Christian Music's Mainstream Breakthrough Via Pop Sounds and Social Media - Episode Hero Image

Christian Music's Mainstream Breakthrough Via Pop Sounds and Social Media

Today, Explained · · Listen to Original Episode →
Original Title:

TL;DR

  • Christian music's mainstream breakthrough is driven by artists like Forest Frank who craft pop-friendly sounds with subtly integrated faith-based lyrics, accumulating over a billion streams.
  • Social media platforms, particularly TikTok, are democratizing music discovery, allowing genres like Christian music to bypass traditional gatekeepers and reach wider audiences.
  • The rise of streaming provides granular listening data, revealing diverse audience preferences that challenge established genre narratives and enable niche genres to gain traction.
  • Secular music has long incorporated sonic elements from gospel, such as call-and-response and vocal ornamentation, demonstrating a continuous cross-pollination of musical traditions.
  • The "slow build" song structure, exemplified by Coldplay's "Fix You," mirrors religious experiences and is influential in modern worship music, contributing to its mainstream appeal.
  • Major labels face an existential question regarding their value proposition as artists can now achieve significant popularity independently, leading to more favorable artist deals.
  • The increasing accessibility of genres through streaming and social media suggests that diverse musical styles, including Christian music, have sustained potential for mainstream success.

Deep Dive

Christian music is experiencing a significant surge in popularity, driven by artists who are successfully blending faith-based lyrics with contemporary pop sounds and leveraging social media platforms like TikTok for promotion. This trend signifies a broader shift in the music industry, where traditional gatekeepers are becoming less influential, and streaming data reveals a more diverse listening landscape than previously assumed.

The rise of Christian music into mainstream charts is not solely about a new sound, but also about artists actively seeking to create music that resonates beyond traditional church settings. Artists like Forest Frank, formerly of the duo Surfaces, are crafting pop-friendly tracks that can be enjoyed in various contexts, from the gym to social media dance challenges. Frank's music, for instance, incorporates popular trap-pop production elements, making it accessible to a wide audience, with overtly Christian themes subtly woven into lyrics that can be easily overlooked by casual listeners. This accessibility is amplified by streaming services and social media, which have dissolved genre silos, allowing listeners to discover and engage with music they might not have encountered through traditional channels.

Furthermore, the structural elements of Christian music, particularly those derived from the black church tradition like call-and-response and elaborate vocal ornamentation, have long influenced secular genres and continue to do so. Song structures that feature a "slow build," exemplified by Coldplay's "Fix You" and adopted by contemporary worship music, create an emotional crescendo that mirrors religious experiences and has proven influential. This structural approach, combined with the increased accessibility through streaming and social media, explains why Christian contemporary music is achieving mainstream success now. The shift in how music is consumed, moving from radio play to direct streaming data, has revealed that listener preferences are more varied than previously reflected in charts, creating an opening for genres like Christian music to find a broader audience. The trend suggests that a hit can emerge from anywhere, challenging the notion of a single dominant narrative in popular music.

Action Items

  • Audit current music consumption: Identify 3-5 genres with significant growth (ref: Luminate data).
  • Analyze 5-10 viral TikTok songs: Determine lyrical and sonic elements contributing to mainstream appeal.
  • Measure influence of gospel music: Track 3-5 secular artists incorporating gospel sonic signifiers.
  • Evaluate 2-3 "slow build" songs: Assess their structural similarity to religious experiences.
  • Assess 3-5 major label deals: Analyze how artists leverage independent popularity for better terms.

Related Episodes

Key Quotes

"Popular music went more Christian this year, but religion has had a long history of influencing secular sounds."

This quote sets the stage for the episode's exploration of the intersection between Christian music and the broader popular music landscape. It highlights that the current trend is not entirely new, suggesting a deeper, historical connection between religious themes and secular music.

"Worship songs had a big year in 2025 with christian artists going viral on tiktok and rising on the billboard charts."

This statement provides specific evidence of the growing popularity of Christian music, pointing to its success on major platforms like TikTok and Billboard. The mention of "2025" appears to be a typo and likely refers to the current or a recent year.

"The idea is yeah it's just an ever building crescendo and i think that that song form mirrors the experience of a religious experience it's like i'm going to get on my knees and pray and have a moment to myself and try to look towards the divine for answers and you can just picture you uh being in a giant cathedral the light changes the light shines down through the stained glass and you're having this this holy moment something bigger than yourself and that's what that song form does"

This quote describes a musical structure known as a "slow build" and explains its connection to religious experiences. Charlie Harding argues that this crescendo-like structure, often found in worship music, mirrors the personal and communal feelings associated with prayer and spiritual moments.

"I also think that what really what we're seeing is that streaming having matured and become the main way that we listen to music shows how people are actually listening what do you do mean well it used to be if you look at billboard charts from before the 1990s it was reported radio plays and music shops saying what they sold we didn't know what people were actually listening to at home now with streaming we can actually count every single play and we know that people are listening to things that perhaps don't fit uh the dominant narrative that you might have heard on mtv"

Elias Light explains how the shift to music streaming has provided clearer data on listener behavior. He argues that this data reveals a more diverse listening landscape than what was previously reflected by traditional metrics like radio play and record sales.

