Mainstream and Christian music–we tend to keep those two worlds separate in our minds, thinking that one genre is more holy than the other. But over the years, I've come to have a different view of this separation between mainstream and Christian music. Instead of viewing one as better than the other, I've chosen to view both genres of music as art. Some songs may be more spiritually-focused in their lyrics than others, but at the end of the day, both forms of music are art.
In John Mark Comer's masterpiece of a book, Garden City, he puts it this way: "Jesus didn't buy into sacred/secular thinking. Not one bit. To him, the God he called Father is as close as the air up against our skin. To him, life is a seamless, integrated, holistic experience where the sacred is all around us. And for Jesus and his way, God wants to be involved in every square inch of our lives. Because everything is spiritual. Everything matters to God."
To God, Gabby Barrett's music matters just as much as TobyMac's. In the words of A.W. Tozer, "The motive is everything." If the artist's heart is committed to Jesus and they're filling the world with beauty through songs, why wouldn't that matter to God? The sacred/secular divide is an old way of thinking. It's time to move into the new thing that God is doing.
More and more Christian artists are collaborating with mainstream artists. Together, they're working to make this world more beautiful. Today, we're going to highlight seven artists who are breaking down the divide between the sacred and secular. Let's jump in. (Want more? Click here.)
for KING + COUNTRY and Jordin Sparks, "Love Me Like I Am"
for KING + COUNTRY has become well-known for collaborating with mainstream artists. In 2019 the Australian duo re-released their song "God Only Knows" in collaboration with Echosmith and later released another version of the song featuring Dolly Parton. The group has gone on to work with more artists like Tori Kelly, R3HAB, and many others.
for KING + COUNTRY's latest collaboration was with the legendary pop artist Jordin Sparks, who brought her gorgeous vocals to "Love Me Like I Am." The song instantly became a hit, garnering over half a million views on YouTube alone. Song after song, for KING + COUNTRY has been closing the gap between mainstream and Christian music, and it's a wonderful thing to see.
"It's amazing that You can love me like I am/And even when I can't, You still love me as I am/Oh I don't know how You do it/And I know I put You through it/Yeah, it's amazing that You can love me like I, love me like I am."
TobyMac and Sheryl Crow, "Promised Land"
One of the biggest surprises of 2022 was TobyMac's collaboration with Sheryl Crow on "Promised Land." Sheryl has been releasing music for decades and is well known for her hit songs "Soak Up the Sun" and "Everyday Is A Winding Road." Sheryl has spoken about her faith before and even revealed in a Wall Street Journal article that she has a church on her Nashville property.
When artists have such a huge platform as Sheryl does, it's so encouraging to see them using their talents for good and sharing the hope of Jesus with the world. That's exactly what TobyMac and Sheryl Crow did together in this song--they became a beacon of light to Christian and mainstream music.
"I won't give up on this race, broken but I still have faith/That this old life is all part of a plan/And I can feel it in my soul/One day, I'll stand before the throne/With nothin' left but hope in these two hands/Through all these seasons/I'm still believin'/You're my promised land."
Tauren Wells and Jimmie Allen, "Up"
In 2021, country artist Jimmie Allen teamed up with Tauren Wells on the song "When This is Over," blending Jimmie's country sound with Tauren's iconic pop vocals. In 2022, the two decided to team up again for Tauren's single "Up." The song was released along with three other versions--the studio version, a live version from Red Rocks, Colorado, and a rendition featuring singer/songwriter Erica Campbell.
This wasn't Tauren's first time collaborating with a mainstream artist. In 2021, he partnered with H.E.R. for "Hold Us Together," which has racked up over 8 million Spotify streams and has become one of Tauren's most successful songs. I'm excited to see where "Up" will take him, and I hope to see more mainstream collaborations from Tauren soon.
"Keep your head high, keep on fighting/'Cause the pressure makes a diamond/Tomorrow's a new day/Ain't no way you're giving up, up, up, up, up."
Lecrae and PJ Morton of Maroon 5, "We Did It"
Since 2012, PJ Morton has been Maroon 5's keyboardist. But PJ doesn't just play the keyboard. He's also a talented singer, songwriter, and rapper. On Lecrae's latest album, Church Clothes 4, PJ Morton offered his vocals on the upbeat track "We Did It."
Lecrae's collaboration with PJ Morton is no surprise since Lecrae has become known for his mainstream collaborations. His collaboration with Tori Kelly on "I'll Find You" went viral in 2017 and has amassed over 97 million Spotify streams. Additionally, Lecrae has collaborated with artists like Ty Dolla $ign, Rapsody, and John Legend. Lecrae has become an essential voice in Christian/mainstream music, and he continues to bridge the gap between the divide.
"They say that boy can't take the pressure, but they see that I did it/Mama, I finally learned my lesson, now we counting them digits/And I came up from the bottom and don't ever forget it/We did it, we did it, we did it, we did it."
for KING + COUNTRY and Hillary Scott, "For God Is With Us"
Yep, for KING + COUNTRY is getting another mention on this list. The Australian brothers have collaborated with many mainstream artists over the years, but perhaps one of their most memorable collaborations was with Hillary Scott. The lead singer of Lady A brought her vocals to the duo's already-popular song, "For God Is With Us," and it scored them a GRAMMY nomination for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song.
Although the song didn't win, it still remains one of for KING + COUNTRY's biggest collaborations yet. Keep an eye on for KING + COUNTRY, because I'm sure more collabs are on the horizon.
"Can you feel your heart begin to race?/Can you see the tide begin to change?/With all of our futures rearranged/The world will never be the same/For God is with us."
Steven Malcolm and Snoop Dogg, "Summertime"
Last April, Steven Malcolm released his latest album, Tree. On almost every song, he collaborated with fellow artists like Jay-Way, Social Club Misfits, and KB. But one of the most notable collaborations on the album was with Snoop Dogg. The famous rapper brought a few lines to the upbeat track "Summertime," and the song is truly unforgettable.
Snoop Dogg has partnered with Christian/alternative artists before. Ben Rector recently got to team up with Snoop for one of my new favorite songs, "Sunday." It's been so encouraging to see a mainstream rapper like Snoop Dogg working with Christian artists to bring a message of hope to the world, and I hope this is only the beginning.
"Praise God, look what He did for me/Summer, summertime, and it feel like every day."
Colton Dixon and Gabby Barrett, "Build A Boat"
In 2022, Colton Dixon released "Build A Boat," and it quickly became the most popular song of his career. The song spent ten weeks charting at No. 1, and now another hit-maker is joining Colton for a new version of the song. Country artist Gabby Barrett brought her vocals to the chart-topping song, adding a beautiful new dimension to "Build A Boat."
Gabby recently shared about the new song, "These lyrics really hit me, and it's such a blessing to be a part of this new version and to be able to honor our Lord in this way."
At the end of the day, that's what these artists are doing. They're honoring our Lord with their music, and that's what really matters. I hope that, someday soon, the gap between mainstream and Christian music will be so small that all we'll be able to see are people who are bringing glory to Jesus.
"I will build a boat in the sand where they say it never rains/I will stand up in faith, I'll do anything it takes/With Your wind in my sails, Your love never fails or fades/I'll build a boat in the desert place."
Grace Chaves has been a fan of all things Christian music since 2016. She is NRT's news editor, and one of NRT's youngest writers. Homeschooled, Grace is an author, loves Jesus, concerts, and road trips.
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