MercyMe lead-singer Bart Millard co-hosted the 45th Annual GMA Dove Awards with Lecrae Tuesday night, and even so, had no idea what was in store following the band's lively performance of their No. 1 radio single "Greater." As the multi-platinum, award-winning band wrapped, the band's manager, Scott Brickell and Fair Trade Service's President Jeff Moseley presented MercyMe with a plaque commemorating 2 million downloads of their worldwide hit "I Can Only Imagine," followed by a standing ovation from the audience. "I Can Only Imagine" is the first single in the Christian genre to receive RIAA Double-Platinum Certification and also made history as the first to go Platinum. The GMA Dove Awards drew a record attendance at Lipscomb University's Allen Arena, and the entire show will be broadcast exclusively on Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) on Sunday, October 12.
In addition to MercyMe taking home a win for Short Form Video of the Year with "Shake," Millard shared his excitement about hosting the awards: "The entire night was really pretty awesome! I didn't see the 2 million download thing coming at all. It was pretty surreal to be onstage with Lecrae as well - just unbelievable really, and overall a great night - I had a blast!"
This past April, Welcome to the New, which has been called the band’s “best effort to date,” nabbed the highest debut of the week landing at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the Billboard Christian Albums chart. The album peaked at No. 3 on the iTunes® Overall Albums Chart and No. 1 on its Christian Albums Chart.