Three Finalists, Only One will Live Their Gospel Dream

Kymm Lowery (Beach Park, IL), John McKoy (Monroe, NC) & Melinda Watts (Fair Oaks, CA) are the Final Three in American Idol® Gospel/Christian Style TV Series Gospel Dream 2008 on Gospel Music Channel

Season Finale Airs Sunday Night, June 29 at 9:00 P.M. ET

Contact: Jim Weiss, Gospel Music Channel, 770-692-4563, jim@gospelmusicchannel.com

ATLANTA, June 25 /Christian Newswire/ -- The dream of a musical career is closer than ever for three aspiring Gospel/Christian music singers who have made it to the finals of the Gospel Music Channel television network's American Idol®-inspired talent search series Gospel Dream 2008.

After months of passionate music performances and intense competition, the destiny of Kymm Lowery of Beach Park, Ill., John McKoy Jr. of Monroe, N.C. and Melinda Watts of Fair Oaks, Calif. will be decided this Sunday, June 29th when Gospel Music Channel crowns the winner of the third season of Gospel Dream 2008 at 9:00 p.m. (ET/PT).

Photo: From Left to Right -- Gospel Dream 2008 Finalists: John McKoy of Monroe NC; Melinda Watts from Fair Oaks, CA; Gospel Dream 2008 Host Matthew West; and Kymm Lowery of Beach Park, IL. McKoy, Watts and Lowery are the three final contestants in Gospel Music Channel television network's American Idol®-inspired talent search series Gospel Dream 2008. The winner will be announced Sunday night, June 29 at 9:00 pm ET.

To make it to the finals, Lowery, McKoy and Watts were chosen from among thousands of hopefuls from all Gospel/Christian styles, including traditional, soul, rock, blues and country, who competed at auditions in Chicago, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Miami and Atlanta; and then outlasted the 16 singers who were invited to Nashville to perform in four rounds of televised competitions.

The new Gospel Dream winner will be chosen by Gospel/Christian music's version of Simon, Paula and Randy: GRAMMY award-winning record producer/songwriter Big Jim Wright, Dove and Stellar award-winning cross-cultural worship music artist/songwriter Martha Munizzi and one of Gospel music's most prolific talents and part of one of music's hottest production companies (PJAM) J Moss, who have been offering their honest criticism and praise in narrowing the competition to the final three. Fans and viewers can vote for their favorites online to see if their choice aligns with the judges at http://www.gospelmusicchannel.com/shows/gospeldream.

Lowery, who sang Donald Lawrence's classic "Say a Prayer" to make the finals, auditioned in Chicago, just outside her hometown of Beach Park, Ill. J Moss calls her an "amazing talent with star potential." This is 25-year-old Lowery's second shot at her Gospel Dream. She made the top 10 during the first season of the GMC series and recorded Munizzi's "Glorious" for the Gospel Dream 2006 season soundtrack.

"My Gospel Dream 2008 experience has been a phenomenal experience -- life-changing and at the same time -- refreshing. During the competition, I was very focused and I believe I went to a new dimension vocally because of the experience alone," said Lowery.

McKoy impressed judge Munizzi with his performance of Smokie Norful's version of "Run to You," because "he comes from a place of sincerity and we can feel your heart," she told the 34-year-old who auditioned in Atlanta.

"I've always had dreams of singing to millions of people across the world and have never participated in anything as big as Gospel Dream before," McKoy says. "Gospel Dream has resurrected dreams that were deep inside me from childhood and has made me realize that those dreams were not dead and that God surely has a purpose and a plan for my life."

Producer Wright told 29-year-old Watts after her performance of contemporary worship song "In Christ Alone" that "you look like you are supposed to be an artist that people are running to arenas to see." The mother of six-month old daughter Lyric, Watts traveled from their home in the Sacramento area of Northern Calif. to begin her Gospel Dream 2008 journey at the auditions in Los Angeles.

Says Watts: "God's grace brought me here to Gospel Dream! A lot of faith in God and remembering that it's okay to dream even when you feel you can't." The winner of Gospel Dream 2008 will receive a record & music video deal and a Royal Caribbean Cruise. Gospel Dream 2008 is hosted by popular artist/songwriter Matthew West with backstage reporting by GMC Insider's Kelly Sutton. Celebrity musical mentors who coached the contestants throughout the series include PAJAM, Myron Butler, Bernie Herms, Lesley Moore and Darlene McCoy. The Gospel Dream series was created by Executive Producer Elvin Ross who is also the series' executive producer and musical director.

Gospel Music Channel is the nation's first and only 24/7 television network devoted to the uplifting, inspiring and diverse music that is Gospel/Christian music. Gospel Music Channel is the fastest-growing network in television today and can be seen in nearly 40 million homes on various cable systems around the country and on DIRECTV channel 338.