The Stars of Christian Music 2012
2012 saw some interesting movement in stardom within Christian Music; however, the big names remain virtually the same, albeit in different positions than usual on the list. My ranking of the CCM stars includes data from album sales, single sales, radio airplay, concert draws, awards and all around hype and recognition. Of course the real litmus test of a star is their impact on the listener and their love for the Lord but since there is no way for mere mortals such as us to measure these accomplishments, we must look at which artists have the greatest reach. Check out the list and discuss your favorites in the comments section below!
1. TobyMac- With a plethora of Gold and Platinum albums, dozens of hit singles, multiple Grammy Awards and shelves full of Dove Awards (including Artist of the Year and Song of the Year honors) both as a solo artist and with DC Talk to his credit, TobyMac has been a star in CCM for years. However, 2012 brought the artist formally known as Toby McKeean the kind of success reserved for mainstream global superstars. Mr Mac is fresh off a Billboard Top 200 #1 album (Eye On It), a massive #1 radio and digital hit ("Me Without You"), incredible amounts of media appearances and interviews and a huge arena tour, The Hits Deep Tour featuring pretty much every popular dance or urban leaning artist in CCM including Group 1 Crew, Mandisa, Britt Nicole, Chris August, Brandon Heath and Jamie Grace. (Only Mr Mac could assemble such a star studded line-up as The Hits Deep Tour when most of those artists have headlined sold out tours themselves this year.) Its a proven fact that if TobyMac's name appears on a single as a featured artist, digital sales will spike and radio will pay attention. (Just ask Jamie Grace, Group 1 Crew or Mandisa). There is very little TobyMac can't do in CCM- to the point where the mainstream media must pay attention even if his music is too "God-focused" for secular playlists. Look for this guy to dominate all the Christian Music awards come 2013.
2. Casting Crowns- What's shocking is not that Casting Crowns is not on this list but that they are not at #1! For the better part of the last decade, CC has dominated all things CCM. Every single studio album, live album and DVD they have released since their self-titled debut in 2003 has been certified gold or platinum (with two peaking at #2 on the Billboard Top 200 chart), every song they have released to radio has gone #1 on either the Christian AC or Inspo charts, Every tour they have gone on has grossed millions of dollars and been within the top five Christian Music tours of the year, They've won 17 Dove Awards (including Artist of the Year, Song of the Year twice and an unprecedented five year in a row streak of Group of the Year). However, while Mark Hall and the gang are still a massive success, their star has faded ever so slightly in the last few years. While their last album Come to the Well debuted at #2 (behind Adele's unbeatable hit album 21) on the Billboard Top 200, it failed to sell 100,000 copies in its first week of release- their first album to do so since 2005. Their current single "Jesus Friend of Sinners" was their first not to make the top 5 on the Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart (it peaked at #6 although it did go #1 on the Soft AC/Inspirational Radio chart and #2 on the AC Indicator). So while Casting Crowns is still a huge force in CCM, there seems to be a small crack in the CC machine that needs repairing.
3. MercyMe- These guys are the CCM's Little Engine That Could. These guys consistently release music every 18 months or so and see every one of their albums and singles reach #1 on the Christian Charts and are currently the most played artist on CCM radio. While they don't sell quite as large amounts of albums, singles or concert tickets as TobyMac or Casting Crowns, they are probably the most steadily successful group in the business. They have perfected the art of balancing artistic experimentation and radio friendliness and remain the only artist to place multiple worship songs in the top 20 on the mainstream Adult Contemporary radio charts ("I Can Only Imagine", "Here With Me", "Homesick", "So Long Self", "Hold Fast", "Finally Home") MercyMe has cultivated a special relationship with their fans that allows them the freedom to push musical and professional boundaries without compromising their bible-based lyricism and standards. And with their current single "You Are I Am" heating up at radio (complete with Song of the Year Dove Award buzz), it looks like MercyMe is here to stay!
