Christian Music News: the best of 2021 (2024)

Finding the best in worship music is not always easy. In this article, we aim to seek out the best new worship songs for 2021. As we have done for the past seven years, we will be updating this article...

Finding the best in worship music is not always easy. In this article, we aim to seek out the best new worship songs for 2021. As we have done for the past seven years, we will be updating this article...

Musician Musician
Jun 2, 2023 - 10:15
156
the best of 2021

Finding the best in worship music is not always easy. In this article, we aim to seek out the best new worship songs for 2021. As we have done for the past seven years, we will be updating this article throughout 2021 with new worship songs as they are released – so do check back later for updates. The aim of this blog post is not only to bring you some of the greatest mainstream Christian praise and worship music, but also to include a variety of less well known artists too – after all, worship music comes in so many different styles, genres and sounds.

You can also listen to all the awesome worship songs included in this selection (as well as the best of previous years) in our uplifting playlist on Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Pandora, and YouTube Music. We’ll be keeping this updated throughout 2021 so make sure you follow the playlist to ensure that you stay up to date too!

Listen now (all platforms)

Finally, before we dive into this great set of worship songs, you may also be interested in checking out our collection of Ambient Worship music.

NEW FOR 2021! 1. Maverick City Music / UPPERROOM - Rest on Us Genre: Worship From their 2021 collaborative EP Move Your Heart, UPPERROOM joined together with Maverick City Music to create some masterpieces - we love that the sound combines Maverick City’s gospel-meets-CCM with UPPERROOM’S corporate worship style, and as a result it feels like they are stepping into a new space that sets them apart in the world of worship music in 2021. Buy now

NEW FOR 2021! 2. Lauren Daigle - Hold On To Me Genre: Worship Another artist who always challenges musical boundaries when it comes to worship music is Lauren Daigle, and in 2021 she has released several singles, including Hold On To Me, which can only be described as an uplifting power anthem. And if ever we needed one, surely 2021 is the year for it! Buy now

NEW FOR 2021! 3. Salt of the Sound - Made Whole Genre: Ambient Worship Our first full-length album in three years is inspired by the Psalms: the lyrics are an outpouring of emotion, thoughts, struggles, anxieties, hopes and joys - often interwoven to reflect the realness and complexity of life - and intended as a reminder to rest in the presence of God through it all! Buy now

NEW FOR 2021! 4. The Worship Initiative - Where You Are Genre: Worship If you are not yet au fait with The Worship Initiative then we highly recommend making learning about them - and their resources - a priority! Set up to equip church leaders and worship, they are constantly pouring out inspirational covers of worship songs for the church in a way that many churches could replicate. The quality of their output is always top notch, and we love their version of Where You Are (originally by Leeland), which features Bethany Barnard’s mesmerising vocals. Buy now

NEW FOR 2021! 5. Vineyard Worship - Sons and Daughters Genre: Worship We love the simplicity of the message behind this song from Vineyard Worship, reminding us, especially in 2021 of who we are in the eyes of The Father. This call to unity and humility is a prayer that so needs to be echoed throughout the nations and the almost liturgical repetition lends itself so well to time of church or personal worship. Buy now
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NEW FOR 2021! 6. Hillsong Worship - Fresh Wind Genre: Worship After the past year, we can probably expect the theme of renewal, refreshing and revival to appear prominently in worship songs - it's certainly something that we all need to hear right now. Fresh Wind by Hillsong Worship strikes the perfect balance of being lyrically poetic, prayerfully powerful, accessible and worshipful. Buy now

7. CityAlight - Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me Genre: Worship While the studio version of this song was released a couple of years back, CityAlight have been slowly gaining momentum with their music and so we thought we'd share this newly recorded live version of this beautifully crafted modern hymn - because the world needs to hear it. Also check out their song 'Only A Holy God'. Buy now

8. Matt Redman - Let There Be Wonder Genre: Worship We are loving Matt Redman’s new worship release - his first complete album in 3 years. Many of the songs would be great for corporate worship, and also lend themselves well to Lent, Easter or communion. Of particular note are the songs ‘Upon Him’ and ‘All Praise (Sing Praise)’ but there are some real gems scattered throughout the album! Buy now

