Christian Singer Wants to Expand What Counts as Worship Music
By Movieguide® Contributor
Hillsong United worship leader Joel Houston wants to explore worship music in new, creative ways. His latest project titled “amxnradio,” pronounced “amen radio,” aims to do just that.
“I always had other kinds of songs and music that didn’t fit into the boxes that were already there for me,” he said in an interview with Relevant. “During COVID, I was sitting there knowing I want to make music, I need to do something new, and I’ve got this time. So, I just started messing around and exploring with beats and just different ways to write songs.”
The time alone allowed Houston to fall in love with music in a new way.
“Music became really therapeutic during that time; just making music again for the love of it, and there was no pressure on it,” he explained. “I’ve always loved making music, but there’s a part of it where the pressure amounts and there’s expectations. And I realized I lost some of that joy, which was hard to deal with because making music has been such a refuge for me, a secret place. And this whole process felt like coming home again.”
In that process, Houston developed a desire to expand the bounds of what worship music can be.
“Music is such an incredible gift that God’s given the world, and for us to kind of limit that to just what works in a church service or just what works on radio, it’s like we’re missing out on the breadth of what music can do to help serve us and serve individuals,” he said. “I want to create a soundtrack for all those other moments in life — when you go to work, to school or wherever you find yourself.”
READ MORE: HILLSONG’S BENJAMIN WILLIAM HASTINGS SAYS WORSHIP ‘REALIGNS’ GOD IN OUR LIVES
Houston debuts his new music on the amxnradio Instagram page.
He previously opened up about what worship means to him.
“One thing I’m certain of is that worship is not reserved for the mountaintop,” Houston told the Christian Post. “Worship is our response in the valleys. Worship is our response in the trenches. Worship is our response when the whole world is falling apart. Worship is our response when there’s nothing else to hang on to. Worship is our response in the fire.”
READ MORE: CAN WORSHIP BE WASTEFUL?
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