Billboard has released its 2025 year-end Christian charts, and — in news that will surprise absolutely no one who paid attention this year — Brandon Lake finished on top.
His single “Hard Fought Hallelujah” was the year’s top song, landing at No. 1 on the Hot Christian Songs chart after debuting in the top spot on Nov. 23, 2024, and spending the entire tracking period locked into either No. 1 or No. 2.
He also appeared throughout the rest of the list. Lake landed four songs in the year-end top 10 (Nos. 3, 4 and 7), giving him the strongest showing of any Christian artist this cycle. Elevation Worship, Forrest Frank, Phil Wickham, Elevation Rhythm, Megan Woods, Josiah Queen and Leanna Crawford rounded out the top tier after steady runs of their own.
And behind all the year-end data is another clear trend: several of the genre’s biggest names — including Lake, Frank, Wickham and Queen — crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100 this year for the first time in their careers. It’s further proof that 2025 wasn’t just a strong year for Christian music; it was a year when its biggest artists started showing up in more places than ever.
