Grammy Gospel Singer Kirk Franklin Earns Second 'losing My Religion' Hit

By Julie Brown Patton
Kirk Franklin 123 Victory
"123 Victory" from gospel singer Kirk Franklin hit No. 1 on Mediabase Gospel Radio Chart, marking his second No. 1 single from chart-topping album "Losing My Religion." RCA Inspiration

Ten-time Grammy award-winning artist, songwriter and producer Kirk Franklin garnered a second No. 1 hit with his latest single "123 Victory," which took the top spot on the Mediabase Gospel radio chart Monday. He celebrated by posting on a 123 Victory fan video on YouTube.

"A sincere thank you to all of the fans who made 123 Victory the #1 song at Gospel Radio! This song is #1 because of you! We see you out there!" posted Franklin.

Some of the lyrics to Franklin's new  include:

"The battle's not yours.
It is the Lord's.
(You keep tryin') on your own, you're not that strong.
But greater is He
That takes up for me (does for everybody).
Soon they will see
My name's victory, my name's victory."

"123 Victory," this second hit single off of Franklin's chart-topping eleventh studio album, "Losing My Religion," follows on the heels of his record-breaking No. 1 single, "Wanna Be Happy?" The album was produced by Fo Yo Soul Recordings / RCA Records.

Franklin finishes his 20 Years in One Night tour in Alabama on June 19.

As reported by The Gospel Herald, Franklin dominated the gospel categories during the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas in May. The 20-year music veteran from Fort Worth, Texas, was given the Top Gospel Song for "Wanna Be Happy?" He also got two awards for Top Gospel Artist and Top Gospel Album associated with his latest release, "Losing My Religion."

The self-proclaimed "church boy" debuted songs in 1993.

Abandoned by his mother and never having known his father, Franklin was reared by his Aunt Gertrude, a deeply religious woman who raised him as a strict Baptist. When he was four, she paid for his piano lessons by collecting aluminum cans. Franklin was a natural musician who could sight read and play by ear. At age 11, he was leading the Mt. Rose Baptist Church adult choir near Dallas. Despite, or because of, his church background, Franklin began rebelling in his teens and getting into trouble until one of his friends was accidentally shot and killed at age 15.

Franklin returned to composing songs, recording, and conducting. Since 1991, he has been backed up by his 17-member choir, the Family, a group comprised of friends and associates from his younger days. Support from his pastor, his wife Tammy, who he married in early 1996, and the four children they brought to the marriage help keep Franklin close to his religious core, and he returned in 1998 with Nu Nation Project. The album topped the Billboard Top 200 charts (peaking at number seven) and remained on the Billboard Gospel Albums chart for 49 weeks, paving the way for Franklin's third Grammy (Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album).

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