"And when we look at billboard today it's all over the place there doesn't seem to be a dominant narrative in christian music let alone in secular music you have uh luther one of the biggest tracks of the year uh sza and kendrick lamar"

Elias Light uses the current Billboard charts as an example of the fragmented nature of music consumption. He points out the presence of diverse artists and genres, including Christian music alongside secular hits, to illustrate the lack of a single dominant narrative in today's music industry.

Resources

External Resources

Articles & Papers

  • "Your pop music is influenced by God" (Today, Explained) - Discussed as the episode title and topic.
  • "how there were two christian artists on the hot 100 simultaneously" (Billboard) - Mentioned as a data point indicating the rise of Christian music.
  • "reports on kind of listening behavior and tracking how different genres are doing" (Luminate) - Referenced for flagging the rapid growth of Christian music.

People

  • Hady Mawajdeh - Mentioned as a producer of the episode.
  • Amina Al-Sadi - Mentioned as an editor of the episode.
  • Laura Bullard - Mentioned as a fact-checker for the episode.
  • Patrick Boyd - Mentioned as an engineer for the episode.
  • David Tatasciore - Mentioned as an engineer for the episode.
  • Astead Herndon - Mentioned as the host of the episode.
  • Elias Light - Mentioned as a music reporter for The Wall Street Journal and a guest on the podcast.
  • Forest Frank - Mentioned as a Christian artist who went viral on TikTok and had success on the Billboard charts.
  • Brandon Lake - Mentioned as a Christian artist who had a song on the Hot 100.
  • Beyoncé - Mentioned as an example of a secular artist using call and response.
  • Whitney Houston - Mentioned as an example of vocal ornamentation influenced by church music.
  • Stevie Wonder - Mentioned as an example of harmonic progressions influenced by church music.
  • Thomas Dorsey - Mentioned as the "godfather of gospel music."
  • Justin Bieber - Mentioned for his album "Justice" and a song featuring DJ Gohn.
  • DJ Gohn - Mentioned as a featured artist and producer on Justin Bieber's song "Devotion."
  • Coldplay - Mentioned for their song "Fix You" and its influence on Christian worship music.
  • Chris Martin - Mentioned as the singer of Coldplay's "Fix You."
  • Hillsong - Mentioned as a group borrowing from the Coldplay playbook in worship music.
  • Maverick City Music - Mentioned as a group borrowing from the Coldplay playbook in worship music.
  • Miles Smith - Mentioned as an artist with a track called "Stargazing."
  • Luther - Mentioned as one of the biggest tracks of the year.
  • SZA - Mentioned as an artist with a track called "Luther."
  • Kendrick Lamar - Mentioned as an artist with a track called "Luther."
  • Andrew Melnick - Mentioned as a colleague discussing Boxycat.
  • Charlie Harding - Mentioned as the host of the podcast "Switched on Pop" and a music professor.
  • Roelof Botha - Mentioned as the host of "Crucible Moments" and associated with Sequoia Capital.

Organizations & Institutions

  • Today, Explained - Mentioned as the podcast name.
  • Vox - Mentioned in relation to the podcast and Vox Membership.
  • Billboard - Mentioned for its charts and tracking music trends.
  • Luminate - Mentioned as a data company that publishes reports on listening behavior.
  • The Wall Street Journal - Mentioned as the publication where Elias Light reports on music.
  • TikTok - Mentioned as a platform where Christian artists have gone viral and a powerful music promotion platform.
  • National Football League (NFL) - Not explicitly mentioned in the provided text.
  • New England Patriots - Not explicitly mentioned in the provided text.
  • Pro Football Focus (PFF) - Not explicitly mentioned in the provided text.
  • Smartless Mobile - Mentioned as a sponsor offering mobile plans.
  • Thumbtack - Mentioned as a service for hiring home professionals.
  • Hims - Mentioned as a sponsor offering ED, hair loss, and weight loss treatments.
  • Boxycat - Mentioned as a sponsor offering cat litter.
  • Crucible Moments - Mentioned as a podcast hosted by Roelof Botha.
  • Sequoia Capital - Mentioned in relation to Roelof Botha.
  • Switched on Pop - Mentioned as a music podcast.
  • MTV - Mentioned in contrast to what people listen to at home.
  • Zipline - Mentioned as an example of a company that pivoted its product.
  • Bolt - Mentioned as an example of a company that pivoted its product.

Websites & Online Resources

  • vox.com/members - Mentioned for Vox Membership.
  • vox.com/today-explained-podcast - Mentioned for podcast transcripts.
  • podcastchoices.com/adchoices - Mentioned for managing ad choices.
  • smartlessmobile.com - Mentioned for Smartless Mobile plans.
  • hims.com/explain - Mentioned for Hims services.
  • boxycat.com - Mentioned for Boxycat cat litter.
  • cruciblemoments.com - Mentioned for the Crucible Moments podcast.

