“Dwell in me, Jesus,” sings Ana Castela in “Agradeço” (I Thank You), a single the 20-year-old Brazilian pop star released in December. The lyrics resemble words that evangelical congregations sing in contemporary church services across the country: “I give up, I trust, I accept, and I thanks.”
Castela emerged on Brazil’s music scene two years ago and can be generally known as “the Boiadeira” (Cowgirl), the title of her first hit, which features lyrics like, “She gave up wine for beer, the preppy girl became a cowgirl.” The majority of her music focuses on relationships, betrayals, and drinking (themes common in sertanejo, an area genre that somewhat resembles American country music).
Though she grew up Catholic and infrequently sang at evangelical youth services as a teen, Castela broke into the industry as a mainstream pop star. “Agradeço” is her first Christian single as a solo artist. (It also marked the debut of Agropraise, a Christianized branch of the sertanejo label Agromusic.)
The Boiadeira is one among an increasing variety of mainstream artists crossing into the Christian market and debuting gospel and worship tracks over the past decade. In 2022, Simone, from the sertanejo duo Simone and Simaria, sang “Sobre as Águas”(Over the Water) with Christian contemporary artist Davi Sacer. In 2021, forró singer Wesley Safadão performed with the band Casa Worship in “Deus tem um plano” (God Has a Plan). In 2018, pop singer Luan Santana and the CCM duo Marcos & Belutti recorded versions of well-known gospel songs.
Since 2015, Brazilian gospel music—gospel referring on this context to a generalized popular Christian genre, not the gospel tradition within the US rooted within the Black church—has grown substantially in popularity. According to Spotify, the genre’s listenership grew on average 44 percent annually between 2015 and 2020. And while Western worship artists like Hillsong are popular with Brazilian Christians, Brazilian gospel artists are carving out their very own area of interest and creating among the most listened-to Christian music globally. This yr, from January to March alone, the variety of gospel music listeners on Spotify grew an extra 46 percent.
Currently, gospel music accounts for 20 percent of the Brazilian music industry’s revenue, and major international record labels have noticed. In 2010, Sony Music Group made Brazil its first region outside the US to have a branch dedicated exclusively to gospel music and commenced hiring professionals from Christian labels. Universal Music Group followed in 2013.
Historically, as within the US, contemporary Christian music (CCM)—each gospel and worship—in Brazil exists in its own subculture other than the mainstream, with its own stars, record labels, and award shows. Over the years, a number of American Christian music artists have found mainstream success as crossovers, but within the US and Brazil, crossover success stories have been rare. Now, self-identified evangelical artists in Brazil are climbing mainstream charts, and gospel music has a much greater market share than CCM ever had within the US. This expansion, and the crossover success of artists like Castela, is nearly definitely related to the explosive growth of Brazil’s evangelical church.
“In the past, evangelicals were a modest minority,” said Joêzer Mendonça, the creator of Música e Religião na Era do Pop (Music and Religion within the Pop Era). “Brazilian evangelicals not hide themselves. Actually, they like to indicate off their faith, and that is reflected in the best way they hearken to music.”
Labels and music marketers see opportunities within the shifting religious landscape. “Businesspeople, agents, record labels, all of them are saying, ‘We should record this!’” said Mendonça.
Wary of sexually explicit lyrics and profanity in mainstream music, many Christians support the proliferation of gospel music and its potential impact on secular stars. But, aware of the economic incentives artists could have to release gospel tracks, some pastors and theologians are asking the church to indicate discernment.
“We can’t say someone is now a Christian simply because they sang a song,” said Carlinhos Veiga, a Presbyterian pastor and singer-songwriter. “But you furthermore may can’t say it’s just opportunism.”
The fear of limiting the audience
Though mainstream artists often present public images that don’t align with the expected profile of a “Christian artist,” many grew up in Christian homes and attended churches where they first learned to sing or play a musical instrument.