9. Michael W. Smith - Waymaker Genre: Worship Leeland and Michael W. Smith, Waymaker feels as though it cuts through much of the worship music scene of 2019 with its simple, yet poignant lyrics and gospel sound. We love this version from Michael W. Smith, which also features on his latest live album Awaken: The Surrounded Experience. Buy now

10. Bethel Music - Raise A Hallelujah Genre: Worship Bethel continue to release great worship songs into the world and Raise A Hallelujah is a great anthem for the church in 2019. Sometimes it is good to be reminded to raise our voices in praise and worship in the midst of all of our circumstances! Buy now

11. Hillsong Worship - King of Kings Genre: Worship King of Kings has quickly established itself as a strong worship song for 2019, with its singable and memorable melodies and depth of lyrics that make it a great congregational song, fitting either during or post communion in a church setting. Buy now

12. Mike Clark Band - Only Song Genre: Worship We first heard about these guys when they released Holy Hands back in 2013 (which we loved) and really love the innovations of their sounds. We’re excited to share Only Song as one of our best worship songs for 2020 and are excited to see what else they have up their sleeves this year! Buy now
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13. People Of The Earth - Even Louder Genre: Worship This song, released in 2019, has been recorded by multiple artists including Natalie Grant, Steven Malcolm, ISAAC and Leeland, which only reinforces its positive message: ‘Even if the drums stop beating, my soul will keep on singing… even louder!’ Buy now

14. Passion - Follow You Anywhere Genre: Worship Coming out of the Passion Conferences, aimed at young people around the world, comes this new worship offering in 2019. A great reminder that God will lead us throughout our lives in the direction He has planned for us, if only we are open to His spirit and calling. Buy now

15. Native Kingdom - Wind And Waters Genre: Worship We love finding out about new artists and were super excited to hear an original song from Native Kingdom: Wind And Waters is a great upbeat, positive worship anthem! We love the spirit and sound of their music and are looking forward to hearing more from the band soon! Buy now

16. NONAH - Assurance Genre: Pop/Worship We absolutely love it when people decide to push the musical boundaries in worship and NONAH, who describe their sound as having a sonic-uniqueness, seamlessly fusion worship with a light pop vibe. Having only recently formed, if these are their early musical offerings to the world, we are sure that there is so much more to come from these guys in 2020 and beyond. Buy now

17. Vertical Worship - Yes I Will Genre: Worship Vertical Worship have released some great worship music this year - with their song ‘Yes I Will’ already becoming a go-to worship song for churches in 2019. Alongside their full length album ‘Bright Faith Bold Future’, they have also gifted us with a live EP ‘Planetarium’ - both of which feature versions of ‘Yes I Will’. Buy now

18. Rend Collective - Sing It From The Shackles Genre: Worship/Folk Once again proving that worship transcends genre, and staying true to their style, Rend Collective’s 2020 offering to the worship music scene is very much an anthem that inspires the listener through its positive message and rhythmic orchestration. We love it Buy now
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19. Elevation Worship - Here Again Genre: Worship The album ‘Hallelujah Here Below’ is inspired by Exodus 20:25, where God asks for an altar to be built of imperfect stones. In the same way, God invites us to worship Him despite our imperfections. Right now, we are loving ‘Here Again’ from Elevation Worship’s latest album as well as the song ‘Won’t Stop Now’. Buy now

20. Kim Walker-Smith - Just Be Genre: Worship Just Be is Kim Walker-Smith’s latest single, released alongside her book release in which she tells her own story of overcoming shame and fear to take her place on world stages proclaim boldly God’s unconditional love for us. Just Be encapsulates this perfectly with its open outpouring of the heart as a worship offering. Buy now

21. Faith Rose - Heaven’s Melody Genre: Worship We are excited to bring you this very first single from Faith Rose: we were moved when we heard the beautiful vocal and rawness of the guitar that comes through in this recording and are sure that Faith Rose is going to be one to watch in 2019! Buy now

22. Will Morrison - Do It Again Genre: Worship / Acoustic We discovered the work of Will Morrison earlier in 2019 and, as worship leaders for a local church, completely fell in love with his work. Will Morrison reimagines worship songs in a downtempo, acoustic style and his music is a great resource for how to creatively reinterpret songs for those times when you have a smaller worship team but still want to do justice to contemporary worship music. Buy now

