Contemporary Christian music continues to flourish in the U.S. while broadening its reach and forming a growing partnership with country music through social media, the Wall Street Journal (November 9) reports. Elias Leight writes that Christian music’s new wave can be seen in artists like Forrest Frank, whose songs pair hip hop inflected beats “with relentlessly sunny lyrics.” Frank has earned more than 1.2 billion on-demand streams in the U.S. in 2025. “Other Christian acts are racking up big numbers as well,” Leight reports. “Brandon Lake, a 35-year-old belter from South Carolina, has pulled in 862 million streams, while Josiah Queen, a 22-year-old with a knack for thumping acoustic folk, has 515 million.” Christian music was one of the five fastest growing genres in the U.S. in 2024 and is set to beat that placement this year, with streams of new songs increasing more rapidly in Christian music than in any other genre except country.
While the market share of Christian music remains low, at 2 percent (dance-electronic music is at 3.3 percent), the genre has been able to score “major cultural moments” through its entry into social media like TikTok, which allows Christian artists to bypass traditional Christian portals and reach curious listeners. Leight reports that there has been increasing crossover between country and Christian genres, mainly because they are both based in similar networks in Nashville. When popular and fast-rising country music stars such as Bailey Zimmerman cross over to do a Christian song, they reach much larger audiences. Christian TikTok creator Jacob Peterson says, “I’ve seen so many videos on TikTok where it’s like, ‘I’m not religious, but low-key, Christian music slaps now.’”
