by Paul Jankowski, Forbes Magazine, 1/2/19.
..,I’ve been studying the role faith plays in marketing to the New Heartland for over a decade. As one of the three core values this cohort, which makes up 60% of the country, prioritizes in their decision-making process, it’s important to explore its relevance in today’s society.
…Get to a place where you understand the role faith plays.
Lately, entertainment and faith have been intersecting in ways that reflect a New Heartland state of mind.
- Kanye West released a gospel album that became his ninth consecutive No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and resulting in 264,000 sales during its debut week alone.
- Christian singer, Lauren Daigle, snagged coveted performance slots at the Grammy Awards and Billboard Music Awards where she won awards for the Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song for her pop crossover song “You Say.”
- Country star, Thomas Rhett, publicly displayed his faith during the 2019 CMT Artist of the Year presentation where he prayed for fellow artist, Kane Brown, who had recently lost his drummer to a car accident.
Faith and its connection to pop culture is gaining ground with both New Heartland and non-New Heartland personalities leading the way.
… Here are 6 examples from 2019 of pop culture heavyweights leaning into faith, not away from it…
2. Eric Church Faces Monsters with Prayer
2019 was the year of embracing faith in country music. Some notable songs featuring faith include Matt Stell’s “Prayed For You,” Blake Shelton’s “God’s Country” and Little Big Town’s“The Daughters,” fans were introduced to “Monsters” by Eric Church at the end of the summer. Church sings about the power of prayer when faced with difficult times. Since his first EP, “Sinners Like Me,” Church has danced with faith in his lyrics to much success.
- Desperate Man, the album from which “Monster” comes, has been nominated for a Grammy
- His 2019 Double Down tour broke attendance records at Nissan Stadium, where Church brought in 56,521 people, a record previously set by himself
3. Chance the Rapper Gets Inspiration from Above
Since Chance the Rapper declared himself as a Christian rapper in 2018, he has lived out the lifestyle very publicly. He uses Jesus’ name on network TV, volunteers for Kids of the Kingdom in his hometown of Chicago, and shares his message of faith through his music. His 2018 single, “Blessings,” opens with the line “I’m gon’ praise Him, praise Him ’til I’m gone. When the praises go up, the blessings come down.”
- One of his most faith-driven endeavors, Coloring Book, reached 1.5 billion streamson Spotify in 2019
- His newest album, The Big Day, released in August 2019, debuting No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and selling 108,000 units
4. Dolly Parton Takes Traditional Values to a Non-Traditional Genre
Swedish DJs Galantis and Dutch singer Mr. Probz approached Parton with a proposal to sing on their EDM remake of John Hiatt’s 80s hit, “Faith.” Many of her country songs have been re purposed as party mixes, but this is the first time she collaborated on a venture of this type outside of her bluegrass roots. Her collaborations following 18 years away from the stage are predominantly faith-focused. In addition to “Faith,” Parton joined forces with For King and Country earlier in 2019 on their song “God Only Knows.”
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