Good news - Christian music is more popular than ever!

It’s an exciting, and slightly surreal, time to be making music in the Christian scene right now.

As LZ7, we’ve been at this for a long time – touring the world, sharing stages with mainstream artists, and relentlessly using our music as a vehicle for the gospel. For years, it felt like we were often swimming against the tide or, at best, in a very specific, often siloed, current.

But then you see statistics like the one highlighted in the US press recently: “Last year, Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) had its biggest streams on Spotify, where the genre experienced a 60 per cent growth rate globally over a five-year period as artists reached beyond the confines of the Christian market to occupy sparsely held mainstream space.”

Streaming is agnostic to genre in the way traditional radio once was

Sixty per cent growth over five years? That’s not just a ripple, that’s a wave. It’s a tsunami. And for a band like LZ7, who’ve always strived to bridge the sacred and the secular through our sound and our message, it feels like something significant is shifting.

An opportunity for more

Now, I’m acutely aware of the conversations happening around the monetisation of CCM, and the uncomfortable but necessary discussions about how that might have contributed to some of the painful scandals we’re seeing unfold. That’s a vital conversation, and one we’re committed to engaging with thoughtfully.

But for a moment, let’s focus on the immense opportunity this growth presents.

Has something fundamentally changed? Absolutely. When I started out, getting Christian music into mainstream venues or onto mainstream playlists felt like an uphill battle. There was a sort of invisible wall that separated “Christian music” from “just music.” While we always believed our music could stand on its own, regardless of the lyrical content’s origin, the industry often didn’t see it that way.

Today, I see that wall crumbling and the rift between the two disappearing, as the credibility of Christian music - or just Christians making music - is visibly on the up!

I believe there are a few key factors at play.

Firstly, yes, the internet has undeniably blown the doors wide open. Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube – these platforms are agnostic to genre in the way traditional radio once was. A good song is a good song, and if it connects with an audience, it can spread like wildfire, regardless of whether it originated from a church youth group or a major label studio.

This democratisation of music distribution means that artists, particularly those in independent scenes like much of CCM has been, can reach a global audience without needing to jump through the same hoops or compromise their message.

We’ve seen it firsthand; a track we release can suddenly gain traction in a territory we’ve never even visited, simply because the algorithm picked it up and people resonated with it.

But is it just the internet? I’m not sure!

A deeper need

There’s a deeper current at work, something we’ve been sensing on the ground for years as we connect with young people across the UK and beyond. Call it spiritual curiosity, a search for meaning, or simply a desperate yearning for hope in an increasingly complex and often disheartening world.

Christian music, at its best, offers lyrics that speak to the soul, melodies that uplift, and a message of unconditional love

I see it from our ILLUMINATE school tours to festivals and mainstream arenas - Gen Z (and soon to follow Gen Alpha), is actively looking for something beyond the superficial. Perhaps more than any generation before them.

Think about it: they’ve grown up in an age of information overload, social media performativity and constant comparison. They’ve witnessed global crises unfold in real-time, and they’re grappling with anxieties about the future that previous generations might not have faced so acutely.

In this landscape, genuine expressions of hope, vulnerability and faith stand out. Christian music, at its best, offers exactly that: lyrics that speak to the soul, melodies that uplift, and a message of unconditional love and redemption.

When we’re performing, we’re not just seeing heads nodding; we’re seeing eyes light up, questions being asked and sometimes, tears flowing. And without a doubt, an increase in the response to a full relationship with Jesus!

Shifting landscapes

There’s an openness, a readiness to engage with themes of faith that feels different. Young people are less beholden to traditional structures and more interested in authentic connection and real answers. And if they find those answers, or even just a glimmer of hope, in a song – whether it’s a worship anthem or a grittier track grappling with faith in adversity – they’re going to listen.

This isn’t about us as artists ‘converting’ people through our music in a transactional way. It’s about being authentic and allowing our faith to permeate every lyric, every beat. It’s about planting seeds, sparking curiosity and creating a space where people feel comfortable exploring spiritual questions. The fact that this is now reaching a wider audience through platforms like Spotify is simply a testament to the power of the message itself, and perhaps, a reflection of a generation that is genuinely hungry for something more.

So, while the conversations around monetisation are crucial and necessary for the long-term health of the CCM industry, let’s not lose sight of the incredible opportunity we have right now.

The doors are open wider than ever before. It’s our collective responsibility, as artists and as a community, to walk through them with integrity, creativity and above all, with an evangelist’s heart, ready to share the good news with a world that seems more ready than ever to hear it. The spiritual landscape is shifting, and we’re here for it.

LZ7’s new single ‘Rewind’ is released on Friday. For more information about the work of LZ7, including ILLUMINATE, their umbrella charity and indie label visit light.uk.com