4. Lecrae- There really is no logical reason for Lecrae to be on this list except for the fact that he's just that good! A black independent rapper who turned down a record deal with Jay-Z should be on the fringes of CCM not on the superstar list; but the fact of the matter is that the founder of Reach Records has completely changed the face of Christian Rap both within the CCM community and without. Lecrae's last four albuns have topped the Gospel and or Christian Album charts and his last two proper releases, Rehab: The Overdose and Gravity peaked in the top 4 on the Billboard Top 200 with little to no support from Christian or mainstream radio and have received immense critical acclaim from both CCm and mainstream critics. Clearly Crae's brand of no nonsense theologically sound hip hop has struck a chord with Christian youth and Lecrae was the first hip hop artist to receive a nomination for Artist of the Year at the Dove Awards. It seems the only way a Christian rapper can break into the industry is to have Lecrae feature on their record or be fortunate enough to land a spot on his. Lecrae is truly the gatekeeper of Christian Hip Hop and it will continue to be fun to watch him take the paths less travelled to spread the Word of God.
5. Chris Tomlin- He has been called the most sung songwriter in the world as his classics "How Great is Our God", "Holy is the Lord", "We Fall Down", "Our God", "Forever", and "My Chains Are Gone" are sung in churches all over the globe on a daily basis. Chris Tomlin is, in a sense, our generation's Charles Wesley. Beyond his fame within the praise & worship crowd at church, Tomlin is a bonafide CCM pop star in his own right as well. Since the release of his breakthrough platinum selling album Arriving in 2004 and his #1 single "Indescribable" (written by Laura Story which is currently the 6th most sung song in churches around the world), Chris Tomlin has had at least one #1 single each year (assuming his current single "Whom Shall I Fear" makes it to the top before the end of the year) and each of his albums have been certified gold or platinum. He has won over 20 Dove Awards including Artist Male Vocalist and Song of the Year for "How Great is Our God") Tomlin has maintained his huge visibility both through personal world tours and through his involvement in the annual Passion Conferences in Atlanta, GA. alongside founder Louie Giglio, David Crowder, Steve Fee, and Nathan and Christy Nockels. Tomlin writes and sings lead on the bulk of the new material for the yearly conference soundtrack (which has won the Dove Award for Special Event Album of the Year four times!) in addition to the material for his solo albums and has been very influential in the introduction of many other praise & worship focused artists including Matt Redman, Laura Story, Christy Nockels, Kristian Stanfill, and Bluetree. In short, whatever Chris Tomlin releases, we will sing.
6. Newsboys- The Newsboys, in one form or the other, have been around since the late 80's and found great success all throughout the 90's and early 00's with lead singer Peter Furler. However, when Furler announced his departure from the group after their lackluster In The Hands of God album in 2009 and was replaced by DC Talk and Tait frontman Michael Tait, expectations were high and the stakes were even higher for the new configuration of Newsboys to bring the goods. And bring the goods they did! Born Again, both the album and the single topped the charts (the album debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200) as did their subsequent singles "Way Beyond Myself", "Save Your Life", and "God's Not Dead" while their current single "Your Love Never Fails": has already launched into the top 10 on the Christian CHR charts. Their worship album God's Not Dead as well as the similarly named tour have met with great success and given the band the opportunity to help increase the visibility of artists such as Abandon, Anthem Lights, and The City Harmonic as well as to promote such ministries as I Am Second. Beyond all of this, Newsboys owns the bulk of the touring equipment and lighting that many CCM artists rent for their shows (an investment the band made back in the early 2000's during their Festival Con Dios years) making the band one of the most successful business entities in CCM as well. It was hard to imagine the Newsboys being any bigger than they were back in the "Shine" and "Take Me To Your Leader" era but it has happened and it seems that the boys are even bigger today than they've ever been before.
7. Jeremy Camp- There was a time when Jeremy Camp was one of the coolest, most edgy artists allowed on the Christian AC airwaves. His singles "I Still Believe", "Right Here", "Take You Back" and "Walk By Faith" became classics within the CCM community all while he maintained a solid rock radio following with singles like "Take My Life", "Stay" and "Lay Down My Pride". But everyone has to grow up at some point and now Mr. Camp is an ordained minister and father of three. Thus his music has shifted focus from hard rocking message songs to more worship leaning fare. This has not hindered his radio success which now stands at 17 #1 singles across four different Christian radio formats (AC, CHR, Rock, and Inspirational) or at retail where he remains a huge seller. His most recent album We Cry Out- A Worship Project topped the Christian sales charts and produced three consecutive #1 singles ("Jesus Saves", "The Way", and "Overcome"). Camp just released a Christmas album (as all superstar artists must do) and a new single, "Reckless", from his upcoming 2013 album. With his good looks, strong musical hooks and solid bible study-focused ministry platform, look for Camp to remain a constant fixture in the CCM world for as long as he desires to make music.
