Five-time GRAMMY®-nominated, eight-time GMA Dove Award recipient and Platinum®-selling singer / songwriter Brandon Heath releases American Sign Language (ASL) performance videos for every track of his acclaimed, ninth studio record and second LP with Centricity Music, The Ache.
One of the first recording artists to release ASL videos for an entire album, Heath shares the 11 new videos on YouTube.
Heath was inspired to create ASL videos several years ago by a deaf fan of his music, Ian Myers, who sent him sign language interpretations of his songs. Araya Williams, a hearing interpreter and longtime friend of Heath, helped coordinate the ASL talents along with Myers to bring his seventh studio album Faith, Hope, Love, Repeat to a Deaf audience.
“What I’ve learned from Araya and others is that Deaf culture values the arts and creative expression by Deaf artists,” shares Heath. “This is really a collaborative effort with Deaf performers, using their first language, to make my music available to all people, Deaf and hearing.”
Created in partnership with Sonshine Interpreting, The Ache ASL videos feature interpretations performed by Deaf artists: Williams, Renca Dunn, Colin Analco and Brandon Gaskin.
“The beauty and value of making any content accessible to the Deaf community cannot be understated,” states Williams, founder and visionary at Sonshine Interpreting. “We were honored to collaborate on the creation of Brandon Heath’s latest album in American Sign Language, featuring Deaf performers.
“Deaf people are one of the top three largest unreached people, mainly because of the communication barrier,” adds Williams, noting that there is only one complete ASL Bible. “Sign language is not universal, so there needs to be translation done in every other country’s sign language.”
Holding the tension of loss and longing, The Ache includes The Recording Academy- featured acoustic-pop hit at radio now, “Gospel Truth,” which sums up how Heath reconciles the heartbreaking realities of this life with what he knows to be true of God; lead radio hit, “He Does (Oh By the Way),” a cleverly penned, choir-assisted, celebratory reminder about God’s role as a consistent provider and faithful friend; and “Scars,” written after The Covenant School shooting to honor his longtime friend, the school’s chaplain Matthew Sullivan.
Nashville native Brandon Heath unveiled his major label debut in 2006 swiftly amassing fans with his introspective vulnerability. Along with GRAMMY and Dove nods, Heath has garnered an American Music Award nomination, an Emmy Award and six No. 1 songs, including four Billboard Christian AC No. 1 singles to his credit: “See Me Through It,” “I’m Not Who I Was,” “Your Love” and the RIAA Platinum®-certified “Give Me Your Eyes.”
Along with headline tours and his top rated K-LOVE On Demand series, Brandon’s Backyard, Heath has been recognized as a top lyricist in his field earning numerous songwriting accolades, including being named BMI’s Songwriter of the Year. He has also received coverage in major outlets like People, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Billboard, CBS Evening News and as a presenter on the 54th Annual GRAMMY® Awards.
The No. 1 Billboard Top Christian Albums Imprint for three consecutive years, Centricity Music is an independent Christian music company based in Franklin, TN. Founded in 2005 with a commitment to artist development and stylistic diversity, its artist roster includes Andrew Peterson, Band Reeves, Bay Turner, Brandon Heath, Centricity Worship, Chris Renzema, Jason Gray, Jaye King, John Allan, Jordan Feliz, Katy Nichole, Lauren Daigle, Mack Brock, Natalie Layne, Rachel Purcell and Unspoken.
Providing label and publishing services, Centricity is a family-owned organization. The committed work of its staff and artists has yielded successes such as Grammy Awards, Billboard Awards, Dove Awards, K-Love Fan Awards, and multiple Gold and Platinum Albums and Singles.
