Spawning some of the most memorable worship music of a generation, as well as a number of worship collective offshoots, UNITED revolutionized Christian worship for the modern generation. Since the band’s original debut in the late 90’s, UNITED has produced hit after hit, topping the charts with inspired melodies and carefully crafted lyrics, but every major band has to start somewhere. Join us as we take a look back at the history of UNITED, discovering just how the band’s journey led from its creation to its fame today.
Listen to UNITED’s “Know You Will”
UNITED’s journey began in 1999 in Sydney, Australia. Beginning as “United Live,” the youth worship band of one of Sydney’s most popular Churches, the group was initially helmed by Reuben Morgan and Marty Sampson, who wrote and sang the band’s early songs on their debut album, “Everyday”. The group’s creative leadership would change in 2002, when Morgan would leave to pursue a solo career, prompting Joel Houston to step into his role. This prompted the band to shake up their name, becoming simply “UNITED,” as the band prepared to share a different sound of praise with the rest of the world.
UNITED would experience a surge of popularity in Australia and beyond in 2006, with the release of their album “United We Stand,” featuring deeply meaningful songs like “From The Inside Out” and hard rock anthems of praise like “Take It All”. With another great showing from the following year’s “All Of The Above,” listeners around the globe were once again blown away with songs like “Break Free” and “Hosanna”. UNITED was on fire, putting out instantly classic songs on every album they released, but the band’s sound was still evolving even then.
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2013’s “Zion” featured the song’s legendary hit sung by Taya Smith, “Oceans (Where Feet May Fail),” beginning another new chapter for the band. UNITED continually grew their sound, bringing something new with every album and featuring amazing vocal performances on songs like “Touch The Sky,” “So Will I (100 Billion X),” “Another In The Fire” and more on their albums throughout the years. The band’s most recent outing, “Are We There Yet?” features grounded, soul-moving ballads such as “Know You Will” and shows that UNITED is far from done making fresh and meaningful praise like they have been doing for over 20 years.
RELATED CONTENT: "Know You Will" by United
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Since the beginning of the century, UNITED has been shaking up our preconceived notions about what worship can sound like, while presenting us with deeply moving messages in their songs. Joel Houston shares the heart behind the band’s latest album, saying:
“Wherever we are in this journey of life, we have eternity ahead of us, and may find ourselves often wondering when we will make it. ‘Are We There Yet?’ explores the challenges, heartache, and magnificence of this life of faith, and the jaw-dropping, overwhelming wonder of the grace of God.”
