FEATURE:
Thank God I Do: Songs of Praise
IN THIS PHOTO: Beyoncé performing in Boston, Massachusetts in August 2023 as part of her Renaissance World Tour (as a child, Beyoncé was a member of the choir at St. John's United Methodist Church, where she sang her first solo (and was a soloist for two years)
The Importance and Significance of the Church for Legacy and Contemporary Singers
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ONE thing that I have noticed…
IN THIS PHOTO: Taylor Swift, a child, would sing every Sunday at church/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
when writing about various new and legacy artists is how many of them started singing at church. It is not just icons and legends that this applies to. I have written many Spotlight features where artists have said in interview how they got started at church. That is where they first remember singing. They might have been part of a choir, or it was part of a service when they had an opportunity to sing. Even though I am an atheist, I can definitely appreciate how churches and religion have really affected and shaped artists. That feeling that they are connected to something spiritual and higher. Not to say that all of the best singers ever started singing at church - though you can definitely feel that with many. Think about some of the Soul greats like Aretha Franklin (she was noticed singing at the New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan). One might feel it is a think of the past. That fewer young people are attending church, so you will not get that influence and route. That doesn’t seem to be entirely true. That said, there is a crisis in faith happening in the U.S. Fewer young people believe in God and attend church. I wonder whether this is a moral decision or there is less attraction attending church. Maybe, like sexuality, there has been a diversification and awareness beyond the binary. Young people embracing other spiritual/fulfilling avenues. I think, when the world is so fractured and horrible, it is understandable that many people’s faith would wane.
IN THIS PHOTO: Aretha Franklin/PHOTO CREDIT: Michael Ochs/Getty Images via The New Yorker
It may sound unconnected, though I worry that we will get fewer of those mesmeric and hugely soulful voices emerge into music if young people attend church less. Regardless of their faith, it does seem that participation is declining. Last year, Deseret News presented statistics regarding a slide in church attendance from a young demographic:
“To Rod Dreher, author of “The Benedict Option,” the decline of faith and religious practice among young people portend a cultural transformation for which American churches “are not remotely prepared.”
“We are facing now the widespread collapse of the Christian faith among the American people. If you want to see what America is going to look like in 10 or 20 years, go to Europe. Politics cannot save us from that fate,” Dreher wrote recently in response to questions from the Deseret News.
Dreher says that many Americans have tried to “vote our way out of this crisis,” but says, “Political work is not the main work of the church: evangelization and discipleship is. If we don’t evangelize and disciple successfully, then there won’t be enough of us to make a political difference in our democracy.”
According to the Deseret/Marist poll, a majority of Americans delineate between their politics and their faith. Fifty-two percent said that religious beliefs and values should not influence their politics, while 45% said religious beliefs and values should.
PHOTO CREDIT: cottonbro studio/Pexels
Those numbers, however, reflect strong partisan differences. “Republicans (70%) are significantly more likely than Democrats (28%) and independents (45%) to believe someone’s politics should be influenced by their religion,” the Deseret/Marist report says.
Religious participation, however, has been in decline for decades across all demographics, although markedly less so for older Americans and Black Americans.
The new Deseret/Marist research found that 40% of Americans reported attending a religious service once or twice a month, a significant drop from a 2011 Marist poll that showed 52% attending a service at least once a month.
It’s possible that the pandemic has contributed to the decline in religious participation; the survey of 1,653 U.S. adults, which has a margin of error of 3.2 percentage points, was fielded in January 2022.
Even so, the historical trends are not good for churches in America, as the poll makes clear the drop-off in religious participation by age: 43% of Americans 60 or older said they attend religious services at least weekly, as did 27% of 45- to 49-year-olds, 25% of 30- to 44-year-olds and 21% of 18- to 29-year-olds”.
Not that it is complete cause for alarm. I feel that, as I have featured so many artists – many of them in their twenties and thirties – who started in church and that is where they found their voice, how important its role is. It may not be solely about religion and anything spiritual. Church is a space where there is a community and song is present. Is it religion that young Americans are avoiding? Is it commitment to faith and going to church every week? Have their become dissolution and shocked by the modern world, thus questioning God and the purpose of religion? It is a turbulent and changing time. From a musical persecutive, even if many artists do not entirely credit church with their voice and connection to music, so many started singing at church. That was a significant revelation and bond. This Tone Deaf article from 2019 highlights famous artists who sang in church at some point. I have selected a couple of very different examples:
“Whitney Houston
Born in the early ’60s, Whitney Houston was always set to be involved in music, with her cousins being none other than Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick. By the age of 11, she’d begun to learn to play the piano at her church, where she also began to perform as a soloist in their gospel choir.
Following these church performances, Houston soon found herself playing nightclubs with her mother, and before long had embarked on a solo career which would see her crowned as one of the best-selling music artists of all time
Jack White
“Wait a minute,” we hear you asking. “Jack White was never in the church choir, was he?” Well, famously, Jack White actually started out his career with a much different career path, and had originally planned to be a priest.
Having grown up in a Catholic household, White spent time as an altar boy before being accepted into a seminary. However, he’d also just gotten a new guitar amplifier and was worried that he wouldn’t be allowed to take it with him. Deciding instead to go to a public school, White found himself starting a few early bands, and as they say, the rest is history”.
As we can see from this article, Ed Sheeran, Katy Perry and Britney Spear are among these huge artists who no doubt were inspired by church and singing there. One wonders how their careers would have unfolded were it not for that exposure to church. Kelly Rowland, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and so many other artists that are hugely successful and inspiring now had roots in the church. Maybe not devout in their faith, that social aspect of church gave them confidence. They perhaps felt connected to a particular spirit or energy in that space. The spirituality and intimacy. Whatever the reason, and whether it was their decision or their parents’, so many artists attended church. As I said, many young artists I have written about recently either attended church as a child and got a love of music from there, or else they still attended as young adults. If fewer young Americans (mainly Democrats) especially are not attending church, I wonder how that will shape artists going forward. There does seem to be this connection between so many hugely admired and successful artists and the church. In a modern age, where we are less connected and more online, have things shifted to a point of no return?! Many people might think of the church and it being main Black artists who were inspired. This connection between church, Gospel and Soul music. That is not necessarily the case…
There are modern artists like Lauren Daigle who were raised in a Christian family and attended church. She is a terrific artist - though her politics and opinion in the past have caused some consternation. I wonder if there is a link between political affiliation and the church? Are fewer artists who are raised in more liberal households not attending church? Is there also too much risk for artists who are more conservative and faith-based? At a time when it is easy for an artist to say the ‘wrong’ thing and have questionable views regarding abortion, human rights, certain politicians and laws, is the church and religion in general less important? Maybe that is not the word. However, it is clear that modern American particularly is a more diverse and perhaps less ecumenical and religious landscape than in years past. It is good in many ways. For music, I keep thinking about how the church and religious spaces have compelled young artists. Opened their eyes and ears to music and its connective power. If the church has a less important modern role in terms of shaping young minds and providing guidance in a less spiritual world, are we also losing future greats of music?! That undoubted link between how church and being in a congregation/community can unlock something very special and powerful. With there still being Gen Z and Gen Alpha artists mentioning the church and how they started singing there, it is too early to say whether this is an end to the church’s role in nourishing and enlightening artists. I was reading back on recent features from young artists talking about their joy of singing in church and it got me thinking. Those 2022 statistics showing how there are fewer young people attending church in America also made me think about that impact on music and how things will change. I guess we will see if that relationship between early exposure to the church and this incredible vocal and musical talent changes…
IN future years.