, Shust and his family (wife, Sarah and two sons, Daniel and Nicky) have moved back to his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is currently the worship leader at the church where he grew up, Crestmont Alliance Church in Aliquippa, PA. Shust had originally left Pittsburgh to attend Toccoa Falls College in Georgia and eventually became the worship leader at Perimeter Church in Atlanta. It was during his time at Perimeter that Shust wrote his first album.
For more information on Aaron Shust please visit, www.aaronshust.com.
Dove award winning artists Big Daddy Weave and Aaron Shust, along with Andy Kirk, will be bringing their passionate and elevating live performances to 45 cities across the country while on the Hope Restored Tour from August 27th through November 14th. Sponsored by Wycliffe Bible Translators affiliate, The Seed Company, the tour will raise awareness for its innovative program OneVerse which provides Bible translations for all languages across the globe.
Tickets are currently on sale and special VIP tickets (admitting holders to a separate meet and greet time with the tour’s artists) are available in most markets and are already in demand.
With five number one singles under their belts, Big Daddy Weave’s reputation for recording songs dear to the hearts of thousands is eclipsed only by their reputation for bringing incredible heart and passion to each and every live performance. Big Daddy Weave’s live performances are one-of-a-kind experiences that join the artist and audience in a unique, singular voice and the Hope Restored tour expands that experience even further for the band. “We are so excited to be a part of this amazing season of evenings on the Hope Restored Tour!” says Big Daddy Weave lead singer Mike Weaver. “I’ve personally been a big fan of Aaron Shust's music for the past few years. I look forward to sharing the stage around the incredible and ever timely cause of translating the most important message of all time into every language on our planet. We also have shared some serious road time with our good friend and gifted worship leader Andy Kirk and are very glad to be reunited for the tour as well.”
Also appearing on the Hope Restored Tour is three time Dove Award winning artist Aaron Shust, who is best known for the song “My Savior, My God,” the second most played CCM song of the decade behind “I Can Only Imagine” by MercyMe. The simple tune he penned for his local church took radio by storm, topping six different charts at once. “My Savior, My God” helped earn Aaron a trio of Dove Awards for Song of the Year, Songwriter of the Year and New Artist of the Year. It also propelled the Georgia-based singer into the spotlight and onto the road in a whirlwind of concerts, sharing the stage with the likes of MercyMe, Casting Crowns and Michael W. Smith. While on the Hope Restored Tour Aaron will be performing songs from his latest release, Take Over, and sharing the album’s central message of submission and relinquishing control to God. Shust comments, “One of the common threads that shows up in a lot of these songs is that we can’t achieve anything from our own efforts – certainly not salvation. We can work out our salvation, but it’s only through what Christ has done on the cross that we have any hope.”
Rounding out the tour is 22 year old, Nashville-based singer, Andy Kirk whose first single “Love Is the Only Thing,” from his debut album, Wake Up My Soul , hit #1 on Christian Radio Weekly’s Global AC indie chart, August 1, 2010. Before being approached by 1CN Records/Provident to record Wake Up My Soul Kirk lead music for one of America’s largest churches, LifeChurch in Oklahoma City, singing in front of over 3,000 -10,000 people a weekend. Kirk now serves as an Artist in Residence at Hopepark Church in Nashville in addition to keeping up with his nation-wide touring schedule.
For more information please visit:
http://hoperestoredtour.com/
http://www.bigdaddyweave.com/
http://www.aaronshust.com/
http://www.andykirk.tv/
http://www.oneverse.org/
33Miles and Aaron Shust are preparing to co-headline Food for the Hungry’s “Summer Block Party Tour,” a festival style concert kicking off on June 16 with tickets for only $5 at the door (there are no advance ticket sales). Among The Thirsty and NewFire are also set to perform with Pocket Full of Rocks appearing at select shows.
Adding to their long time relief and development work with the poor in more than 26 countries, Food for the Hungry will also be seeking child sponsorships on the tour to aid children in Haiti who have been displaced by the 2010 earthquake.
“We are thrilled to team up and hit the road with Aaron Shust, Among The Thirsty and NewFire,” says 33Miles’ Jason Barton. “This will surely be a powerful and fun tour. Plus, the work of Food For The Hungry speaks for itself, we are proud to partner with them on this tour to bring aid to thousands of Haitian children. The mission of child sponsorship is always one that has been close to our hearts. Partnering in ministry with Food For The Hungry is an honor.”
The 12-city tour is also partnering with local Christian radio in each market including KZKZ Ft. Smith, KXOJ Tulsa, WBGL Champaign, IL, Shine FM Chicago and American Family Radio to put on the event. The tour will start in Gulfport, Miss. and will finish on July 31 in Flint, Mich. (tour schedule is listed below).
For more information about the tour, visit www.FHSummerBlockParty.com. To learn more about Food For The Hungry, please visit www.fh.org
ATLANTA, Ga. - Billboard Magazine recently announced that "My Savior My God," the smash-hit from Dove Award-winner Aaron Shust, has been named the #2 Christian "Song of the Decade." The announcement adds yet another accolade to a song that fans have already purchased more than 500,000 times.
"My Savior My God" helped Shust garner three Dove Awards, including "Song of the Year," "Songwriter of the Year," and "New Artist of the Year." Additionally, "My Savior My God" was a #1 radio hit and ended 2006 as the most played song at Christian radio.
"It's amazing to see how God has used a simple song in such a profound way," said Shust. "I'm thankful and humbled to be a part of something that is much bigger than I think any of us would have imagined."
The milestone comes on the heels of Shust wrapping a headline tour with former American Idol Chris Sligh and worship artist Meredith Andrews. The tour hit more than 20 cities throughout the fall and included several sold-out shows. The tour supported Shust's new project, Take Over, which released in August to rave reviews, including The New York Times, which called the project, "Mr. Shust's third and best album, and one of this year's most impressive Christian records."
For more information about Aaron Shust, visit www.aaronshust.com.
Brash Music has announced the release of Aaron Shust’s Christmas EP. The digital project, Shust’s first for the holidays, is available exclusively at major online retailers including iTunes and Amazon.com. The Christmas EP’s three songs include “God Has Come To Earth” and “Silent Night.” The third, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” is already a Top 5 radio hit that has become a staple of Christian radio airplay during the Christmas season.
The release follows a busy year for Shust. In August, he released his third CD, Take Over, to rave reviews. The New York Times called the project, “Mr. Shust’s third and best album, and one of this year’s most impressive Christian records.” Worship Leader Magazine stated, “Take Over is built on songs. When you have a set of 12 songs that stand solidly on their own, you have a great release. And Take Over is that.”
Shust recently wrapped a headline tour with former American Idol Chris Sligh and worship artist Meredith Andrews. The tour hit more than 20 cities throughout the fall and included several sold-out shows.
ATLANTA, Ga. – Take Over, the third CD from best-selling, three-time Dove Award-winning male vocalist Aaron Shust, releases this week amid critical acclaim from the media. The New York Times has hailed the project as “Mr. Shust’s third and best album, and one of this year’s most impressive Christian records.”
Take Over is the eagerly anticipated follow-up to Shust’s critically acclaimed Whispered And Shouted (2007) and is produced by Rusty Varenkamp and Jason Ingram (10th Avenue North, Rush of Fools, Bebo Norman, Meredith Andrews). Shust wrote or co-wrote each of the twelve new songs on Take Over.
Aaron recently wrapped up a slate of festival and special event performances, which included GMA’s Immerse Conference in Nashville and the National Worship Leader Conference in Kansas City. He will join the “Glory Revealed” tour later this month, followed by headlining a 20-plus-city fall tour with Chris Sligh.
