(Nashville, Tenn.) February 2, 2006 - Nominations were announced yesterday for the 37th Annual GMA Music Awards by the Gospel Music Association (GMA). Joy Williams was announced as one of the top nod-getters, racking up a total of six nominations for this year's show. Up for one of the night's biggest awards, Song of the Year, her chart-topping single "Hide" was written by Williams together with Jason Houser and Matthew West. "Hide" was the first of two No.1 singles from her Genesis project, also nominated for Pop/Contemporary Album. Williams shares that nomination with the project's producer Matt Bronleewe.

For the fourth consecutive year, Joy Williams is nominated in the prestigious Female Vocalist of the Year category. Since being nominated for New Artist of the Year in 2002, Joy Williams has now garnered eleven total Dove Award nominations. "Hide" also makes an appearance in the Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song category. Her other two nominations fall into the Special Event Album category for her contributions to the multi-artist Christmas projects Come Let Us Adore Him and WoW Christmas Green.

The powerful anthem "Hide" set records for unprecedented first-week number of adds on the Christian AC format. In talking about the inspiration behind the hit song Joy explains, "Nearly a year ago, I had a counselor friend of mine point out how much I hid my pain away. And there is no way any of us will be able to heal our cracked hearts by spackling them ourselves. We need God to do that. We need others around us to encourage us in the process. This song is really an invitation for anyone who's ever felt unlovable, disappointed, lonely...to link arms with another broken soul like mine, and to realize that you're never alone."

The GMA Music Awards show will be presented on April 5, 2006 at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville. The awards show will then be televised in national syndication April 15 to May 1, 2006.