Singers praise new gospel music chart that will 'open doors'

There's no shortage of famous quotes about how much music means to people.

But ask singer-songwriter Laura Ehio why she decided to pick up a guitar and it goes even deeper.

"My journey as a Christian, I think that's the only thing I could ever write about," the 25-year-old says.

"I've always been in church and when I started songwriting it just made sense to write about God and Jesus and his love."

Gospel music has always been a big influence on mainstream music, with acts from Aretha Franklin to rappers Stormzy and Dave taking inspiration from it more recently.

But for all those big names, and for up-and-coming artists like Ehio, there has never been an official home to recognise the music she loves to make.

With interest on streaming sites and social media growing, that's all changed with the launch of a dedicated UK singles chart for the genre this week.

BBC Newsbeat spoke to Ehio and other gospel artists about why it's such a big moment for them.

Gospel music emerged from Afro-American culture in the 18th and 19th centuries - meaning it's rooted in the experiences of the conversion of enslaved African people to Christianity.

It's known for focusing on traditions of faith and hope - with Christian praise voices delivered through upbeat tempos, clapping choirs and powerful solos.

Or, as Ehio puts it: "The gospel means the good news, gospel music is healing, it's a chance to receive healing, hope, faith, encouragement, a lot of the positive stuff."

The Official Charts Company says there's been a big rise in demand for faith-based music over the last 10 years.

Its data shows the UK Christian and gospel albums market has grown by 64% since 2015 - with sales and streams of those albums going above 500,000 for the first time last year.

Launching the weekly Official UK Christian & Gospel Singles Chart, it said it wanted to "highlight singles released by British artists" based on UK sales and streams.

Ehio, who released a new EP a few weeks ago, says the new chart is "absolutely great".

"It creates infrastructure for the UK Christian scene which means there's more open doors and opportunities."

Singer-songwriter Chantelle Rutendo, whose first single Holy Father has had 1.4m Spotify streams since its 2023 release, says the chart recognises gospel as a "valid genre" and the music being made by artists like her.

"It's always a good thing when Christian artists are given a platform outside the four walls of a church, a platform to be able to reach people that on a normal day they wouldn't be able to reach," the 23-year-old says.

"It means the artists that are creating really good music are having the opportunity to be acknowledged."

There's been reports in the last year suggesting the number of 15 to 30 year olds going to church in England and Wales is on a surprising rise.

Either way, both Rutendo and Ehio say the traditional image of gospel - choirs and handclaps - is also changing.

Ehio, who released an Afrobeats-inspired gospel song last year, says there's been a "great shift in recent years" and there's "something for everybody" if you like different genres.

"The gospel music we grew up on was hymns and traditional music," says Rutendo.

"Where we're at now there's so much, there's Afro gospel, there's R&B, there's rap and it's touching on so many different matters."

According to Spotify, streams of gospel music in the UK have risen by 119% since 2020.

That's in line with overall numbers on the platform, which have also more than doubled in that five-year period.

It doesn't give out the exact numbers of streams, but says gospel is more popular than UK garage, and almost streamed at the same levels as dancehall.

But compare it to things like rap or rock - and its streaming levels are less than 10% of those more mainstream genres.

And, as with other types of music, social media is helping artists to find new audiences.

Christian content creator Jordan Boateng "likes to dance a lot" and says there's more to gospel than just "mellow beats".

"It's an opportunity to showcase the love of the Lord through the music."

Boateng, whose posts have a combined 7.2 million likes on TikTok, says he shares "what the Lord has done for me" with his followers and believes gospel has the power to transform.

He's part of a growing number uploading #GospelMusic, and TikTok tells Newsbeat the number of posts with the tag worldwide have doubled from two to four million in the last 12 months.

It's also seen a big rise in the amount of people using #GospelTok and #ChristianMusic since February last year.

Boateng isn't surprised, and thinks the music "has the power to transform, to kind of eradicate everything that a person is going through".

"There were times in my life where I was very anxious and depressed," the 23-year-old says.

"And I'd just switch on some gospel music, and it's through that presence I was able to be free from whatever I was going through."

The Official Charts Company says its new chart will deliver a "long-overdue recognition for a vibrant and influential sector of the UK music industry".

Tolu "Lady T" Adepegba works for AStepFWD, a media and creative organisation that's helped them set it up.

She says it took "months of planning" and thinks it's important that it's just for British artists.

"For them this is just a chance for them to have their music nationally recognised," she says.

"I think there's just a hunger for music with substance, music with meaning, and gospel music brings that."

But singers Rutendo and Ehio think just being recognised isn't enough and hope it's the beginning of something bigger.

"A spot in the chart is one thing but the right people need to be looking to be able to acknowledge the talent that's there," Rutendo says.

"So that a place in the charts isn't just a place in the chart, but it's a door to opportunities."

Ehio says there's a "big market" for gospel music, and an enthusiastic audience that wants to hear it.

She thinks "gospel music has been overlooked for a long time and not been noticed by the mainstream platforms, the charts and the radio stations".

"If you do not tap into the Christian music scene you are missing out."

Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.