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JFH Music News Report

SINGER / SONGWRITER CHRIS RENZEMA RECEIVES 8.75+ MILLION STREAMS FOR CENTRICITY MUSIC DEBUT, LET THE GROUND REST

Air1 Spins “Springtime” As Renzema’s Sophomore Album Gathers Acclaim


Chris Renzema, Let the Ground Rest


2020/05/06.ChrisRenzemaReceives8MillionStreamsForCentricityMusicDebutLetTheGroundRest.asp
NEWS SOURCE: Hoganson Media
May 6, 2020

Recording artist and songwriter Chris Renzema released his sophomore, full-length album and Centricity Music debut, Let The Ground Rest, April 24 amidst acclaim. After week one at retail and streaming outlets globally, the album has already logged more than 8.75 million streams across multiple platforms.

“Acoustic/folk artist Chris Renzema has been one of the best-kept secrets of the independent music scene in the last few years,” says Jesusfreakhideout.com, labeling him “a breath-of-fresh-air to Christian music listeners… In a word, this album is prescient. He couldn’t have known it at the time, but his personal struggle with allowing ‘the ground to rest’ during the creation of these songs would be a very apropos message for what the world has experienced so far in 2020.”

“‘Springtime’ is such an appropriate opening for Let the Ground Rest,” adds The Phantom Tollbooth. “Not only does it coincide with the current calendar season, but it offers hope for what ills the world ‘cause death is dead and gone with the winter.’ That may seem like wishful thinking in light of the news, but even now We will sing a new song … Reaching towards the light/Your love is like springtime.”

The latest to discover his music are the more than three million listeners to the Air1 Radio Network. Although not serviced as a radio single, the network discovered and began playing Let The Ground Rest‘s lead track, “Springtime,” this past week.

“The heartbeat behind Let The Ground Rest is the idea that growth comes from periods of rest, of barrenness,” shares Renzema. “It’s a process to exist, to learn and understand God’s love. While His love is not seasonal, we go through seasons as we understand and experience it. Spring is not spring without winter, and that process is a good thing.”

In between the opening and closing tracks, Renzema shares real-life, hopeful messages along with worship in singles like “17” and “Better.” The latter song was written “as a sort of ‘get well soon’ card to the world, having no idea I’d be releasing it during a worldwide pandemic and a national quarantine, but here we are,” says Renzema. “I hope this song can be a prayer for tired hearts in this crazy time, but if not that then at least a small note from me to you, saying, ‘I hope you get well soon.’”

Connecting with thousands of fans during an Instagram Live virtual listening party when the album released, Renzema is also giving away over 140 gift cards to coffee shops across the US in markets he was originally scheduled to perform before the pandemic hit, including San Diego, Phoenix, Minneapolis, Columbus and more. “In order to both celebrate the album release and support local businesses, I decided that I want to buy you a cup of coffee for when this is all over,” says Renzema on his Instagram.

For all the latest Chris Renzema tour, music and more news, visit http://chrisrenzema.com/, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music.

About Chris Renzema:

Shifting seamlessly from indie rock to folk worship to Americana, Renzema’s voice and lyrics cut to the bone singing about hope and echoing the universality of both pain and praise. With more than 36 million audio streams of his first album, I’ll Be The Branches, over one million Spotify track saves over the last 12 months and Pandora naming him a 2020 “Artist to Watch,” Renzema’s groundswell continues to build, all organically. “The music we’re making isn’t being engineered to hit any playlists or radio or anything like that,” says Renzema. “The strategy is to let it hit the people that want it already and let that inform where it’s going. We’re taking the toolbox we have and refining it, not adjusting or changing or moving it.”

About Centricity Music: 

Centricity is an independent Christian music company based in Franklin, TN. Founded in 2005 with a commitment to artist development and stylistic diversity, its artist roster includes Andrew Peterson, Apollo LTD, Caitie Hurst, Chris Renzema, Coby James, Jason Gray, Jonny Diaz, Jordan Feliz, Lauren Daigle, Neon Feather, North Point Worship, PEABOD and Unspoken. Providing label and publishing services, Centricity is a family-owned organization, and they like it that way. The committed work of its staff and artists has yielded successes such as Grammy Awards, Billboard Awards, Dove Awards, K-Love Fan Awards, and multiple Gold and Platinum Albums and Singles. For more information on Centricity Music, visit www.centricitymusic.com.



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For more info on Chris Renzema, visit the JFH Artists Database.


 

 

 

 

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