8. Matthew West- In a perfect world, Matthew West would top this list. Three of West's singles, "More" (2004), "You Are Everything" (2008), and "The Motions" (2009) all were the #1 most played song of the year on Christian Radio in their respective years. Furthermore, his songs "Strong Enough" and "Only Grace" spent over a year each on the AC charts with his #1 song "Strong Enough" spending nearly TWO YEARS within the top 20 on the Christian AC chart. Mainstream AC radio also granted him major success this past Christmas when his single "The Heart of Christmas" made the top 5 on the Mainstream Adult Contemporary Christmas chart. However, Matt West has never been able to translate all of this radio success into massive album or tour ticket sales; nor has he had any major Dove Award wins or nominations despite all of his hit singles. Nonetheless, he remain a solid draw within CCM and his songs continue to be the soundtrack of our lives as his latest single "Forgiveness" recently topped the charts. Here's to hoping his latest album Into the Light will be able to launch his career to the next level.
9. Tenth Avenue North- After debuting in the top 10 on the Billboard 200 and producing their 5th #1 single with the quirky carrier single "Losing", their third album The Struggle has solidified 10th Ave as stars of CCM. Positioning themselves as the thinking theologian's artist, TAN has crafted a solid, biblically founded ministry that the masses can enjoy. Their debut album is approaching gold status while both The Struggle and sophomore record The Light Meets The Dark debuted at #1 on the Christian Charts. "By Your Side" the hit single from their debut record, Over and Underneath, was a surprise winner of the Song of the Year Dove Award just a year after they won New Artist of the Year and chances are they will be awarded Group of the Year at the 2013 ceremony. These guys improved with each album and the hits just keep on coming. Look for Tenth Avenue North to be around for a long time.
10. Third Day & Natalie Grant (tie)- Both Natalie Grant and Third Day were between albums in 2012 but that doesn't change their star power.
Natalie Grant is the only female artist in CCM that has enough clout to headline an arena tour and throughout most of the last decade she was the only female to get regular airplay across the board on Christian Radio. Her Signature song "Held" and its parent album Awaken have been certified Gold and her most recent album Love Revolution is the fastest selling album of her career. Grant has spent most of 2012 on tour promoting the multi-artist concept album The Story which was written and produced by her husband Bernie Herms (alongside singer-songwriter Nichole Nordeman) which has been very well received. Lately, Nat has had some difficulty connecting at radio over the last couple of singles as more female artists have been accepted at radio and her label's radio single choices have been somewhat lackluster (both her Hillsong worship cover "The Greatness of Our God" and the Jordin Sparks penned pop ballad "Human" missed the top 10) but her final single from Love Revolution, the epic worship ballad "Your Great Name" returned her to the top tier of the charts and still is a bestseller on the iTunes digital singles chart.
Third Day has been huge for almost two decades with more gold albums, sold out tours, hit singles and Grammy and Dove Awards than they know what to do with. Unfortunately, their fire began to flicker slightly on their last album Move when none of the singles from the album were able to go #1 on any radio or digital single chart. The parent album still did sell well (#9 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on the Christian Chart) as did their similarly titled tour with Tenth Avenue North but it seemed that 3D was moving more into the direction of a classic veteran act (a la Steven Curtis Chapman or Michael W. Smith) and away from their superstar status within CCM. HOWEVER, their new single "I Need a Miracle" seems like it is set to change all of that. The single, previewing their forthcoming album Miracle (releasing this fall) looks like its going to follow the trend set by previous lead singles "Call My Name", "Cry Out to Jesus", "Show Me Your Glory" and "I've Always Love You" and shoot straight to #1, building excitement for a cool southern rock album that is perfect for the holiday rush.
So there you have it! The top 10 (well actually 11) stars in Contemporary Christian Music. If you want to start listening to Christian Music, this is the place to start! Enjoy!
