For Brandon Lake, crossing over means more opportunities to spread a Christian message

NEW YORK — Fifteen miles south of Sin City, Brandon Lake is seated backstage at a packed arena in Henderson, Nevada. In a matter of hours, he will perform an energetic, "family-friendly" show, as he tells The Associated Press, for thousands of people. He's on the road with his latest album, 2025's "King of Hearts," a Christian music release that spans genre — pop, rock, country, hip-hop — a mixture not always associated with worship music. Its eclecticism is one of the many reasons why his music is connecting. The album peaked at No. 7 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart, an undeniable feat for a contemporary Christian music (CCM) release, and earned Lake his first Top 40 hit: "Hard Fought Hallelujah" with country singer Jelly Roll. "It's the marriage of awesome production with an awesome message. A message of hope," says Lake. "There is strength that can be found, and hope that can be found, in the midst of the hell that you are walking through. And then you pair that with like an awesome sound and it's like, who's not going to love that?" Lake's award-winning moment Earlier this month, Lake was nominated for three Grammys at the 2026 award show in February; he already has five trophies to his name and a total 15 career-nods. "Being recognized, that is to me, that's recognizing the millions of people's lives that have been impacted by this music and the message," he says of the nominations. "It's definitely a pinch-me moment." This year, he was nominated for his first Country Music Association Award as well: for musical event of the year, for "Hard Fought Hallelujah." It's not a Christian category — he found himself competing against secular artists. (Lake did not win: The category was announced ahead of the CMAs on Wednesday.) "I think it is a crossover moment and I pray that it is. I'm trying to cross over, into any and every space that God will allow that is authentic to who I am," Lake says. "I grew up on country music; I grew up on Christian music. ... And if you listen to my music, it is very diverse, you know? Quote-unquote Christian music, worship music ... it doesn't really make sense having a genre, because it's what we do with our lives. It's not a sound." It's a contemporary approach that reflects modern listening habits, too. Holly Zabka, president of Provident, a Sony subsidiary dedicated to Christian music, uses her daughter as an example to explain the trend. "She doesn't define her musical taste by genre. I think that's what we're seeing. She'll go from a Luke Combs song to a Brandon Lake song to Harry Styles, that's how she listens. She's a fan of everything. And I think that's where Christian music is finding its footing as well. It can exist alongside every other genre." A Christian crossover movement Lake is at the forefront of a new musical movement in the U.S., where Christian artists are growing in popularity. According to a midyear report from Luminate, the industry data and analytics company, streams of new music — recordings released in the last 18 months — are slightly down from the same time last year, except in the case of Christian/gospel music. Jaime Marconette, Luminate's vice president of music insights and industry relations, attributed the genre's growth to "younger, streaming-forward fanbase," which is 60% female and 30% millennial. Artists like Lake, Forrest Frank and Elevation Worship are leading the charge. "I pray it's just the beginning, and I pray that it takes over," Lake says. "And not the genre of Christian music, but songs — whatever genre they are — that carry the message of the gospel." He's also got a few theories on the music's growing popularity. "The reason why people are turning their ear towards those kinds of songs right now is because that's what they were made for," he explained. "Music doesn't just have to be entertainment. They can have a spiritual experience. They can be educated on who they were made to be. They can receive hope and life and faith. ... I love all kinds of music, but if you have a song that carries that kind of message, it's just super charged, you know? It does something deeper." That is especially crucial, Lake says, in a divided world. "I think people are waking up — especially the state of our world and all the craziness that's going on — everyone's like, 'We need to choose love.' Well, the greatest demonstration of love is the gospel." The Charlie Kirk connection In September, Lake performed at a memorial service for the late conservative personality Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed at a Utah college event. His death was one of an escalating number of attacks on political figures, from the assassination of Democratic state lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, in Minnesota to last summer's shooting of Donald Trump, that have roiled the nation. "I didn't know him at all. And so, the invitation really came out of nowhere," Lake said of his decision to perform at the ceremony. Lake said his team told him that the Kirk family "listened to my music and, you know, it was a soundtrack of their faith," and when Lake's wife urged him to perform, there was no hesitancy. "We quickly said we are not going there to make a political statement. And there will be so much politics represented in the room," he continued. "We are going to minister to a widow." "While the world was turning to violence, we watched a lot of millions of people turn to worship and chose to sing praise to God," he said. "Even though there was politics represented, the gospel was shared so many times. And it was like God was weaving in and out. ... It was just such an incredible honor." ___ This story corrects the song title "Hard Fought Hallelujah."