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Heath, Leeland, Battistelli Want to “Follow You”

Brandon Heath and Leeland will co-headline the Follow You Tour in 43-cities this fall, featuring special guest Francesca Battistelli. The Follow You Tour introduces new music from Leeland’s anticipated third album titled Love Is On The Move releasing Aug. 25, and Heath’s award-winning sophomore album What If We, featuring his Dove Award-winning Song of the Year “Give Me Your Eyes” and Christian AC radio’s current No.1 song “Wait And See.” The high-profile touring event kicks off at the Johnny Carson Theatre in Norfolk, Nebraska, September 23 and wraps up on November 22 at Samford University in Birmingham, AL.

Along with offering audiences a night of great music and worship with three of the most popular artists in Christian music today, the Follow You Tour also engages attendees with a message close to the hearts of these artists. With a collective mission to love and serve the poor and broken, Leeland and Heath recently traveled to Cambodia. Each night on tour, audiences will hear more about that experience and have the chance to respond to each night’s worship with immediate action offering child sponsorships through Food for the Hungry.

Leeland, Brandon Heath and Francesca Battistelli hope to inspire Christians to engage actively with world need. “We see our calling as a band as two-fold: reaching out to the poor and reaching the ‘up-and-outers.’ America’s a rich nation, but we’re spiritually poor,” explains Leeland Mooring. “We want to see God bring a personal revival in the hearts of Americans and transform our nation.”

“After traveling through Asia with Leeland, more specifically Cambodia, I can say that we’ve seen God with the poor,” says Brandon Heath. “This tour is about sharing what we’ve learned among the least of these. Cambodia was about going and listening and being changed. We hope that audiences will have the same experience at the Follow You Tour. We’re on the same page with each other,” explains Jack, keyboardist for Leeland. “Brandon’s heart, like ours, is focused on being about action.”

Brandon Heath is a respected songwriter and considered a radio hit-maker in the Nashville music community. He first began writing at age 13 and his background is rooted in a history with Christian youth-based organization, Young Life, which is grounded in relationship and mentoring. Heath’s most current hit list includes Grammy®-nominated single “Give Me Your Eyes,” from sophomore release, What If We. The song was recently awarded a GMA Dove Award for Song of the Year and spent 14 weeks at No.1 on Billboard’s Hot Christian AC radio chart, and 27 weeks at No. 1 on iTunes Christian Song Chart. To date, the album’s breakout first single continues to lead digitally, selling more than 360,000 total downloads of the track across all digital providers. The second single “Wait and See” is the top song in the country this week on the Christian AC Indicator chart.

Often quoted as one of Christian music’s most gripping live bands, the 2006 debut Sound of Melodies and 2008’s Opposite Way quickly established Leeland as a leader in the worship community and beyond. While both previous albums were Grammy®-nominated and drew a combined eight Dove nominations, Leeland’s measure of success has always been the human heart. And now Leeland’s third album, Love Is On The Move is a landmark in the deepest sense.

Featured guest for the Follow You Tour is Francesca Battistelli, who received five Dove Nominations in 2009, a remarkable feat for a new artist. Francesca continues to experience chart-breaking radio success, substantial play on popular TV and film and contagious online fan interaction. “It’s Your Life” from My Paper Heart releases on July 10 and follows debut chart-topping single, “Free To Be Me”, which was the first #1 single from a female artist on AC radio since 2005 also ranking her as the most added female artist and new artist in Christian radio history. “I’m so excited to be part of this Fall tour with Leeland and Brandon,” says Francesca. “This tour is a great opportunity for us to all take a step outside of our comfort zone and move deliberately toward helping others and answering the call to action that the Lord establishes for each one of us, each day.”

*Itinerary is subject to change without advance notice.

9/23/09 Johnny Carson Theater Norfolk NE

9/24/09 Memorial Auditorium at Concordia College Moorhead MN

9/25/09 Northwestern College St. Paul MN

9/26/09 Highland Community Church Wausau WI

9/29/09 North Syracuse Baptist Church Syracuse NY

9/30/09 Augusta Armory Augusta ME

10/1/09 Lancaster Bible College Lancaster PA

10/2/09 Family Worship Center Beckley WV

10/3/09 Vines Center-Liberty University Lynchburg VA

10/4/09 World Worship Center Charlotte NC

10/6/09 Calvary Church Savannah GA

10/9/09 First Baptist Church Ocala Ocala FL

10/10/09 Countryside Christian Center Clearwater FL

10/11/09 Sebastian High School Sebastian FL

10/14/09 Bethany World Prayer Center Baton Rouge LA

10/16/09 Woodlands Church The Woodlands TX

10/17/09 FBC Wichita Falls Wichita Falls TX

10/18/09 Metro Center Arlington – Fielder Road Baptist Arlington TX

10/19/09 The Lords Christian Center Donna TX

10/22/09 Lufkin Civic Center Lufkin TX

10/23/09 Concordia Lutheran Church San Antonio TX

10/24/09 Dodson Auditorium Kilgore TX

10/25/09 First Baptist Church Lubbock Lubbock TX

10/29/09 Hope Church Cordova TN

10/31/09 Remingtons Springfield MO

11/1/09 Christian Fellowship Church Evansville IN

11/4/09 Cathedral of Praise Charleston SC

11/5/09 Cornerstone Baptist Church Darlington SC

11/6/09 The Plaza Theatre Orlando FL

11/7/09 Taylor Church Sanderson FL

11/8/09 Myrtle Beach Community Church Myrtle Beach SC

11/10/09 Culpeper Baptist Church Culpeper VA

11/12/09 Community Reformed Church – Zeeland, MI Zeeland MI

11/13/09 The Underground Cincinnati OH

11/14/09 Willoughby Hills Friends Church Willoughby Hills OH

11/15/09 Riverside Community Church Peoria IL

11/16/09 First Assembly of God Fort Wayne IN

11/19/09 Woodland Heights Baptist Church Conway AR

11/20/09 Decatur Baptist Church Decatur AL

11/22/09 Wright Center, Samford University Birmingham AL

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Andrew Greenhalgh

Andrew Greenhalgh is the content editor for Soul-Audio.

Wednesday Jul 15th, 2009 • View all posts by Andrew Greenhalgh • View all posts in News

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