Francesca Battistelli’s GRAMMY-nominated single “Free to Be Me” was awarded Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Word Entertainment President and CEO Rod Riley surprised Battistelli with the Gold record at a private Nashville album launch event April 17. “Free To Be Me” is the second single off her debut album, My Paper Heart (Fervent Records/Word Distribution), and spent ten consecutive weeks at No. 1 on CHR and two consecutive weeks at No. 1 on AC Monitored in 2009. In 2012, Francesca received a Gold record for My Paper Heart marking the first debut album from a CCM artist in nearly a decade to receive RIAA-certified Gold status for sales in excess of 500,000 units.

Battistelli’s third studio album, If We’re Honest (Fervent/Word), released April 22.

Since her debut in 2008, Francesca Battistelli has earned a GRAMMY nomination (Best Gospel Performance), six Dove Awards and 22 Dove Award nominations. Her debut album, My Paper Heart (certified Gold in 2012), and her 2011 sophomore release, Hundred More Years (Fervent/Word), took the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Christian Album chart.

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