1. TobyMac- With a plethora of Gold and Platinum albums, dozens of hit singles, multiple Grammy Awards and shelves full of Dove Awards (including Artist of the Year and Song of the Year honors) both as a solo artist and with DC Talk to his credit, TobyMac has been a star in CCM for years. However, 2012 brought the artist formally known as Toby McKeean the kind of success reserved for mainstream global superstars. Mr Mac is fresh off a Billboard Top 200 #1 album (Eye On It), a massive #1 radio and digital hit ("Me Without You"), incredible amounts of media appearances and interviews and a huge arena tour, The Hits Deep Tour featuring pretty much every popular dance or urban leaning artist in CCM including Group 1 Crew, Mandisa, Britt Nicole, Chris August, Brandon Heath and Jamie Grace. (Only Mr Mac could assemble such a star studded line-up as The Hits Deep Tour when most of those artists have headlined sold out tours themselves this year.) Its a proven fact that if TobyMac's name appears on a single as a featured artist, digital sales will spike and radio will pay attention. (Just ask Jamie Grace, Group 1 Crew or Mandisa). There is very little TobyMac can't do in CCM- to the point where the mainstream media must pay attention even if his music is too "God-focused" for secular playlists. Look for this guy to dominate all the Christian Music awards come 2013.
2. Casting Crowns- What's shocking is not that Casting Crowns is not on this list but that they are not at #1! For the better part of the last decade, CC has dominated all things CCM. Every single studio album, live album and DVD they have released since their self-titled debut in 2003 has been certified gold or platinum (with two peaking at #2 on the Billboard Top 200 chart), every song they have released to radio has gone #1 on either the Christian AC or Inspo charts, Every tour they have gone on has grossed millions of dollars and been within the top five Christian Music tours of the year, They've won 17 Dove Awards (including Artist of the Year, Song of the Year twice and an unprecedented five year in a row streak of Group of the Year). However, while Mark Hall and the gang are still a massive success, their star has faded ever so slightly in the last few years. While their last album Come to the Well debuted at #2 (behind Adele's unbeatable hit album 21) on the Billboard Top 200, it failed to sell 100,000 copies in its first week of release- their first album to do so since 2005. Their current single "Jesus Friend of Sinners" was their first not to make the top 5 on the Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart (it peaked at #6 although it did go #1 on the Soft AC/Inspirational Radio chart and #2 on the AC Indicator). So while Casting Crowns is still a huge force in CCM, there seems to be a small crack in the CC machine that needs repairing.
3. MercyMe- These guys are the CCM's Little Engine That Could. These guys consistently release music every 18 months or so and see every one of their albums and singles reach #1 on the Christian Charts and are currently the most played artist on CCM radio. While they don't sell quite as large amounts of albums, singles or concert tickets as TobyMac or Casting Crowns, they are probably the most steadily successful group in the business. They have perfected the art of balancing artistic experimentation and radio friendliness and remain the only artist to place multiple worship songs in the top 20 on the mainstream Adult Contemporary radio charts ("I Can Only Imagine", "Here With Me", "Homesick", "So Long Self", "Hold Fast", "Finally Home") MercyMe has cultivated a special relationship with their fans that allows them the freedom to push musical and professional boundaries without compromising their bible-based lyricism and standards. And with their current single "You Are I Am" heating up at radio (complete with Song of the Year Dove Award buzz), it looks like MercyMe is here to stay!
4. Lecrae- There really is no logical reason for Lecrae to be on this list except for the fact that he's just that good! A black independent rapper who turned down a record deal with Jay-Z should be on the fringes of CCM not on the superstar list; but the fact of the matter is that the founder of Reach Records has completely changed the face of Christian Rap both within the CCM community and without. Lecrae's last four albuns have topped the Gospel and or Christian Album charts and his last two proper releases, Rehab: The Overdose and Gravity peaked in the top 4 on the Billboard Top 200 with little to no support from Christian or mainstream radio and have received immense critical acclaim from both CCm and mainstream critics. Clearly Crae's brand of no nonsense theologically sound hip hop has struck a chord with Christian youth and Lecrae was the first hip hop artist to receive a nomination for Artist of the Year at the Dove Awards. It seems the only way a Christian rapper can break into the industry is to have Lecrae feature on their record or be fortunate enough to land a spot on his. Lecrae is truly the gatekeeper of Christian Hip Hop and it will continue to be fun to watch him take the paths less travelled to spread the Word of God.
