Alt Christian Music’s Surprise Secular Chart Success

Christian artist Brandon Lake’s song “Hard Fought Hallelujah” enjoyed its 11^th straight week in the Billboard Hot 100 in early May, topping out at 40 that week. At the same time, Forrest Frank’s single “Your Way’s Better” charted for the second straight week. Apart from 38 Kanye West songs and Lauren Daigle’s “You Say,” which enjoyed a three-year run on the Hot 100, Lake and Frank’s singles are the first Christian songs to appear in the Billboard Hot 100 since 2020.

In 2024, Christian music was the fourth fastest growing genre on the Billboard charts. This dramatic increase resulted in coverage of the impact of Christian music upon younger listeners in Billboard’s August 2024 issue.

For the first time since the American population began its sharp decline from an overwhelmingly  Christian majority in the mid-2000s, it seems like Christian music is being embraced by the greater population again. Artists including Forrest Frank, Josiah Queen, Benjamin William Hastings, and Brandon Lake have gained popularity even outside of Christian circles.

These are not traditional worship artists, however; they populate the Alternative Christian genre. Some, like Lake, who started as a member of Bethel Worship, began as more worship-centric artists, but have since transitioned into a more Alternative Christian style. Others, like Forrest Frank or Tori Kelly, were involved in secular music production prior to inhabiting the alternative Christian music space.

Worship and Alternative Christian are the two main styles of Christian music. Examples of worship artists include Chris Tomlin, Keith & Kristyn Getty, and Elevation Worship. These artists compose music narrowly tailored to be played in a worship setting. Alternative Christian music, on the other hand, is music that is explicitly Christian, mentioning God, Jesus, or Christian themes, but is more introspective and not intended to be played in worship services. Alternative Christian music focuses far more on personal problems than Christian worship music, which tends to be more focused on praising God.

This is not to say that Alt Christian music does not praise God. Much of it certainly does. For example, Forrest Frank’s “Your Way’s Better” states: “Lord, I’m so thankful for the ways that you’ve blessed me.” Alt Christian music is simply more focused on the personal walk of faith and its trials. Lake’s “Hard Fought Hallelujah” is emblematic of these themes, including lines such as: “I’ve wrestled with the darkness but I’m trying to reach for the light” and “God, you’ve been patient. God, you’ve been gracious, faithful, whatever I’m feeling or facing.”

Among the chief reasons behind the rise of Alt Christian music is that it is of high quality. Unlike stereotypical worship music, which is usually viewed as musically simplistic and repetitive, Alt Christian music has different styles, always presenting some sort of musical intrigue: a catchy beat, interesting gospel chording, or lyrical word painting. Worship songs are typically focused on being congregational and subsequently tend to face the pitfall of repetitive chording and melodies. Since Alt Christian music is not intended to be congregational, there is more freedom for musical creativity.

Another reason why Alt Christian music is on the rise is because of its relatability. Christians and non-Christians alike can relate to these lyrics from Josiah Queen’s song “Dusty Bibles”:

I’ve been struggling to find some peace of mind
It’s the problem of our nation and in our generation
We’re too busy and can’t find the time
Are we busy, or is it all a lie?

Queen and other Alt Christian artists paint word pictures of relatable scenarios and proceed to present Christian solutions. The next line of “Dusty Bible’s” offers the solution:

We got dust on our bibles, brand-new iPhones
No wonder why we feel this way
We walk with our eyes closed, blind leading blind folks
And I’m done with those idols and dusty bibles

Queen is saying that if we dust off our bibles and read them instead of scrolling on our phones, then our unrest will be remedied. This is obviously very appealing and thus the song has steadily grown in popularity. In life, people search for things that satisfy them and make them feel good. Thus, when Alt Christian songs center on common, relatable problems, people are more likely to listen to and enjoy them.

Alt Christian songs can reach secular audiences in a way that worship songs often cannot because of their relatability. For someone who has not grown up in the church, a song about personal trials and hardships is far more relatable and appealing than a song praising the Holy God. They do not know God, so words like “holy,” “omnipotent,” and even “mysterious” are foreign compared to phrases like “I struggle with anxiety.”

Whether Alt Christian music will result in the spread of Christian faith remains to be seen, but it is clearly reaching secular audiences in a way that Christian worship music has not done for decades.