Other Resources

  • "It's Time" tour - Mentioned as a Christian tour in Atlanta, GA.
  • Gospel songs - Mentioned as an emergency playlist for feeling better.
  • Christian music - Mentioned as a genre influencing secular sounds and growing rapidly.
  • Worship songs - Mentioned as Christian tracks people are turning to.
  • Contemporary Christian music (CCM) - Mentioned as a wing of Christian music with mainstream gains.
  • Gospel style music - Mentioned as a type of music heard in churches.
  • Evangelical Christian artists - Mentioned in relation to modern Christian music.
  • Pop Christian artists - Mentioned in relation to modern Christian music.
  • Trap pop sound - Mentioned as a sound influenced by Atlanta hip hop, used by Christian artists.
  • Electronic pop duo called Surfaces - Mentioned as Forest Frank's former group.
  • Call and response - Mentioned as a musical element common in Christian and secular music.
  • Vocal ornamentation - Mentioned as a sonic signifier of gospel music.
  • Melismatic runs - Mentioned as vocal ornamentation in gospel music.
  • Harmonic progressions - Mentioned as a sonic signifier of gospel music.
  • Chromatic leading chords - Mentioned as harmonic progressions in gospel music.
  • Soft rock - Mentioned as an adjacent genre to modern evangelical music.
  • Progressive and secular values - Mentioned as dominant values in popular music historically.
  • Religious conservatism - Mentioned as a value finding its way onto charts.
  • Political conservatism - Mentioned as a value finding its way onto charts.
  • Streaming - Mentioned as the primary way people listen to music and a factor in genre growth.
  • Social media - Mentioned as a factor in genre growth and accessibility.
  • Radio - Mentioned as a traditional gatekeeper facing existential questions.
  • Major labels - Mentioned as traditional gatekeepers facing existential questions.
  • The Hot 100 - Mentioned as a Billboard chart.
  • The "slow build" song structure - Mentioned as a structure ubiquitous in Christian music and influential in worship music.
  • Diane Warren ballads - Mentioned as a comparison for the "slow build" song structure.
  • Wade in the water - Mentioned as a song example for call and response.
  • Single ladies by Beyoncé - Mentioned as a call and response track.
  • Love on top - Mentioned as a song with gospel-influenced harmonic progressions.
  • Justice (album) - Mentioned as Justin Bieber's album.
  • Devotion (song) - Mentioned as a song by Justin Bieber featuring DJ Gohn.
  • Fix You by Coldplay - Mentioned as influential in Christian worship music and a secular religious experience.
  • Ordinary (song) - Mentioned as a song by Alex Warren.
  • Stargazing (song) - Mentioned as a song by Miles Smith.
  • Your way is better - Mentioned as a hit song by Forest Frank.
  • Take my heart don't break it love me till my fall - Mentioned as a lyric from a song.
  • When heaven and earth face to face oh how the world will forever change for god is with us - Mentioned as lyrics from a worship song.
  • Crucible moments - Mentioned as a concept in the podcast "Crucible Moments."
  • Autonomous drone delivery - Mentioned as Zipline's original product.
  • Robotic toy - Mentioned as Zipline's original product.
  • Estonian transportation company - Mentioned as Bolt's original description.
  • Ride share and food delivery platforms - Mentioned as Bolt's current business.
  • Erectile dysfunction (ED) - Mentioned in relation to Hims services.
  • Hair loss - Mentioned in relation to Hims services.
  • Weight loss - Mentioned in relation to Hims services.
  • Stinky litter boxes - Mentioned in relation to Boxycat.
  • Probiotics - Mentioned as an ingredient in Boxycat's formula.
  • Clumping power - Mentioned as a feature of Boxycat litter.
  • Fake fragrances - Mentioned as something absent in Boxycat litter.
  • Cat litter - Mentioned in relation to Boxycat.
  • Religious experience - Mentioned as something not necessarily tied to Christian music.
  • Secular music - Mentioned as influencing and being influenced by worship music.
  • Worship music - Mentioned as modern evangelical music.
  • Traditional hymnals - Mentioned as part of the Christian music umbrella.
  • Black church - Mentioned as a source of influence for modern Christian music.
  • Traditional genres - Mentioned in comparison to the growth of electronic dance music.
  • Electronic dance music (EDM) - Mentioned as a large traditional genre in the US.
  • K-pop - Mentioned as a genre that has benefited from streaming and social media.
  • Latin music - Mentioned as a genre that has benefited from streaming and social media.
  • Country music - Mentioned as a genre that has benefited from streaming and social media.
  • Progressive values - Mentioned as historically dominant in popular music.
  • Secular values - Mentioned as historically dominant in popular music.
  • Religious conservatism - Mentioned as a value finding its way onto charts.
  • Political conservatism - Mentioned as a value finding its way onto charts.
  • Radio plays - Mentioned as a former metric for Billboard charts.
  • Music shops sales - Mentioned as a former metric for Billboard charts.
  • Every single play - Mentioned as a metric now available through streaming.
  • Dominant narrative - Mentioned as lacking in current music charts.
  • Mtv - Mentioned in contrast to what people listen to

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