Contact: Lynn McCain
McCain & Co. Public Relations
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RIZEN NAMED “NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR” AT 2004 STELLARS
Win Caps Off A Phenomenal Year For Debut Group
Nashville, TN – (January 12, 2004) ChezMusique/Light Records retro gospel girl group RiZen was awarded the 2004 “New Artist of the Year” Stellar Award at the 19th Annual Stellar Awards ceremony held in Houston, TX this past Saturday evening. After receiving their award, the group performed “View the City” for a star-studded audience that included gospel luminaries CeCe Winans, Shelia E., Byron Cage, Kirk Franklin, Donnie McClurkin, Vickie Winans and more. The screaming crowd of over 6,000+ jumped to their feet as soon as RiZen took the stage.
RiZen also dazzled an audience of 3,000 at the Stellar Awards Nominees reception on Friday Night. As the group took the platform to receive their Nominee Certificates, Don Jackson, CEO/Founder & Executive Producer of the Stellar Awards, commented, "These Girls are awesome, and my...how they can perform." BET Legend, Dr. Bobby Jones, the evening’s co-host, immediately handed a microphone to lead singer Adriann Lewis and said, "Now, you know we can't get out of here until we VIEW THAT HOLY CITY,” whereupon Adriann and the girls went into an impromptu, a cappella version of “View The City,” which won a standing ovation from the crowd.
Following their official debut at the 2003 Bobby Jones International Gospel Industry Retreat in Las Vegas, NV, RiZen quickly became a media darling and favorite among music industry veterans. The popular group captured the first “New Artist Spotlight” award from Christian Retailing’s Retailer’s Choice Awards and a 2004 Hollywood Gospel Insider Music Award
nomination for “Female Group of the Year.” The group’s performances during the past year
have included the 8th Annual Multicultural Prism Awards in Hollywood, Stevie Wonder’s 8th Annual House Full of Toys Benefit Concert, The 19th Annual Stellar Awards, The Gospel Music Excellence Awards and Christian Retailing’s Retailer’s Choice Awards.
RiZen’s crowd-pleasing energy and sound are reminiscent of the girl groups of the 60s, such as The Caravans, which launched the careers of gospel music legends Shirley Caesar and Albertina Walker, among others. The onstage energy and gutsiness of RiZen’s live show has been compared to that of a young Aretha Franklin with a twist of early Tina Turner and a new millennium attitude.
RiZen is the first artist signed to the ChezMusique label, which was founded early last year by award-winning producer Sanchez Harley, a former artist and writer at Motown Records. Harley, who has helmed hit projects in both the secular and gospel fields for nearly every major record label in the music industry, has worked with a list of mega-artists that includes Kirk Franklin, Yolanda Adams, Hezekiah Walker, Daryl Coley, Kenny Rogers, Michael McDonald, John Hiatt, Patti Austin and numerous GMWA Mass Choir recordings. The winner of two Dove Awards, Harley has produced three GRAMMY Award-winning albums and six Stellar Award-winning albums through his production company, Chez Musical. For more information about Harley or ChezMusique visit www.sanchezharley.com or www.chezmusique.com.
RiZen's marketing and promotions arm is Light Records, one of three full-service labels that make up the Compendia Media Group, distributed worldwide, exclusively by KOCH Entertainment. Light Records is a division of Compendia Media Group, an integrated entertainment and media management company operating in the areas of music, home video, direct marketing, publishing and interactive TV.
For more information about RiZen or Light Records, visit www.rizen.biz, www.lightrecords.com or www.compendiamusic.com.
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