Christian artist, Grammy, and Dove Award-winner Lauren Daigle has been named Billboard’s Top Christian Artist of 2023.
"It's been an incredible year," Daigle told Billboard following the announcement. "New creative collaborators, a new producer, new writers, and most of all new friends. Our fans on the road have been so incredible, and we can feel their love and energy every night, and for me, that connection [to our music] is inspiring. I am so unbelievably grateful to them to be able to do what I love and look forward to so much more in '24."
According to CBN News, she was also named the top female Christian Artist of the year following the release of her self-titled album and its lead single, Thank God I Do.
“This is the award that I treasure from the bottom of my heart,” she said in a video posted on Instagram. “I love it so much because it’s not a popularity contest. The Billboards are because fans show up and show support for the thing I love to do.”
The album’s release was the first time Daigle released music since her 2018 album, Look Up Child. At the time, the album’s lead single You Say topped Billboard’s Hot Christian Songs for a record-breaking 132 weeks beginning on July 18.
Despite her success with the album, Daigle took a five-year hiatus from music due to her struggles with her mental health. During an episode on the "Whoa That's Me" podcast with Sadie Robertson, Daigle explained that the self-titled album, released on Sept. 8, played a part in her healing journey.
"The process of making this record was very restorative and very redeeming. I started the process of writing with so much fear and so much intimidation. This record God used to rejuvenate me and to remind me of the pure things....to remind me of the things that matter, not just according to the industry but according to the Kingdom," she explained.
"My dream for this record is that it would bring peace, solace, and comfort [to others]," Daigle added.
Per Church Leaders, other notable Christian artists given top honors by Billboard include Brandon Lake, Billboard’s top male artist, as his song “Gratitude” hit the top spot on the Hot Christian Songs list for 2023. Additionally, Elevation Worship earned the top duo/group category for Christian artists, while Phil Wickham, whose single “This Is Our God” hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Christian Airplay Songs.
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Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
