Christian/Gospel
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For King & Country, the duo of siblings Joel and Luke Smallbone, notches its 12th No. 1 on Billboard‘s Christian Airplay chart (dated Dec. 24), as the pair’s version of “Joy to the World” dashes from No. 7 to the summit.
In the tracking week ending Dec. 18, “Joy” drew 1.8 million audience impressions among the chart’s panel of reporters, according to Luminate.
Here’s a recap of For King & Country’s nine Christian Airplay No. 1s: “Joy to the World” (for one week, to-date); “For God Is With Us” (three weeks, July); “Relate” (three, beginning in December 2021); “Amen” (one, July 2021); “O Come O Come Emmanuel,” featuring NEEDTOBREATHE (two, starting in December 2020); “Together,” with Kirk Franklin and Tori Kelly (five, beginning in August 2020); “Burn the Ships” (five, starting in January 2020); “God Only Knows” (10, beginning in April 2019); “joy.” (four, starting in August 2018); “Priceless” (three, October 2016); “Shoulders” (two, June 2015); and “Fix My Eyes” (one, September 2014).
Meanwhile, For King & Country’s current non-seasonal single, “Love Me Like I Am” with Jordin Sparks, also resides in the Christian Airplay top 10 — at No. 9 (1.3 million) — after reaching No. 6 the past two weeks.
With 12 Christian Airplay No. 1s, For King & Country ties Jeremy Camp and Matthew West for the second-most leaders since the chart launched in 2003. MercyMe leads all acts with 17 No. 1s.
“Joy to the World” concurrently becomes For King & Country’s milestone 20th top 10 on the multi-metric Hot Christian Songs chart, where it vaults 28-9. The act is the eighth to have notched at least 20 top 10s, with Casting Crowns, MercyMe and Chris Tomlin sharing the record with 29 each.
Colton Dixon tops Billboard‘s Christian Airplay chart for his first time, as “Build Me a Boat” lifts to No. 1 on the Nov. 19-dated ranking. In the tracking week ending Nov. 13, the single increased by 3% to 6.8 million audience impressions, according to Luminate.
Dixon co-wrote “Boat” with Pete Becker, Mikey Gormley, Johan Linbrandt and Seth Mosley, and the latter three produced it with Sandro Cavazza. “Absolutely stunned at the support,” Dixon tells Billboard. “Thank you to everyone at radio for making this my first-ever Christian Airplay No. 1 single! Grateful would be an understatement, but it seems to be the word I keep coming back to over these last few months. Thank you all so much.”
The 31-year-old Murfreesboro, Tenn., native previously banked four Christian Airplay top 10s. “You Are,” his maiden entry, reached No. 10 in April 2013, followed by “More of You” (No. 5, November 2014); “Through All of It” (No. 6, September 2015); and “Miracles” (No. 5, December 2020).
Concurrently, “Boat” leads the streaming-, airplay- and sales-based Hot Christian Songs chart and Christian AC Airplay for a third fame each, after first topping the Nov. 5 tallies. The song drew 1.6 million streams (up 28%) and sold 1,000 downloads (up 17%) Nov. 4-10. On Christian Streaming Songs, it rises 12-6, awarding Dixon his first top 10.
Jokia Reigns Again
Jokia scores her second straight career-opening No. 1 on Gospel Airplay with “Let Him In” (up 18% in plays). The 23-year-old (full name Jokia Williams), from Killeen, Texas, wrote the song solo and self-released it.
Jokia broke through with “Yahweh,” which led for a week in April 2021. She is now within one of DOE’s mark as the female artist with the most career-opening Gospel Airplay leaders. DOE (aka Dominique Jones) added her third No. 1 with “When I Pray,” which led for two frames starting in September.
MercyMe banks its 12th No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Christian Albums survey as its new studio album, Always Only Jesus, blasts in atop the chart dated Nov. 5.
The 10-song set released on Oct. 21 earned 9,000 equivalent album units with 7,000 in sales during the tracking week ending Oct. 27 according to Luminate.
On Top Christian Albums Always Only Jesus follows Inhale (Exhale) which entered at No. 3 in May 2021 with 11,000 units, granting the group with its 14th of 15 career top 10s.
Prior to Inhale, I Can Only Imagine: The Very Best of Mercy Me opened at No. 3 in March 2018 then hit No. 1 in its second week, dominating for 19 frames. That set included two versions of “I Can Only Imagine,” the 1999 original and 2018’s “I Can Only Imagine (The Movie Session).”
The LP was released in conjunction with the movie I Can Only Imagine which starred J. Michael Finley as MercyMe frontman Bart Millard with Dennis Quaid as his father. The film chronicled the story of the band from its inception in the mid 1990s.
MercyMe’s run of 12 leaders began in 2001 with its first entry Almost There which debuted at No. 12 prior to its nine-week reign beginning in August 2003.