Some denominations, similar to the Assemblies of God, Congregação Cristã no Brasil (Christian Congregation in Brazil) and Seventh-day Adventists, have built a repute on making instrument instruction available for all congregants. Whereas private music lessons are largely only accessible for the rich, churches could have classes where everyone can learn the trumpet, trombone, or French horn without spending a dime. Many also offer singing lessons, and most small churches have their very own choirs.
“Many [artists] have members of the family who’re evangelical, they usually themselves enjoy being within the church, but steadily, in addition they have an advanced relationship with faith since they aren’t frequent churchgoers,” said Renato Marinoni, a pastor and founding father of the Instituto de Adoração, Cultura e Arte, a ministry training school focused on worship and the humanities. “It’s not unusual for some to get starstruck once they achieve success. They begin to think the church is simply too small for his or her talent.”
Some singers may start within the gospel music industry but move away from faith-forward music with a view to construct a successful profession within the mainstream. Conventional wisdom has long dictated that making gospel music limits a musician’s audience.
“For an extended time, the interaction between gospel and secular music wasn’t seen sympathetically—the market thought it might limit the audience,” said Marcell Steuernagel, director of the master of sacred music program at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, who grew up leading worship within the Brazilian Lutheran church before moving to the US.
Now, seemingly, artists are not any longer forced to determine between making music for the church or finding industrial success.
“Some of those artists will sing worship music out of nostalgia,” said Veiga. “On the opposite hand, we’ve artists that can sing gospel music because they’re truly Christians they usually know that, now, they may have an audience in the event that they sing worship music.”
This phenomenon isn’t necessarily unique to Brazil, says Steuernagel. In Brazil and within the US, sacred songs have provided a well-known repertoire that artists can pull from for a wide range of reasons, whether because of private interest or the perceived interests of their audience. Popular American musicians like Elvis Presley or Aretha Franklin recorded hymns or gospel songs. Carrie Underwood often performs “How Great Thou Art” in shows during her Vegas residencies. Justin Bieber posts videos on social media of himself participating in worship or singing a praise song in his home.
The demand for gospel music further suggests a shift in the general public’s relationship with spirituality. Christian music seems to carry appeal for its potential therapeutic effects, even for listeners who don’t consider themselves to be practicing Christians.
“There are individuals who don’t attend evangelical services, don’t live by Christian values, but hearken to this musical style,” said Marinoni. “They say it brings peace.”
The problem of endorsement
Though they haven’t made their way into the company worship of Brazilian churches, many mainstream artists’ worship songs have been embraced by Christian radio and show up on worship music streaming playlists. While the vast majority of these worship songs have mainstream writers, Christian artists have participated in quite a few collaborations, which has at times generated fierce pushback.
In 2022, Christian singer-songwriter Kleber Lucas released a duet with Caetano Veloso, an atheist pop star and activist. After their performance won an award, one evangelical congressman mocked the announcement, while a Christian influencer called it “Christianity accepted by the world.”
Last yr, Priscilla Alcântara, a well-liked gospel music star, joined Carnival with secular singers in a trio elétrico (a truck equipped with a large sound system that drives through the streets as partygoers follow—a Carnival staple). Evangelicals, who generally eschew the vacation, attacked Alcântara for seemingly compromising her Christian values.
Gospel singer Fernandinho criticized partnerships between Christian and secular artists and accused gospel singers of downplaying the gospel of their interactions. In 2021, he posted a video where he used 2 Corinthians 6:14–15 to say that there will be “no communion” between the 2.
“How can I walk side by side and sing with an enemy of God?” he said. “Jesus doesn’t turn a blind eye [to sin].”
For most of those secular artists, forays into Christian music are only a part of their performances and track lists.
“The secular artist isn’t attached to what the church sings—they’re only all in favour of expressing themselves,” said Marinoni. “It’s the church’s responsibility to be near the artist and disciple them in the event that they are willing.”
For Castela, recording “Agradeço” was a way of “thanking God for all of the things he has done.”
“I really like to sing worship music, but I don’t think that’s my thing. My thing is sertanejo, and I also really like pop music,” she told Correio Braziliense. “If in the future God allows me to enter the gospel scene, I’ll be right here with open arms and a warm heart.”
