Christian music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, thus my collection of favorite songs in this genre continues to grow as time marches on.
I have noticed that my listening style has very little to do with the artists themselves, but more with the individual song. If it slaps, it slaps, which means that I might like one or two songs from one artist or band and won’t like anything else they play.
On the flip side, there are a few musicians I can listen to through their entire discography and never hit “skip” more than once or twice.
I have a few solid favorites in the Christian music industry, most of them being favorites I grew up jamming out to, and I continue to enjoy their new music as well.
For King and Country
This is the only entry on this list that I have never seen in concert (but I hope to change that fact someday). Joel and Luke Smallbone, a duo of brothers who moved to the U.S. from Australia as children, released their first song “Broken Lullabies” together in 2008.
As of 2025, they have five studio albums to their name, not counting their singles and live performance collections.
Last year, they released the movie “Unsung Hero” about their family’s experience moving countries and the start of the music career of their older sister, Rebecca St. James.
My personal favorite songs: “God Only Knows,” “Burn the Ships” and “Place in this World”
MercyMe
I have seen this band in concert more times than any other group. Led by lead singer Bart Millard, the group has been together since the 1990s and released their first hit “I Can Only Imagine” in 2001 off their “Almost There” album.
In 2018, the movie “I Can Only Imagine” was released, focusing on the story between Millard and his abusive father and the part music played in his journey to healing.
As of early 2025, the group has eleven studio albums and twenty-eight singles to their name, including numerous Grammy nominations and thirteen consecutive top-five singles on the Billboard Christian chart.
My personal favorites: “Say I Won’t,” “Almost Home”, and “All of Creation”
Riley Clemmons
This is my top artist of all time. I could listen to Riley for days on end.
Relatively new to the industry, she released her hit single “Broken Prayers” in 2018 at the age of eighteen and has now released three studio albums and participated in multiple collabs with prominent artists such as Michael W. Smith.
Her latest single “Runs Deep” was released on Feb. 21 and a new album is expected to drop later this year.
Personal favorites: “Godsend, “Broken Prayers”, and “Running After You”
Casting Crowns
I lived a lifelong dream last summer and got to see this band in concert for the first time.
Casting Crowns is one of the bands I have loved the longest, and their tracks are still finding their way into my earbuds.
They released their self-titled debut album in 2003, an album that was both nominated for and won many GMA Dove awards. Their song “Lifesong” won a Grammy in 2006 and they have five more Grammy nominations aside from that.
As of early 2025, the band has nine studio albums, two independent albums, two holiday albums, five live albums and twenty-four singles.
Personal Favorites: “Voice of Truth,” “Until the Whole World Hears” and “Nobody”
My top bands and artists continue to grace my Christian playlist, which will continue to grow as these and others give us more beats in upcoming years. I highly recommend you check out these artists for yourself if you’re looking for something new to try, or if you want to revisit them if you haven’t listened in a while.