23. Hillsong Worship - The Passion Genre: Worship Hillsong Worship have given us so many worship songs and anthems over the years and we are loving The Passion from the album Who You Say I Am. The Passion is a perfect song in 2019 for Easter, communion or as part of a worship set. The bridge and chorus also work well in a downtempo, more acoustic set too if that is more your worship style! Buy now

24. Phil Wickham - Living Hope Genre: Worship Phil Wickham has slowly released glimpses of this new album throughout 2018 and we are thankful that we now get to hear the work in its entirety. Living Hope holds variety, beauty and depth that speaks to the soul. We love the title track ‘Living Hope’ as well as the worship anthems ‘Great Things’ and ‘Anthem’... the whole album is worth your listening time! Buy now

25. Michael W. Smith - Surrounded (Fight My Battles) Genre: Worship Michael W. Smith released two brand new albums within a very short space of time at the start of 2018, and his worship album ‘Surrounded’ is definitely an excellent resource for new worship music for the church. Many of the original tracks are written in his signature style of catchy repetitive verses and chorus and deal with practical struggles of the Christian life in a new, yet deep way. The stand out tracks alongside the title track are ‘Light To You’ as well as his beautiful version of ‘King Of My Heart’ Buy now

The top worship songs of 2013-2020

Here are 27 of our favourite releases from previous years!

1. Shane & Shane - The Worship Initiative, Vol. 15 Genre: Worship We have often referenced Shane and Shane’s work as a fabulous go-to resource for worship teams, as they take popular hymns and worship songs and rethink them in new and imaginative ways. In their 2018 offering, they have recorded versions of ‘Tremble’ (previously by Mosaic MSC), as well as the increasingly popular 2018 release ‘Reckless Love’. Buy now

2. I Am They - The Water Genre: Worship It’s both rare and wonderful when a worship song takes you deep into worship and speaks through pain. I Am They are able to do this time and time again, and in their latest album ‘Trial and Triumph’, we are loving ‘The Water’ for exactly that reason! The whole album is full of hope and is worth a listen with other notable tracks including ‘To The One’ and ‘Still Here’. Buy now

3. Salt Of The Sound - Lent, Vol. 1 Genre: Hymns / Worship Lent, Vol. 1 is the first of a new Lent-themed series of mini-EPs from Salt Of The Sound: these three songs can also be used any time of year and are especially inspiring for times of reflection and prayer. There are downtempo versions of the well-known hymns ‘I Need The Every Hour’ and ‘It Is Well With My Soul’, as well as our take on a Taize-style chorus, entitled ‘Lamb Of God’. Buy now

5. Mosaic MSC - Miracle Genre: Worship Coming from a church in the heart of Los Angeles, Mosaic MSC have brought us several worship songs for the church lately. We love songs that are adaptable and ‘Miracle’ is definitely a song that could be used in both a contemplative communion context or as a strong worship anthem. Buy now

6. Greg LaFollette - Do Not Destroy Genre: Worship Throughout his career, Greg LaFollette has worked with many household names within Christian music, including Andrew Peterson, Audrey Assad, Waterdeep, Sara Groves, Matthew Perryman Jones and many others. In this debut EP under his own name, LaFollette seeks to convey a truth through his worship music, holding ‘the tension between the reality of suffering and pain; and the truth of God’s faithful love. Particularly notable tracks on the release are ‘Psalm 136 (Your Mercy Endures)’ and ‘Psalm 27 (I will see your goodness)’. Buy now

7. The Brilliance - Hands and Feet Genre: Alternative We continue to find the unique sound of The Brilliance refreshing amongst the sea of Christian music out there. The lyrics and vocals are both raw and genuine, carrying with them a sense of humility and brokenness. Maybe this is what makes their music melancholically relatable, speaking to emotions that lie deep within. Buy now

8. Christa Wells - Holy Ground Genre: Singer/Songwriter Christa Wells has often worked as a songwriter behind the scenes, writing songs for artists such as Plumb and Natalie Grant, but we are always intrigued when she puts out her work under her own name. Creative and deep, her songs speak truth. And while most of her songs are in a singer-songwriter style, every so often she gifts us with a gem that would work so well in a worship setting, including ‘Holy Ground’ from her excellent 2018 album, Velveteen. Buy now

9. Eric Thigpen - Live With First Love, Vol. 1 Genre: Worship We love hearing worship offerings from new artists and were moved by this debut EP from Eric Thigpen and in particular the track ‘Worthy’ with its emotive vocals, prayerful lyrics and deeply mesmerising strings. You can also check out the official music video. Buy now

