One of the things I love about having two musical young adults in my home is that they are a funnel for new music. Combined with my own curiosity and some great resources (hat tip to Brett McCracken’s annual review at TGC), I have found a great off-the-beaten path collection of Christian artists from a lot of different genres.
Understandably, Christian radio tends to pitch its music to the center, so for those who have musical tastes a little outside the center can be left out. But Christian music ought not be judged by just what is played on the radio. In my opinion, Christian music is in a very healthy place, occupying virtually every musical pocket, from hip hop to folk to pop.
So, are you interested in some new music? Perhaps some of these artists might whet your appetite for further exploration (I made a Spotify playlist that includes them here). Who are some of your favorite non-mainstream Christian artists? Let me know!
Folk/Rock
Candace Coker
Soulful folk with poetic lyrics and evocative imagery of God’s love for us.
Chris Renzema
Soulful, bluesy Americana indie-rock. Renzema’s yearning croon is gritty but accessible.
City Alight
Thoughtful and simple modern hymnists.
Yet Not I But Christ Through Me (YouTube)
Ghost Ship
Haunting Americana indie rock.
Jess Ray
Guitar driven folk with a fresh sonic style.
John Mark McMillan
McMillan’s husky growl brings his wrestling with God to this gritty folk-pop.
Jon Foreman
Headman of Switchfoot’s solo career is mellow, intimate, stripped down.
House of God Forever (YouTube)
Josh Garrels
Garrels is hard to nail down. He spans genres from gritty rock to quiet folk (with some hip hop even thrown in), exploring a breadth of themes.
Joshua Leventhal
Leventhal’s uiet Indie folk beckons the heart into a quiet space.
Taylor Leonhart
Gritty guitar accompanies bluesy folk with spacious production.
Your Love is My Song (YouTube)
The Modern Post
Driving theologically-rich rock worship.
Taylor Armstrong
Quiet folksy worship.
Young Oceans
Classic alt-rock meets a congregational sound.
Until These Tears are Gone (YouTube)
Pop/ Hip Hop
Beautiful Eulogy
Experimental and panoramic electronic hip hop brimming with profound lyrics.
Colorvault
Funky soundscape pop.
Cortes
Straight-forward R&B pop.
Forrest Frank
Modern chill rap with bouncy, lighthearted beats and good vibes.
ISLY
Pop worship.
Josiah Queen
Contemporary pop with mission focused lyrics.
Karissa Frampton
Moody atmospheric synth pop.
Kelsey Breedlove
Crunchy, hooky pop.
Kings Kaliedescope
Exploratory funky rock-pop
Tekoa
R&B indie pop rock with lots of ear candy.
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Photo by Austin Neill on Unsplash