How TikTok, Spotify Allow Christian Artists To Break the Mold of Traditional Praise Music
By Movieguide® Staff
TikTok continues to boast the most active users among social media platforms, with 1 billion users worldwide.
While this presents many challenges for parents who want to protect their children online, it has also opened up an avenue to spread Christian messages and praise music.
One example is Montell Fish, a Christian musician who has already garnered millions of plays, according to Christianity Today.
Uniquely, Fish did not build a following through live stage performances or at church but on the viral video-sharing app.
On September 7, 2021, Fish broke out with 3.3 million views on a video featuring a lo-fi-sounding song he called “fall in love with you.”
Despite an already growing following on YouTube, Fish’s move to TikTok proved to launch his career into new heights. The song on Spotify now has over 94 million plays, and Fish has over 4 million monthly listeners.
While most of Fish’s music is not explicitly about God, he said in a previous interview that his music is inspired by past breakups and the love for God he witnessed from his mother as a child.
“I’m still very much a faith-centered person, and I love Jesus,” he told Billboard. “But I think a lot of my art has taken a different way of telling those stories.”
Tens of thousands of songs are uploaded to Spotify daily, providing an unprecedented opportunity for up-and-coming artists like Fish.
“The traditional modes of engaging with CCM have been in decline for a long time,” Leah Payne, a professor at Portland Seminary, said. “New platforms like TikTok that sit outside that model make it possible for different kinds of artists to thrive. I think the question I have is: How will these artists sustain themselves and how will they continue to connect with their audiences?”
Christian artist Antoine Bradford echoes Fish’s success story, who wants to show people authentic faith instead of a brand.
“I saw that there was a need for Christians to be vulnerable and talk about mental health and just the struggles of what it means to be a Christian,” he said.
But the new way to share music does not always pay as well as the traditional road to making Christian music.
Another artist, Sarah Juers, said she does not care about followers or success but only for people’s souls.
“My biggest goal in life is to be authentically myself and to walk humbly with God,” she said. “If I try to be too much of a brand or some sort of figure, I think it just takes away the authenticity and the ability for people to really connect.”
“For me, my soul is the most important thing in this world. How many people listen to me and follow me doesn’t matter. My relationship with God is the most important thing,” she added.
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
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Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
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