Six months ago, the world had never heard of Hillsong Young & Free, yet Hillsong Church’s new worship sound is now on top of the world, with its first single, “Alive,” hitting No. 1 on Billboard‘s “Hot AC” chart for the third week running.
While Hillsong’s music is played and sung in churches globally, the new youth sound of Hillsong Young & Free was a bold new direction and a dramatic shift from what people knew and loved.
Between “Alive” and “Back To Life,” the first album from Hillsong Young & Free has been at the top of the TRAA/TCM chart in Australia for 18 weeks, and the Billboard “Hot AC” success of “Alive” has confirmed the album’s global status.
“Our first album is a message and a movement,” says youth pastor Laura Toggs. “Our songs are the expression of our love for Jesus Christ, straight out of the heart of our youth ministry here at Hillsong Church.”
However, Toggs says the group was genuinely humbled by the success and grateful to everyone who has supported the new team.
“We really wanted to make sure that we captured the sound of our current youth generation,” she says. “The best part about this is that these songs seem to have transcended age, culture, language and even denominational boundaries.
“Our feedback about ‘Alive’ is that it enables people to celebrate life and freedom that can only be found through faith in Jesus Christ.”