With a dozen No. 1s on Top Christian Albums MercyMe has the most of all duos and groups with Passion second (nine); then Casting Crowns and Hillsong United are next with eight leaders each. Currently on tour, MercyMe’s next stop will be at Boston’s Wang Theatre on Nov. 4.
STRYPER’S ‘FINAL BATTLE’
Also on Top Christian Albums the iconic Christian hard rock outfit Stryper’s new LP The Final Battle rockets onto the tally at No. 3. It earned 7,000 units in its first week and 6,000 in sales.
Stryper first reached Top Christian Albums with The Yellow and Black Attack which debuted in November 1984 and reached No. 10 the following June, marking the foursome’s first of 12 top 10s.
Battle, which sports 11 songs, follows the group’s first No. 1, Even the Devil Believes, which started atop the ranking with 10,000 units in September 2020.
The California based Stryper is fronted by founding member Michael Sweet (lead vocals, guitar); his brother Robert Sweet (drums); Oz Fox (guitar, vocals); and Perry Richardson (bass, vocals).
Singer-songwriter Colton Dixon scores his first No. 1 on Billboard’s streaming-, airplay and sales based Hot Christian Songs survey as well as Christian AC Airplay (both charts dated Nov. 5).
The 31-year-old Murfreesboro, Tenn. native’s latest single “Build a Boat” ascends 2-1 on both lists. The song hits the Hot Christian Songs summit as it drew 1.2 million U.S. streams and sold 1,000 downloads in the Oct. 21-27 tracking week, according to Luminate.
“Boat” rebounds 2-1 on Christian Digital Song Sales for a sixth frame at No. 1 after first reaching the apex on Sept. 17, becoming his third leader.
On Christian Airplay “Boat” floats 4-2 for a new best. It increased by less than 1% to 6.6 million impressions in the week ending Oct. 30. On Christian AC Airplay the single climbs 2-1 with a 3% increase in plays. Dixon earns his first No. 1 on both Hot Christian Songs and Christian AC Airplay. It’s his 14th Hot Christian Songs entry which includes two additional top 10s. His first appearance “You Are” reached No. 10 in 2013 and 2014’s “More of You” hit No. 9 that September. On Christian AC Airplay “Boat” follows “Miracles” which reached No. 8 in October 2020, giving Dixon his third of four top 10s.
“Boat” was co-written by Dixon, Pete Becker, Mikey Gormley, Johan Linbrandt and Seth Mosley.
“To anyone who had anything to do with this song, thank you,” Dixon tells Billboard. “Even more than having my No. 1 across these formats, I’m so grateful that so many people have applied the meaning of this song to their own story. Faith looks crazy sometimes, but the reward waiting on the other side far outweighs the sacrifice.”
Dixon, who competed during season 11 of American Idol in 2012, performed “Build a Boat” during his first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry on Oct. 24.
This year’s GMA Dove Awards ceremony, which aired Friday night (Oct. 21) on TBN and was held on the campus of Nashville’s Lipscomb University, showcased the power of pairing a great song with the right message and the right vocalist.
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CeCe Winans took home two trophies, including the evening’s top honor, artist of the year, capping a strong year that saw Winans’ inspirational “Believe for It” spend 12 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Gospel Songs chart and reach No. 7 on Christian Airplay. During the GMA Dove Awards, “Believe for It” was named song of the year.
In accepting the song of the year honor, Winans said, “It is amazing when we come together, love each other and stand for righteousness what God will do…I am believing for God to move in this industry like He has never moved before.”
Newcomer Anne Wilson also took home her first two GMA Dove Awards wins, for new artist of the year, as well as pop/contemporary recorded song of the year, for her breakthrough hit “My Jesus.” During her performance of the song, Wilson wisely and succinctly used the time to share the story that inspired the song — the loss of her brother Jacob in 2017, as photos of her late brother filled the screen behind her.
“I never imagined I’d be here tonight, standing on this stage and getting to be amongst among all of you incredible artists,” Wilson said in accepting her new artist of the year award, before thanking her label team at Capitol CMG, management team at Storyhouse Collective and her collaborators on the album. She also thanked her late brother Jacob. “You inspire me and that’s why I do what I do, is to honor Jacob. Most of all I want to thank Jesus for his grace, his mercy and his forgiveness…I’m so thankful for all the artists in this category as well. You are changing lives and I’m so grateful.”
The evening began as the Gospel Music Association’s leader Jackie Patillo and Lipscomb University president Candice McQueen welcomed the audience to celebrate the best music that came from the faith-based community over the past year, under the theme “Sound of Heaven.” From there, the evening honored artists in a range of styles, including gospel, folk, country, bluegrass, soul, rap, pop and Spanish-language.
