There has been a new wave of Christian music that has poured over the music industry since the beginning of the 2020s, and religious or not, this shift in worship music has been noticeable.
Today’s gospel music has drifted away from the simple sounds of Sunday school and morphed into the contemporary melodies of indie and rap genres. Worship music has always been a trickier space to step into, considering the messages are always far more powerful than secular music, but the lyrics and sounds often feel repetitive and go on for far too long.
However, 21-year-old Josiah Queen — a Tampa, Florida native and independent musician — is riding the biggest wave of this Christian music swell that has overtaken the entertainment industry. His 2024 debut album and collection of singles that date back to 2020 have propelled him to the top of the hierarchy when it comes to the new era of Christian artists.
His indie, “granola” vibe captivated fans when he flew onto the scene a few years ago, and his grungy aesthetic has only improved since. His style is seeping of influences like Noah Kahan, Caamp and The Lumineers, but his songs are centered around a message that glorifies the Lord. He’s the perfect artist for those looking for a mashup of worship and mainstream sounds.
His songs compel you to raise your hands in praise at church, but they fit right into your hiking and road tripping down Pacific Coast Highway playlists. Queen’s raspy voice and the simple strum of his guitar brilliantly mimic the sounds of acoustic, almost-country folk and indie styles circulating the secular music space.
“The Prodigal,” Queen’s debut album that consisted of 11 songs for a playing time of 34 minutes, has been a massive success since its release back in May. Tracks like “Take Me Home” and “My Promised Land” have collected millions of streams while also maintaining a solid social media presence throughout the summer.
Since the beginning of the year, Queen has seen his following rapidly climb to three million listeners on Spotify and over 350,000 followers on Instagram. With the majority of his supporters being college-aged Christians like himself, Queen is beginning to tap into this audience.
Queen, along with other young, Christian artists Chris Renzema and Antoine Bradford, are set to embark on the Campus Nights Tour. The trio plan to perform at eight colleges (primarily located in the Midwest) throughout the remainder of the year.
On top of the Campus Nights Tour, Queen has The Prodigal Tour and will be in San Diego on October 13 playing at Skyline Church in La Mesa. His San Diego show will be one of the first shows on the West Coast after Queen spent the majority of the summer touring the east.
Queen’s sound is addicting, his lyrics are powerful and he finds ways to enter a theologically deep place through his music without getting repetitive. Not to mention he keeps his songs under the 4-minute-mark, which is unheard of in worship music. There’s nothing wrong with longer songs, but in a generation with one of the worst attention spans of all time, a song that doesn’t repeat itself for nine minutes is typically the safer option.
There’s good reason to believe that by the time this year is over, Queen will no longer fall under the category of a “Hidden Gem.” The continuation of his two tours will undoubtedly open the eyes of young adults around the country to the power and catchiness of revamped worship music. Queen is showing the music world that not all gospel music has to be hymns or the simple rhymes that they make you do dances and hand gestures to in Sunday school.
He has the indie, folk vibe down to a T, but has proven his understanding of the gospel and a relationship with Christ is fully developed. His songs promote messages centered around selflessness, finding joy in a grief-stricken world and choosing a sometimes uncomfortable life of serving others and God over a life of conformity to a lost, broken world.
The 21-year-old has already hooked his audience with a beautiful debut album, and he’ll have plenty of time to reel us in with more music in upcoming years. I’d hop on the Josiah Queen bandwagon now, because he will be a household name sooner than you’d think.