10. Matt Maher - Echoes Genre: Various Matt Maher's 2017 album release definitely doesn’t disappoint. Aptly named, the album ‘echoes’ to great traditional hymns of the past including ‘What a Friend We Have in Jesus’ (What A Friend) and ‘Great Is Thy Faithfulness’ (Faithfulness), while also continuing to create great new music for today’s worship scene in. The musical contrasts on the album are also vast, from the more acoustic sounds, to his full band, and the use of more country-esque elements, there is something on this album for every mood and time of worship. Buy now

11. Myron Butler and Levi - Let Praises Rise Genre: Gospel This Gospel song by Myron Butler and Levi has to be one of gospel music’s strongest offerings of recent times for the general worship scene. The song is particularly adaptable for a whole range of worship teams and settings - which is great if you don’t have a top notch gospel singers available to you each week. We have found this song to be adaptable for your average congregation and worship team - and it goes without saying that the key is not to try and imitate the recording but to put your own stamp on it - we take an acoustic, pared-back approach. Buy now

12. Hillsong Worship - What A Beautiful Name Genre: Worship When it comes to worship music, we really like the approach that Hillsong worship have taken with this latest release of theirs - What A Beautiful Name. This EP contains 5 versions of the same song - the song itself is strong both lyrically and musically making it much easier for many worship teams to envision how they might use the song in their own worship setting - with the inspiration of an acoustic version, gospel and even orchestral arrangement of the song. Hillsong continue to surprise us with their releases and we are impressed with what we hear for 2017. Buy now

13. Monique Terez - Your Love Genre: Singer/Songwriter Monique Terez is definitely one to watch in 2017 and beyond and her debut album Your Love really fulfils her goal of bringing encouragement and hope to all who hear it. Alongside the title track, Hearts of Compassion is also worth a listen. A nice contrast to the big worship anthems coming from the likes of Hillsong and Bethel Music, Monique Terez’s music contains a simplicity and vulnerability that is very welcome. Buy now

14. Ginny Owens - God Is Love Genre: Singer/Songwriter Since her 2014 album ‘I Know A Secret’, we have eagerly awaited a new release from Ginny Owens and her new album ‘Love Be The Loudest’ which released at the end of last year definitely contains some of 2017’s best worship song offerings. The song ‘God is Love’ (a collaboration with ‘All Sons and Daughters’) lends itself well to worship - and we have used it with our church choir to great effect. While not all the songs on the album lend themselves to church worship music, the album will definitely lift your spirits. Buy now

15. Stu Garrard (ft. other artists) - Beatitudes Genre: Various The musical portion of this intriguing project which consists of a book, an album and a film, consists of collaborations with many well-known Christian artists, and each song represents a single Beatitude from the Sermon on the Mount. The diversity in style and influence is apparent through a listening and while just a few lend themselves to contemporary worship, with Audrey Assad and Matt Maher’s “Oh Mercy” being amongst the best, we are also reminded of the power of the spoken word in worship through the excellent four-part spoken word “Listen” which serves a thread that reappears throughout the album (and can then be heard in its entirety). Buy now

16. Audrey Assad - Inheritance Genre: Alternative / Worship Released in February, this long awaited album from Audrey Assad - described as a 'soundtrack for prayer' - contains re-worked versions of many well-loved classic hymns. Arguably the best cover on the album is ‘Holy, Holy, Holy’, but the stand out tracks are her original worship songs, ‘Even Unto Death’ and ‘New Every Morning’. Buy now

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17. Mike Clark Band - Overcome & Every Ounce Genre: Alternative / Worship Back in 2013, we featured Mike Clark Band and we are pleased to know that they are back this year with their brand new Overcome EP. The new release delivers 3 well-crafted, thoughtful songs which just lend themselves to church worship - especially the song ‘Every Ounce’ which, alongside ‘Overcome’ are the two stand-out tracks of not only the EP, but of worship music released in 2016. Buy now

18. Erik Nieder - The Narrow Sea Genre: Folk / Ambient A truly beautiful EP by Erik Nieder, who describes it as 'collection of songs that speak to the journey we are all on in this life as followers of Jesus.' Meshing reflective arrangements with folk instrumentation to create a unique sound, The Narrow Sea EP is not to be missed! Buy now