5. Chris Tomlin- He has been called the most sung songwriter in the world as his classics "How Great is Our God", "Holy is the Lord", "We Fall Down", "Our God", "Forever", and "My Chains Are Gone" are sung in churches all over the globe on a daily basis. Chris Tomlin is, in a sense, our generation's Charles Wesley. Beyond his fame within the praise & worship crowd at church, Tomlin is a bonafide CCM pop star in his own right as well. Since the release of his breakthrough platinum selling album Arriving in 2004 and his #1 single "Indescribable" (written by Laura Story which is currently the 6th most sung song in churches around the world), Chris Tomlin has had at least one #1 single each year (assuming his current single "Whom Shall I Fear" makes it to the top before the end of the year) and each of his albums have been certified gold or platinum. He has won over 20 Dove Awards including Artist Male Vocalist and Song of the Year for "How Great is Our God") Tomlin has maintained his huge visibility both through personal world tours and through his involvement in the annual Passion Conferences in Atlanta, GA. alongside founder Louie Giglio, David Crowder, Steve Fee, and Nathan and Christy Nockels. Tomlin writes and sings lead on the bulk of the new material for the yearly conference soundtrack (which has won the Dove Award for Special Event Album of the Year four times!) in addition to the material for his solo albums and has been very influential in the introduction of many other praise & worship focused artists including Matt Redman, Laura Story, Christy Nockels, Kristian Stanfill, and Bluetree. In short, whatever Chris Tomlin releases, we will sing.
6. Newsboys- The Newsboys, in one form or the other, have been around since the late 80's and found great success all throughout the 90's and early 00's with lead singer Peter Furler. However, when Furler announced his departure from the group after their lackluster In The Hands of God album in 2009 and was replaced by DC Talk and Tait frontman Michael Tait, expectations were high and the stakes were even higher for the new configuration of Newsboys to bring the goods. And bring the goods they did! Born Again, both the album and the single topped the charts (the album debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200) as did their subsequent singles "Way Beyond Myself", "Save Your Life", and "God's Not Dead" while their current single "Your Love Never Fails": has already launched into the top 10 on the Christian CHR charts. Their worship album God's Not Dead as well as the similarly named tour have met with great success and given the band the opportunity to help increase the visibility of artists such as Abandon, Anthem Lights, and The City Harmonic as well as to promote such ministries as I Am Second. Beyond all of this, Newsboys owns the bulk of the touring equipment and lighting that many CCM artists rent for their shows (an investment the band made back in the early 2000's during their Festival Con Dios years) making the band one of the most successful business entities in CCM as well. It was hard to imagine the Newsboys being any bigger than they were back in the "Shine" and "Take Me To Your Leader" era but it has happened and it seems that the boys are even bigger today than they've ever been before.
7. Jeremy Camp- There was a time when Jeremy Camp was one of the coolest, most edgy artists allowed on the Christian AC airwaves. His singles "I Still Believe", "Right Here", "Take You Back" and "Walk By Faith" became classics within the CCM community all while he maintained a solid rock radio following with singles like "Take My Life", "Stay" and "Lay Down My Pride". But everyone has to grow up at some point and now Mr. Camp is an ordained minister and father of three. Thus his music has shifted focus from hard rocking message songs to more worship leaning fare. This has not hindered his radio success which now stands at 17 #1 singles across four different Christian radio formats (AC, CHR, Rock, and Inspirational) or at retail where he remains a huge seller. His most recent album We Cry Out- A Worship Project topped the Christian sales charts and produced three consecutive #1 singles ("Jesus Saves", "The Way", and "Overcome"). Camp just released a Christmas album (as all superstar artists must do) and a new single, "Reckless", from his upcoming 2013 album. With his good looks, strong musical hooks and solid bible study-focused ministry platform, look for Camp to remain a constant fixture in the CCM world for as long as he desires to make music.
