Singer CeCe Winans Makes History At The 2022 Dove Awards
There's no denying that CeCe Winans is a legend in the gospel music world. One of 10 children, Winans was born and raised in Detroit, with parents who only allowed gospel music to be played in the home. Although she grew up in a city where Motown was king, Winans wasn't upset about her parents' rule. "People think of gospel as one way, but we found all the different styles of gospel and Christian music and don't really feel like we missed anything," she told NPR. "Andraé Crouch, I mean, he was definitely on the same level as any Motown artist."
Winans parlayed her love of gospel into her own thriving career that has earned her a net worth of $8 million, per Celebrity Net Worth. She first found success singing with her older brother, BeBe. The two released their first album through The PTL Club — then led by Jimmy and Tammy Faye Baker — before signing with Capitol Records in 1987. The duo went on to make five more albums before Winans went solo in 1995, releasing "Alone in His Presence," which sold more than one million copies, per All Music. The album also won Grammy and Dove awards, and through the years Winans would become "the best-selling and most-awarded female gospel artist of all time," according to her website.
Currently, Winans has 15 Grammys and 25 Doves, with her latest win making Dove Award history.
CeCe Winans is the first Black female solo artist to win Artist of the Year
CeCe Winans made history at the 2022 Dove Awards, becoming the first Black female solo artist to be named Artist of the Year. She also won Song of the Year for "Believe for It." The Dove Awards honors artists in Christian and gospel music, with this recent ceremony held in Nashville, Tennessee.
"All I wanted for this record was for it to touch the hearts of people so they would be encouraged and filled with hope; but its success far exceeded all that I could have imagined. To God be the glory!" Winans said in a written statement, per The Roys Report.
This has turned out to be a banner year for Winans, who celebrated her 38th wedding anniversary with husband Alvin Love in June with a loving tribute to her spouse on Instagram. In addition, Winans has launched her first national tour in more than a decade, something she wasn't sure would happen after living through the COVID-19 pandemic.
"With the pandemic, you experience everything more. And what you took for granted you no longer do," Winans told The San Diego Union-Tribune, adding, "I'm grateful and humbled to be able to do this. Going back out on tour is not something I thought I'd be doing at this point."