19. Newsboys - Love Riot Genre: CCM We love that Newsboys seem to be very reliable when it comes to releasing regular, good quality worship music and their 2016 release ‘Love Riot’ is no exception. Some of the most memorable tracks on the album are ‘You Hold It All’, ‘Family’ and ‘Guilty’ alongside a great rendition (including a gospel choir) of Bethel Music’s ‘No Longer Slaves’. Buy now

20. Young Oceans - Voices, Vol. 1 Genre: Alternative More intentionally than some of their earlier work, this latest offering from Young Oceans is intended for church worship - in their own words, it “re-visits some of the more congregational minded songs of the Young Oceans catalog” and features many well-known voices such as Ellie Holcomb, All Sons & Daughters, Harvest & others. For me, the stand out track is ‘My All In Thee’ featuring Ellie Holcomb, with ‘Until These Tears Are Gone’ also being a great opening to this album. Buy now

21. I Am They - King Of Love Genre: CCM Having roots as a worship team, I Am They have established their presence within Christian Music by displaying their versatile musicianship and unique choice of instrumentation in many of their songs - which often hints at bluegrass in style but they definitely don’t limit themselves to any one genre of music. King of Love contains a fresh and very welcome sound for the 2015 Worship Music scene. And if you are part of a church worship team, don’t be put off by their use of instruments that may not be in your usual set up - their songs have proven to be adaptable for congregational worship. Buy now

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22. Hillsong United - Empires Genre: Electronic / Worship Hillsong’s album release earlier this year finds them using a style much more in line with that of their 2013 global worship sensation ‘Oceans’, and, in our opinion, this is possibly their best release to date! There is something so good about hearing bands continuing to evolve and explore different musical styles and Hillsong have done this with their ‘United’ release and all of the songs on this album lend themselves so well to personal worship. Particularly notable songs on the album are ‘Touch The Sky’, ‘Even When It Hurts’ and ‘Heart Like Heaven’. Buy now

23. Matt Maher - Because He Lives (Amen) Genre: Worship This is not the first time we have featured music from Matt Maher - he appears in our Good Friday playlist and in our Best Worship Songs of 2014. The power of his songs comes through in the straightforward nature of the chorus lyrics and familiarity of the words in the bridge: “Because He lives I can face tomorrow / Because He lives every fear is gone / I know He holds my life, my future in His hands”. In many ways, this song seems too short and repetition of this bridge could be added in a church worship setting. On this full 18 track release of ‘Saints and Sinners’ from Matt Maher, we also recommend checking out the unplugged version of Because He Lives, the down-tempo Abide With Me and the prayerful, yet powerful worship song 'Everything is Grace.' Buy now

24. Hezekiah Walker - Every Praise Genre: Gospel We mentioned this gospel worship song back in our Easter Worship Songs post earlier this year but this song has continued to grow on me. I first heard this song the week after I heard some sad news about a family member who has terminal cancer, and it touched me then. There is something truly powerful about a worship song which makes you want to praise God and feel closer to Him through the storms of life a well as the good times. This is my song of the year and it has quite rightly been nominated for Gospel Performance of the Year and Contemporary Gospel/Urban Song of the Year at this year’s Dove Awards Buy now

25. Francesca Battistelli - Holy Spirit Genre: Worship In contrast to a lot of her songs, this song is specifically written as a worship song and it is featured on the Wow Worship 2014 album. One of the most appealing aspects of this worship song, aside from its memorable melody, is that the heartfelt words have a sense of being ‘real’. By this, I mean the song is not trying to impress - it is prayerful & its soulful honesty is very welcome for a worship song in 2014. Buy now

26. Matt Maher - Lord, I Need You Genre: Worship Showing that simple is often the most effective, Maher’s chorus lyrics for this worship song read: Lord, I need You, oh, I need You / Every hour I need You / My one defence, my righteousness / Oh God, how I need You If this is our constant prayer, what else do we need? Buy now

27. Mike Clark Band - Holy Hands Genre: Worship I know that we have mentioned this song before, but this has got to be one of the best worship songs to come out of 2013 and be continuing on its upwards trajectory in 2014. This would work well in so many settings - from communion or a time of prayer, to an uplifting congregational song for worship. Again, it is not overly complicated - I see a pattern emerging here... Buy now

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