Elevation Rhythm Earns First Hot Christian Songs No. 1 With ‘Washed’
Categoria: Musica
The act’s creative director and producer Josh Holiday says the song is meant to speak to the “weight people carry.”
Por Billboard | 01/07/2026
Elevation Rhythm scores its first Billboard Hot Christian Songs No. 1 with “Washed” on the chart dated July 4. Up three places, the single drew 2.7 million official streams and 5.4 million in radio audience in the United States June 19-25, according to Luminate. Written by Josh Holiday, who also serves as Elevation Rhythm’s creative director and producer, the song reaches the summit in its 40th week. It’s one of 11 entries for the ensemble since its first landed on Hot Christian Songs in 2020. The new leader is one of its two top 10s, following “Goodbye Yesterday,” which rose to No. 5 last summer. Related Forrest Frank Earns His Second No. 1 on Hot Christian Songs With ‘Jesus Is Alive!’ Lauren Daigle Makes History With Second 20-Week No. 1 on Hot Christian Songs Chart Hot 100 First-Timers: Brandon Lake Arrives With Viral Hit ‘Hard Fought Hallelujah’ “Washed” came together only hours before it was recorded live, Holiday tells Billboard . “The lyric, ‘Because You took away my shame and nailed it to the cross,’ was one of the last pieces to fall into place, and it changed the center of the song. “We fight for lyrics like that,” Holiday adds. “Not just the first idea that feels good in the room, but the truest idea. We are always asking: Is this clear? Is this biblical? Is this something our church can sing? Is this something someone might need when they are alone? That is what I remember most: the song becoming more than a melody. It became a declaration, that because of Jesus, shame does not get the final word.” That mix of live worship, musical energy and a younger audience has become central to Elevation Rhythm’s identity. The collective is the youth-focused branch of the broader Elevation music family, which also includes Elevation Worship , one of Christian music’s most consistent hitmakers of the last decade. While Elevation Worship has built a long Billboard résumé with No. 1 songs including “Graves Into Gardens,” “Same God” and “Praise,” Elevation Rhythm has carved out its own lane with a brighter, more pop-leaning sound aimed at more youthful listeners. “Musically, we want to capture what happens when a room full of young people gather with real faith, real questions, real joy and real hunger for God,” Holiday says. “Because most of our songs are recorded live, the room is always baked into them: the voices, the expectancy, the imperfect humanity, the sense that God is meeting people in real time.” As for “Washed” becoming the ensemble’s first No. 1, “Honestly, it makes us grateful more than anything,” Holiday continues. “We did not begin with a strategy to chase a No. 1; we began as a family of young people who loved Jesus, loved the Church and wanted to use what was in our hands to serve people. To see these songs travel beyond the rooms where they were first written is humbling. It feels like confirmation that people are still hungry for songs that are honest, full of faith and made for real life. The mi