When Blackout Tuesday took over social media it had an unlikely ally. That was  CCM (Contemporary Christian Music). Sure the action was organized by music industry executives, but the Christian Music Industry and its artists generally avoids political discussion, controversy, and disputes. But not this time. Popular CCM artists like Chris Tomlin, for King & Country, Casting Crowns, Matt Maher,  Elevation Worship and Kari Jobe and many others partook in TheShowMustBePaused initiative.

The celebrity pastors also shared their voice in support including Hillsong’s Carl Lentz and Brian Houston as well as Judah Smith, Chad Veach and Loui Giglio.

But as the black squares flooded Instagram of Christian artists on June 1st, so did the comments. And it was with a mixed reaction. Some showed support while others vowed never to attend a show again while threatening to unfollow them.

Although christian artists may seemingly support BLM there is a sizable population that view it as an organization tied to an American Political Party.  For the CCM artist it can prove quite a conundrum finding the balance between church and politics.
Justin Bieber can enter the political fray, lose a portion of the audience and still have a viable career, whereas a CCM artist could be wiped off the map.

The network of Christian show organizers, churches and radio programmers can have a lasting effect on their ability to perform.
The biggest threat is the backlash from the christian community which is their only audience. It’s a small audience and 100% of their revenue stream.

Christian artists are not entertainers. They aren’t being paid for the song and dance.  They are viewed  as missionaries that visit churches with a song and a message. Many live off of funds and donations. It’s not uncommon for christian artists to walk away with thousands in funds for a three song set at a local church, while most of their supporters are conservative leaning.

The impact will be seen in late 2021 when touring resumes. Will they still have an audience that forks over money to support their mission? Or will they see them as political activists campaigning for social change mixed with politics. This is the talk in christian circles, and that’s what insiders are grappling with.
While christian artists are caught up in the crossfire of politics, some fear that the upcoming backlash could black out christian music.

Toronto native Jesse Gold releases “One in A Million” featuring Stefani Kimber. You’ll love it you’re fan of whisperpop a trend that Selena Gomez started with Good For You and Bad Liar. Then came Julia Michaels. She started writing songs with under-the-breath low key vocals for Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber. Then came Eilish.  So yes, whisper pop is alive and well and you can add this track to the mix. Jesse Gold landed Spotify’s Fresh Finds and Just Vibing playlist.

I Hope by Gabby Barrett is on fire. It’s a song that has taken a life of its own.

So Gabby finished 3rd on the 16th season of American Idol. The show for the most part that has lost its luster. After idol she independently released the song “I Hope” in 2018.  At this point, artist generally fade away, but not Gabby. A year later she signed with Warner Music Nashville after she performed the song as guest performer on American Idol 17th season.

Good move by the label. A year later, the song topped the country charts.

Then she released a new version of song that features Charlie Puth and the song landed on Billboard’s Hot 100. It’s the first time Charlie landed on country radio as well.
Why is it a big multi format hit? Because it’s one of the few songs today where the words perfectly connect with the music. And it’s a cheat song. You cheated on me, and I hope you fall off the earth. Who never felt that? We all did, it’s a universal theme. Songs with attitude and intensity also do quite well if the artist can pull it off and Gabby did. The track you hear on the radio has the original vocals she cut on the demo. It’s one and done. When artists recut vocals, it loses intensity.  Any producer will tell you this.
Now the song landed on Billboard’s Hot 100 in August and is climbing up the top 40 charts. I won’t be surprised if the track grabs the #1 spot.
Let’s see if radio comes around and takes more chances. The biggest songs this year don’t fit neatly into a format. Lewis Capaldi’s two number one songs are down tempo tear jerkers. Not great for formatting, but that’s what people want to hear. Give people what they want and change with the times.

Check out Self Control by Phem. She’s been featured on and co-wrote with G-Eazy, Machine Gun Kelly, Lil Tracy, and Iann Dior. She’s toured with artists such as Lil Xan and Grandson. Speaking of touring, do you remember when artists toured? It’s been so long and some say the summer of 2021 could be off the books. Check out Phem and her track that.

Watch out for Nashville based trio The Brummies. I listened to the track After Midnight and I was pretty hooked. Why? Maybe it made me feel good – the vibe, the mood, the groove, everything. According to the band, these songs were written before shit hit the fan in March 2020.

John Davidson notes, “I’m happy that these songs are feel good because we really need some positivity in times like these. If our songs can make somebody smile and dance then I think that’s a win.”

They also collaborated with Kacey Musgraves on a song called Drive Away and also co-wrote The Band Perry’s 2013 hit “Done”.

The band landed on several Spotify playlists including Fresh Finds: Rock and Wild & Free. Give it a stream on KOAR’s Indie Invaders Playlist.