The ceremony opened with Crowder performing the swampy rock song “Good God Almighty” and later earned rock/contemporary recorded song of the year for “Higher Power” featuring Hulvey. Jekalyn Carr offered a soulful, commanding rendition of “My Portion,” and the song later picked up the GMA Dove Award for traditional gospel recorded song of the year. DOE performed a mash-up of “When I Pray” and “What I’m Waiting For,” and won contemporary gospel album of the year (Clarity). Gateway Worship Español offered a stirring bilingual performance that blended worship, Latin and rap, and won Spanish language recorded song of the year for “Danzando,” which featured Daniel Calveti, Becky Collazos, Christine D’Clario, Travy Joe and Josh Morales.
Phil Wickham picked up songwriter of the year (artist), while his album Hymn of Heaven was named worship album of the year and the title track was named worship recorded song of the year. He also performed his four-week No. 1 Billboard Christian Airplay hit “House of the Lord.” His acceptance speech was filled with gratitude as he noted he has been leading worship in various church services since he was in his early teens.
The topics of loss and rejuvenation were touched on throughout the evening, as TobyMac thanked the audience for their support and prayers following the loss of his eldest son, Truett, in 2019.
“I thought I would never write another song, much less a song that is uptempo,” TobyMac noted, before performing the joyous song “The Goodness” with Blessing Offor. Earlier this year, the song became a three-week No. 1 on the Christian Airplay chart.
Last year, the inaugural GMA Leadership Award was given to GMA leader Patillo, and this year, the honor was awarded to CAA’s John Huie, who has worked with Amy Grant, DC Talk, Third Day, Steven Curtis Chapman and more.
Later in the evening, Smith introduced his longtime friend and fellow CCM luminary Steven Curtis Chapman, who launched his performance with a medley of his previous hits, including “The Great Adventure” and “Divin’ In,” before performing “Don’t Lose Heart” from his new album Still.
“Thirty-five years went by in a hurry,” Chapman quipped.
Jason Ingram (who has worked with Elevation Worship, Maverick City Music, Winans, Lauren Daigle and others) was named songwriter of the year (non-artist), while producer of the year went to Jeff Pardo (who has worked on projects for Wilson, Crowder, Newsboys and more). Family trio The Sound won their first GMA Dove Award, for bluegrass/country/roots album (God Is Real). Rap/Hip Hop recorded song of the year went to “King Jesus” from KB and nobigdyl, while pop/contemporary album of the year went to for King & Country’s What Are We Waiting For? (the brother duo also won in the short form music video of the year/concept category for “Relate,” as well as long form video of the year.
Maverick City Music won two honors during the evening, including gospel worship recorded song of the year (“Breathe”) as well as gospel worship album of the year with Tribl, for Tribl Nights Atlanta.
As the evening began to draw to a close, Winans took the stage after being named as the recipient of the evening’s biggest honor, artist of the year. In lieu of a traditional acceptance speech, she gracefully sang a chorus of “To God Be The Glory,” as the audience joined in, creating a uniting, impromptu a cappella choir.
For a full list of the evening’s winners visit doveawards.com.
Ben Fuller notches his first No. 1 on Billboard‘s Christian AC Airplay survey (dated Oct. 22) with “Who I Am.” In the tracking week ending Oct. 16, the song increased by 4% in plays, according to Luminate. The 35-year-old singer-songwriter co-wrote the track with Krystal Polychronis and David Spencer (the latter of whom co-produced it with Bryan Fowler). The song is set to be on Fuller’s forthcoming debut LP.
Fuller, who hails from southern Vermont, grew up working on his family’s dairy farm and has been public about overcoming his battles with cocaine and alcohol addiction.
“Three years ago this fall marks the time that I accepted Jesus into my heart, and this week I was told my first single, ‘Who I Am,’ has reached No. 1 on Billboard,” Fuller says. “There’s nothing God can’t do, because with Him, anything is possible.”
The last maiden entry to reach the summit on Christian AC Airplay was Katy Nichole’s “In Jesus Name (God of Possible),” which led for five frames starting on the list dated May 22. Among rookie solo males, Cory Asbury most recently achieved the feat before Fuller, with “Reckless Love” for 11 weeks beginning in April 2018.
A ‘Good’ Week
On Gospel Airplay, Zacardi Cortez hits No. 1 with “You’ve Been Good to Me,” which increased by 2% in plays in the tracking week.
Co-penned by Cortez, the song is the veteran artist’s fifth Gospel Airplay leader, among nine top 10s. He had last led with “You Don’t Know,” for seven weeks starting in January 2020. He first reigned as featured, with Shawn McLemore, on James Fortune & FIYA’s “I Believe,” for 19 weeks beginning in September 2010.
With five Gospel Airplay leaders, Cortez ties for the eighth-most since the list launched in 2005. Tamela Mann leads all acts with nine No. 1s.
Cortez has a second song on the Oct. 22-dated Gospel Airplay chart, as PJ Morton’s “The Better Benediction,” featuring Cortez, Gene Moore, Samoht, Tim Rogers and Darrel “MusiqCity” Walls climbs 29-28.