8. Matthew West- In a perfect world, Matthew West would top this list. Three of West's singles, "More" (2004), "You Are Everything" (2008), and "The Motions" (2009) all were the #1 most played song of the year on Christian Radio in their respective years. Furthermore, his songs "Strong Enough" and "Only Grace" spent over a year each on the AC charts with his #1 song "Strong Enough" spending nearly TWO YEARS within the top 20 on the Christian AC chart. Mainstream AC radio also granted him major success this past Christmas when his single "The Heart of Christmas" made the top 5 on the Mainstream Adult Contemporary Christmas chart. However, Matt West has never been able to translate all of this radio success into massive album or tour ticket sales; nor has he had any major Dove Award wins or nominations despite all of his hit singles. Nonetheless, he remain a solid draw within CCM and his songs continue to be the soundtrack of our lives as his latest single "Forgiveness" recently topped the charts. Here's to hoping his latest album Into the Light will be able to launch his career to the next level.
9. Tenth Avenue North- After debuting in the top 10 on the Billboard 200 and producing their 5th #1 single with the quirky carrier single "Losing", their third album The Struggle has solidified 10th Ave as stars of CCM. Positioning themselves as the thinking theologian's artist, TAN has crafted a solid, biblically founded ministry that the masses can enjoy. Their debut album is approaching gold status while both The Struggle and sophomore record The Light Meets The Dark debuted at #1 on the Christian Charts. "By Your Side" the hit single from their debut record, Over and Underneath, was a surprise winner of the Song of the Year Dove Award just a year after they won New Artist of the Year and chances are they will be awarded Group of the Year at the 2013 ceremony. These guys improved with each album and the hits just keep on coming. Look for Tenth Avenue North to be around for a long time.
10. Third Day & Natalie Grant (tie)- Both Natalie Grant and Third Day were between albums in 2012 but that doesn't change their star power.
Natalie Grant is the only female artist in CCM that has enough clout to headline an arena tour and throughout most of the last decade she was the only female to get regular airplay across the board on Christian Radio. Her Signature song "Held" and its parent album Awaken have been certified Gold and her most recent album Love Revolution is the fastest selling album of her career. Grant has spent most of 2012 on tour promoting the multi-artist concept album The Story which was written and produced by her husband Bernie Herms (alongside singer-songwriter Nichole Nordeman) which has been very well received. Lately, Nat has had some difficulty connecting at radio over the last couple of singles as more female artists have been accepted at radio and her label's radio single choices have been somewhat lackluster (both her Hillsong worship cover "The Greatness of Our God" and the Jordin Sparks penned pop ballad "Human" missed the top 10) but her final single from Love Revolution, the epic worship ballad "Your Great Name" returned her to the top tier of the charts and still is a bestseller on the iTunes digital singles chart.
Third Day has been huge for almost two decades with more gold albums, sold out tours, hit singles and Grammy and Dove Awards than they know what to do with. Unfortunately, their fire began to flicker slightly on their last album Move when none of the singles from the album were able to go #1 on any radio or digital single chart. The parent album still did sell well (#9 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on the Christian Chart) as did their similarly titled tour with Tenth Avenue North but it seemed that 3D was moving more into the direction of a classic veteran act (a la Steven Curtis Chapman or Michael W. Smith) and away from their superstar status within CCM. HOWEVER, their new single "I Need a Miracle" seems like it is set to change all of that. The single, previewing their forthcoming album Miracle (releasing this fall) looks like its going to follow the trend set by previous lead singles "Call My Name", "Cry Out to Jesus", "Show Me Your Glory" and "I've Always Love You" and shoot straight to #1, building excitement for a cool southern rock album that is perfect for the holiday rush.
So there you have it! The top 10 (well actually 11) stars in Contemporary Christian Music. If you want to start listening to Christian Music, this is the place to start! Enjoy!
i think 2 things...
ReplyDelete1. Newboys with Michael Tait are doing an awesome job!
2. Christian radio isn't playing Matthew West enough...haven't heard any of his new stuff (maybe its a PA thing)
1. AGREED!
ReplyDelete2. What a shame! They play him ALL THE TIME down here! Especially on Way FM. You best get to calling up your radio station and requesting a little Matt West :)