Today’s worship radio has seen some artists and worship collectives return to the top of the charts again and again, seeing great success from almost every release. In recent years, the voices of Elevation Worship have graced the top of the charts time after time with fresh worship sounds and inspiring songs of praise. How did the group get its start, and how has it changed over the years? Join us as we take a look back at the history of Elevation Worship and see how their journey has shaped the collective into what it is today.
Listen to Elevation Worship’s “LION (Feat. Chris Brown & Brandon Lake)”
Elevation Worship originally began as the worship team for Elevation Church in 2006, formed under the leadership of Elevation Church’s head pastor, Steven Furtick. Furtick contributed to the band’s songwriting, helping to prepare many powerful songs for the group to play in their services. Though Elevation Worship’s lineup has shifted throughout the collective’s lifespan, the band initially formed with core members Chris Brown, Mack Brock, and Wade Joye, with each singing vocals and playing guitar.
The band’s first four albums were released through the church’s own label, but the band truly exploded onto the worldwide stage in 2010 with their fourth outing, “Kingdom Come”. This album would be the first of Elevation Worship’s albums to hit national charts, and would even prompt the band to create an EP with extended versions of popular songs from the album. Elevation Worship soon signed on with Essential Records, a label distributed by Sony Music, and released hits on albums such as “Nothing is Wasted,” “Only King Forever,” and “Wake Up the Wonder”.
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After years of working with Essential Records, Elevation eventually began releasing their albums with their own Elevation Worship label, associated with Provident Distribution, in 2016. Their first release with their own label, “Here as in Heaven,” featured recognizable songs like “Resurrecting” and “O Come to the Altar” which would receive certified gold status. With their next classic release, “There Is a Cloud,” the band continued to top charts with hits like “Do It Again”. With these highly acclaimed releases, Elevation Worship solidified itself as one of the greatest worship collectives of today’s age.
In 2017, longtime members Mack Brock and London Gatch would step down from the band, making way for new voices. Despite the absence of these longstanding members, Elevation Worship continued to create fresh worship music, branching out into different niches, such as Spanish-language worship, while also continuing to release groundbreaking songs with albums like “Hallelujah Here Below” in 2018. In 2020, Elevation Worship collaborated with Brandon Lake to see major success in their release, “Graves Into Gardens”, then partnered with Maverick City Music to create the joint album, “Old Church Basement”. Their latest release, “LION,” featured the vocal talents of Elevation veteran Chris Brown, along with many voices found along the way, such as Pat Barrett, Jonsal Barrientes, Brandon Lake, Tiffany Hudson, and more. We can’t wait to see who Elevation Worship collaborates with next, and what kind of worship they will bring as the band continues to shape today’s worship sound.
Elevation worship continues to change the way we think about worship, as well as the intrinsic sounds that we expect from our church services. Chris Brown believes this album’s collaborative spirit and ability to house different styles is shared with Elevation Church at its core.
“I think this album as a whole represents where our church is right now and we’re so happy others finally get to experience it as well.”
