Believers expect to hear worship music played from the pulpit. But, nowadays, contemporary Christian tunes are finding an even bigger stage: social media.
Thanks to their surging presence on digital platforms, artists Forrest Frank and Brandon Lake have recently charted on the Billboard 100, popping up in spots that Christian pop rarely reaches.
Another prominent Christian artist, Lauren Daigle, even performed at the Super Bowl earlier this year.
(Chris Pizzello | Invision/AP) Christian artist Lauren Daigle, who sang at this year's Super Bowl, in 2019 in Las Vegas.
(Richard Shotwell|Invision/AP) Christian singer Brandon Lake arrives at the BET Awards in 2022 in Los Angeles.
These performers have made strides in a seemingly secular-dominated music industry. And the trend for many young Christian artists does not seem to be slowing down.
Even Utah’s predominant faith, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is hopping on the Christian pop wagon, creating more contemporary music for its young people
In recent months, the church hosted concerts in Provo (at Brigham Young University); São Paulo, Brazil; Mexico City; and Davao City, Philippines.
This trend has even begun to impact the music industry overall.
In 2024, Luminate reported that Christian/Gospel music ranked as the fourth-fastest-growing genre — and rising generations may have much to do with the newfound popularity.
BYU student Grace Dyer, for instance, stumbled into contemporary Christian music. She said she was searching radio stations when she moved to Utah and came across K-LOVE 107.5 FM, a popular Christian channel.
Dyer said she preferred the music over many of the other stations and then realized most of the songs were about Jesus.
“It’s generally positive and uplifting,” Dyer said. “A lot of times people just want to have something uplifting in this crazy world. When you want to plug into media, you don’t want it to be dragging you down.”
Bypassing a record label
An expanding audience can also mean expanding opportunities for Christian artists.
Musician Jenn Blosil, an Orem native, said she has struggled to find a place in the industry and hopes the rising popularity of contemporary Christian songs may help her career.
Blosil, who worked with multiple record labels, said that while her catalog contained a variety of songs and topics, some of her music references her longtime Christian faith. Her label had a hard time marketing her, she said, because her songs didn’t seem to fit in one particular category.
“As a woman, the first thing they care about is if you’re a sex symbol or not and if they can market you in that way,” Blosil said. “If they can’t, then it was like, ‘Oh, crap, we don’t know what to do with Jenn. … Jen is Christian, but she’s not singing (only) Christian music. She’s making music that doesn’t quite fit anywhere.’”
Blosil told of a song she wrote about beauty. It described that her identity was not tied to her hair or her clothes. She was beautiful simply because God made her.
Her label, she said, complained that it wasn’t “edgy” enough.
“For this particular song and this moment, it was about God,” Blosil said. “When I’m trying to rewrite this song to make it ‘more palatable,’ I’m losing the power of who I am. I’m an artist who happens to be Christian.”
Thanks to these new online platforms, she said, Christian artists can share their faith and their music without the mediation of a label.
‘Worship music is hot right now’
Julie Huang, a parishioner of American Fork Presbyterian Church, said the popular music she used to turn on has become a turnoff.
“The closer I get to God, the more unattractive mainstream music is,” Huang said, “even if the beats are great.”
Much of today’s music seems to be more explicit, she said, and carries connotations that do not align with her Christian values.
“Maybe that’s why worship music is hot right now,” Huang said. “There are some really cool, fresh beats that very closely mimic some of the other stuff coming out.”
Fellow parishioner Ken Knight agreed. Tuning into Christian music for the past eight months, he said, has lifted his spirits and boosted his self-image.
“I haven’t changed my radio station since Christmas,” Knight said.
And the metrics show he’s hardly alone.
Note to readers • Dylan Eubank is a Report for America corps member covering faith in Utah County for The Salt Lake Tribune. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories.