Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Danny Gokey, the third-place finisher on Season 8 of American Idol, has been nominated for four 2016 Dove Awards.

But the artist with the most nominations — six — is a singer who auditioned for American Idol in Season 9 and Season 11, but never made it to the big stage.

That would be Lauren Daigle, the 24-year-old who was named best new artist and earned the award for song of the year (“How Can It Be”) at the 2015 Dove Awards.

The Dove Awards celebrate the best in Christian music and are presented by the Gospel Music Association, which is based in Nashville.

This year’s awards will be presented Tuesday, Oct. 11 at Lipscomb University’s Allen Arena in Nashville. The event will be taped and air Sunday, Oct. 16 on Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN).

Lauren’s nominations include artist of the year. Other nominees for that honor include TobyMac, Lecrae, Hillsong United and For King & Country.

Danny is nominated for contemporary Christian artist of the year (Lauren is also nominated in that category), best pop/contemporary recorded song of the year for “Tell Your Heart to Beat Again,” best Christmas album for “Christmas is Here” and best short-form music video, again for “Tell Your Heart to Beat Again.”

Danny received his first-ever Dove Award nominations in 2015 for best new artist and song of the year, but both of those honors went to Lauren.

He also just released a Spanish version of his “Hope in Front of Me” album and has dozens of tour dates coming up, including a September appearance in Shippensburg, Pa. You can check those out on his Facebook page.

Head here for the full list of 2016 Dove Award nominees.