NASHVILLE, TN. (Top40 Charts/ GMA Dove Awards) -
Aaron Shust, one of Christian Music's most successful artists, has added to his extensive string of accolades, as he was nominated for five GMA Dove Awards. Nominations include "Song of the Year," "Male Vocalist of the Year," "New Artist of the Year," "Worship Song of the Year" and "Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year." Other award nominations associated with Shust's work included a "Musical of the Year" nomination for a musical based on his hit song "My Savior My God."
The announcement follows a groundbreaking year for the debut artist in which Shust saw his hit single "My Savior My God" end 2006 as the year's most played song at Christian Radio on multiple formats with over 5 million impressions.
This week also marked the beginning of Shust's 40-city tour with MercyMe, which began with a stop in Tulsa, Okla., where Shust's performance was met with a standing ovation from the capacity crowd.
"I am absolutely stunned," said Shust. "I'll have to be honest that in the midst of kicking off the tour, I forgot that the announcements were today, so it's a total surprise. This year has been more amazing than I could have ever imagined. I'm humbled and speechless except to say 'thank you'."
In addition to the explosive radio success of "My Savior My God," Shust has seen two additional radio singles reach the Top 5, including his current song "Give It All Away," which continues to climb the radio charts and impact sales of his debut project, Anything Worth Saying. Accolades extend well beyond award nominations and radio, as fans embraced the debut record, whose sales have topped 140,000 units in the last twelve months alone.
Media exposure for Shust has been extensive as he began 2007 featured on the cover of January's CCM Magazine, selected as "Best New Artist" in the publication's "Reader's Choice Awards". Shust was also named runner-up in the categories of "Best Worship Artist" and "Best Song."
Other media appearances have included CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News, ESPN's "Outside The Lines" and TBS's "Storyline." Additionally, Shust has been featured in print publications such as The Atlanta Journal Constitution, Creative Loafing, Worship Leader/Song Discovery, Brio, CRW, R&R, More To Life, Christian Single, The Wichita Eagle and Christian Music Planet. He has also seen national talk radio and internet press exposure via American Family Radio, Family News In Focus, Christianity Today Online, CBN Online and CCM Magazine online.
