Hillsong Quietly Recorded an EP to Ask If God Was Still in It

Jad Gillies, singer with Hillsong Worship, helped record a quiet EP last year for one reason: to find out whether God still wanted the team making music at all. They hadn’t released a live worship album since 2018. Senior team members had moved on, and the church had been through a very public hard season. The answer came back clearly from their leadership and their congregation, and now three live singles are out, with a full album, Holy Is the Name, coming in February.

Hillsong Worship, congregational worship songs, and getting back to basics: Jad explains why the team asked what the church actually needs to sing and landed on the He Is and You Are songs, which remind us who God is because it is in our nature to forget. He shares how Hillsong’s own congregation acts as the head of A&R for every new song, why he believes worship leaders must never become the hero of the story, and why Christian music and country music are having a cultural moment as people turn toward something real. He also speaks gently to anyone disillusioned by what Hillsong went through, and tells the story of standing beside the platform watching families walk into church and hearing God ask him one question: is that enough?

Highlights

• Why Hillsong Worship recorded a quiet EP a year ago to see if God still wanted them making music
• The three new live singles, Praise the Lord Hallelujah Amen, As You Are, and Flood, and the album Holy Is the Name coming in February
• Why the team focused on He Is and You Are songs that remind the church of God’s character, because we are prone to forget
• How the Hillsong congregation acts as the head of A&R, testing new songs and shaping which ones go further
• Why he believes worship songs should magnify God and never make the worshiper the hero of the story
• Why Christian music and country music are surging as people turn away from programmed, personality-driven pop toward something human and real
• How he describes the hard season Hillsong walked through as a reset and a gift, a chance to ask who God is calling them to be
• The moment watching families walk into church when he felt God ask him whether helping people draw near to Him was enough

Resources / Links / CTA

• 🌐 Jad Gillies website: https://hillsong.com/contributors/contributor/jad-gillies
• 🌐 Hillsong Worship website: https://hillsong.com/music/worship
• 📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jadgillies
• 🎵 Singles: Praise the Lord Hallelujah Amen, As You Are, and Flood, available on all streaming platforms
• 🎵 Album: Holy Is the Name, releasing in February
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