Singer-songwriter Josiah Queen recently achieved a relatively rare feat in the CCM space when his debut album, The Prodigaldebuted at the top Advertising signTop Christian Albums chart for the week of June 8: The 21-year-old Florida native topped the chart without the help of a label with his self-released album.
Additionally, the album's title track is in the top 10 Advertising sign'Hot Christian Songs chart and has earned more than 45.7 million official US on-demand streams, according to Luminate. Queen also has three additional songs on the Hot Christian Songs chart. Queen, meanwhile, has seen its Spotify following blossom over the past year to over 2 million monthly fans, thanks to its acoustic, folk sound — which also stands out on CCM radio among its more polished, pop-oriented tracks.
“I think since then [the] COVID [pandemic], people have been attracted to a raw, folk sound. People just love to feel something,” says Queen Advertising sign via Zoom.
Like many Gen Z singer-songwriters in pop, hip-hop and country, Queen began releasing his music and initially built his audience through social media, but also spent years playing worship conventions across the country. .
Queen released his first batch of songs on TikTok and Instagram at the age of 16, starting with 'God of Miracles' in 2020 and has followed it up with a steady stream of new music since then – including 'Use Me' and 'Grave Clothes' of 2022. and the 2023 breakthrough songs “I Am Barabbas” and “Fishes and Loaves,” which musically retell the Biblical story of Jesus feeding 5,000 people with fish and bread.
A year ago, a TikTok clip for “I Am Barabbas” went viral, garnering nearly two million views. It was around this time that Queen began working with co-managers Matt Reed (Hyphen Media Group) and Devin Poindexter (Mad Jack Management). The song also marked Queen's first entry on Hot Christian Songs in April, peaking at No. 38.
“He would tease songs before they came out, sometimes up to four or five weeks in advance and test the songs to see which ones would appeal,” Reed says. Advertising sign.
When Queen released “The Prodigal” this year, they instinctively knew the power of continuing to put the song in front of audiences on social media, further enhancing listener familiarity and engagement with the song.
“'The Prodigal' had nearly 40,000 uses on Instagram by the end of the year when Josiah had the idea to do a year-end recap video that used the song and gained another 15,000 uses,” says Reed. “I think so [it’s about] Just finding new ways to talk about a song and giving people a chance to integrate into what the song represents.”
According to Luminate data, the Christian/Gospel genre is the fourth fastest-growing music genre in the US in 2024 in total consumption (behind pop, Latin and country), having grown 8.9% in total consumption so far this year. Luminate research shows that a growing younger audience is a driver of this growth, with research showing that the share of listeners who are millennials and younger has grown from 39% of the genre's total audience in 2022 to 45% in 2024.
“I think God used those songs to reach my age demographic,” Queen says. “This is the biggest dream come true because there are so many my age who are not being served by Christian music. Seeing the people at the live shows and the fan base sharing the music with friends by word of mouth — not just through social media — was not something that was planned.”
Recent Luminate data also highlights word-of-mouth growth among Gen Z (those born between the mid-1990s and early 2010s), with Gen Z audiences 20% more likely to refer friends and his family as a source of music discovery for the average Christian/Gospel music consumer.
Reed says about 72% of Queen's fan demographic is between the ages of 13-24, below typical CCM radio demographic core listeners aged 24-54.
“When you look at CCM music, it's usually 30 or 40 years old and older,” says Reed. “Josiah's music is at the forefront of all these other Gen Z artists making music for their peers. It's not that CCM didn't have new artists, but they usually made music for the radio specifically. But I think [for] Josiah's music, and who he's associated with, is at the forefront of making music for his generation.”
Queen says he initially wrote songs he hoped would appeal to record labels and radio before realizing the need to turn to music that just felt personal. “I think so many people write music because they think you have to do a record deal to make it,” says Queen. “I did that for a while, but I realized it wasn't working – so I started making music I really believed in.”
His acoustic-based, Americana-leaning sound first gained support on Spotify's folk-oriented playlists. Now, his music is not only found on playlists like Spotify's Top Christian Contemporary and Christian Road Trip playlists, but remains on the acoustically oriented Homegrown and Indie Spirit playlists. It has also been featured on Amazon's Folk for Summer and Divine Summer playlists.
Once Queen started releasing music, he says Amazon Music's Lauren Stellato and Apple Music's Steve Blair contacted him directly, based on his growth across platforms and social media. This year, Queen was the only Christian artist to participate in Amazon's Artists to Watch program. “We feel like we're in that space where music transcends the typical CCM/Christian market, and DSPs have really helped get us exposure in other avenues,” says Reed.
A group of independent radio promoters signed on to work Queen's music on the radio, including Grant Hubbard, former vice president at Capitol Christian Music Group for many years, as well as Jen Mouttet, Rick Steimling and Tamara Moore of Hyphen Media Group. But even before the group was incorporated, Queen says radio giant CCM K-LOVE had already contacted him directly, saying they would add his song to rotation — a tide change that led him to reconsider his stance about single-label signing.
“Even from my first interviews, the question was always 'Why aren't you on a label?' It's so powerful in the industry, the radio connections and the companies, so getting these songs to radio comes with its challenges,” says Queen. “Around December [2023], we were like, “Shall we sign?” and we decided not to at that time. Then I got a direct message from the people at K-LOVE and they said they would add my song. That happened in January and it changed my whole course.”
Reed notes that while Queen have yet to sign with a label, they are in talks with several labels.
Queen, who has been picked up by the Jeff Roberts Agency for bookings, wrapped up The Prodigal tour earlier this year. Beginning in July, he'll open shows for another up-and-coming young CCM hitmaker, 29-year-old “Good Day” singer Forrest Frank, alongside plans for Queen to embark on another headlining tour in the fall.
“We didn't know what to expect on the spring tour when we put it up for sale, so the possibilities and venues were a little scattered,” says Poindexter. “We had about 250-300 [capacity shows] for which we had to add shows and then we did three or four shows with a capacity of over 1,000. We did about 23 shows in total and every single one sold out.”
Meanwhile, Queen and his team aim to continue to expand on its success The Prodigal with its folk sound.
“The name of the game is based on each song. A song has its moment and hopefully people love it, then you build on that with the next song.”
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