Kymm Lowery (Beach Park, IL), John McKoy (Monroe, NC) & Melinda Watts (Fair Oaks, CA) Are the Final Three in American Idol(R) Gospel/Christian Style TV Series Gospel Dream 2008 on Gospel Music Channel Season Finale Airs Sunday Night, June 29 at 9:00 P.M. ET
ATLANTA, June 25 /PRNewswire/ -- The dream of a musical career is closer
than ever for three aspiring Gospel/Christian music singers who have made it
to the finals of the Gospel Music Channel television network's American
Idol(R)-inspired talent search series Gospel Dream 2008.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080625/CLW083 )
After months of passionate music performances and intense competition, the
destiny of Kymm Lowery of Beach Park, Ill., John McKoy Jr. of Monroe, N.C. and
Melinda Watts of Fair Oaks, Calif. will be decided this Sunday, June 29th when
Gospel Music Channel crowns the winner of the third season of Gospel Dream
2008 at 9:00 p.m. (ET/PT).
To make it to the finals, Lowery, McKoy and Watts were chosen from among
thousands of hopefuls from all Gospel/Christian styles, including traditional,
soul, rock, blues and country, who competed at auditions in Chicago, Los
Angeles, Phoenix, Miami and Atlanta; and then outlasted the 16 singers who
were invited to Nashville to perform in four rounds of televised competitions.
The new Gospel Dream winner will be chosen by Gospel/Christian music's
version of Simon, Paula and Randy: GRAMMY award-winning record
producer/songwriter Big Jim Wright, Dove and Stellar award-winning cross-
cultural worship music artist/songwriter Martha Munizzi and one of Gospel
music's most prolific talents and part of one of music's hottest production
companies (PJAM) J Moss, who have been offering their honest criticism and
praise in narrowing the competition to the final three. Fans and viewers can
vote for their favorites online to see if their choice aligns with the judges
at http://www.gospelmusicchannel.com/shows/gospeldream
Lowery, who sang Donald Lawrence's classic "Say a Prayer" to make the
finals, auditioned in Chicago, just outside her hometown of Beach Park, Ill.
J Moss calls her an "amazing talent with star potential." This is 25-year-old
Lowery's second shot at her Gospel Dream. She made the top 10 during the
first season of the GMC series and recorded Munizzi's "Glorious" for the
Gospel Dream 2006 season soundtrack.
"My Gospel Dream 2008 experience has been a phenomenal experience -- life-
changing and at the same time -- refreshing. During the competition, I was
very focused and I believe I went to a new dimension vocally because of the
experience alone," said Lowery.
McKoy impressed judge Munizzi with his performance of Smokie Norful's
version of "Run to You," because "he comes from a place of sincerity and we
can feel your heart," she told the 34-year-old who auditioned in Atlanta.
"I've always had dreams of singing to millions of people across the world
and have never participated in anything as big as Gospel Dream before," McKoy
says. "Gospel Dream has resurrected dreams that were deep inside me from
childhood and has made me realize that those dreams were not dead and that God
surely has a purpose and a plan for my life."
Producer Wright told 29-year-old Watts after her performance of
contemporary worship song "In Christ Alone" that "you look like you are
supposed to be an artist that people are running to arenas to see." The
mother of six-month old daughter Lyric, Watts traveled from their home in the
Sacramento area of Northern Calif. to begin her Gospel Dream 2008 journey at
the auditions in Los Angeles.
Says Watts: "God's grace brought me here to Gospel Dream! A lot of faith
in God and remembering that it's okay to dream even when you feel you can't."
The winner of Gospel Dream 2008 will receive a record & music video deal
and a Royal Caribbean Cruise. Gospel Dream 2008 is hosted by popular
artist/songwriter Matthew West with backstage reporting by GMC Insider's Kelly
Sutton. Celebrity musical mentors who coached the contestants throughout the
series include PAJAM, Myron Butler, Bernie Herms, Lesley Moore and Darlene
McCoy. The Gospel Dream series was created by Executive Producer Elvin Ross
who is also the series' executive producer and musical director.
Gospel Music Channel ( http://www.gospelmusicchannel.com ) is the nation's
first and only 24/7 television network devoted to the uplifting, inspiring and
diverse music that is Gospel/Christian music. Gospel Music Channel is the
fastest-growing network in television today and can be seen in nearly 40
million homes on various cable systems around the country and on DIRECTV
channel 338.
SOURCE Gospel Music Channel
