Danny Gokey & Hezekiah Walker Top Christian, Gospel Airplay Charts
Plus, Livre debuts and Skillet scores its best placement on Hot Christian Songs.
Danny Gokey achieves his second No. 1 onBillboard‘s Christian Airplay chart (dated June 11), as ballad “Tell Your Heart to Beat Again” climbs 2-1 with 11 million audience impressions in the tracking week, according to Nielsen Music.
Gokey, the third-place finalist on the 2009 season of American Idol, earns his first Christian Airplay leader since his 2014 debut Christian music single, “Hope in Front of Me,” from his same-titled LP, ruled for three weeks. On the airplay/sales/streaming-based Hot Christian Songs chart, “Heart” rose to No. 2 in April, his highest peak to date.
Both songs are from the Hope in Front of Mealbum, this week at No. 11 on Top Christian Albums, where it launched at No. 1 in November 2014.
WALKER STEPS UP: On Gospel Airplay, worship leader Hezekiah Walker’s “Better” hops 3-1, becoming his third No. 1 on the list, following “Souled Out,” with LFC (14 weeks at No. 1, 2009), and “Every Praise” (27 weeks, 2013-14). On Hot Gospel Songs, “Better” pushes 10-7 (up 19 percent in overall activity).
LIVRE DEBUTS: Urban gospel quartet Livre’s debut LP, Jericho: Tribe of Joshua, arrives at No. 1 on Top Gospel Albums (2,000 sold). Three singles from the set, “I Will Be Alright,” “Amazing” and “Everything’s Coming up Jesus!,” climbed to Nos. 17, 23 and 13, respectively, on Hot Gospel Songs.
SKILLET’S BEST: Finally, as Lauren Daigle’s “Trust in You” paces Hot Christian Songs for a 12th week, Christian rock band Skillet enters at No. 2, the highest rank of its career, with new single “Feel Invincible.” The band, fronted by vocalist-songwriter John Cooper, logged one prior top 10: “Rebirthing” reached No. 9 back in 2007.
“Feel” starts as Skillet’s sixth No. 1 (and fourth No. 1 debut) on Christian Digital Songs with 14,000 downloads sold. It also debuts at No. 6 on Christian Streaming Songs with 618,000 U.S. streams. Notably, Skillet crowns Christian Streaming Songs with 2009’s “Monster” (2 million U.S. streams) for a record-extending 126th week; the song has placed at No. 1 for all but six weeks (spending each of those at No. 2) dating to the chart’s December 2013 launch.
“Invincible” is the maiden single from Skillet’s ninth studio album, Unleashed, due Aug. 5.