If you grew up listening to Christian radio on Sundays and Top 40 radio the rest of the week, your Spotify playlists might look like a split personality. But over the last few years, those once-distinct musical worlds have started bleeding into each other.
From worship leaders linking up with rap legends to pop queens jumping on praise songs, the 2020s have been full of wild, unexpected collaborations that make you double-check the artist credits. Some are once-in-a-lifetime collabs that left fans buzzing; others were so subtle you might’ve missed them completely. Either way, they’re proof that the line between sacred and secular is more fluid than ever—for good and bad.
Here are the most surprising Christian/mainstream collaborations of the decade (so far), ranked by just how surprised we were to see them exist.
10. Tauren Wells x H.E.R. — “Hold Us Together (Hope Mix)”
This one flew under the radar for some, but it was a big deal: H.E.R., an R&B powerhouse with a couple Grammys and an Oscar, linked up with CCM favorite Tauren Wells for a gospel-flavored remix of her hit “Hold Us Together.” The original song already had faith-inspired undertones, but Wells brought that Sunday morning energy straight into the mix. It’s a surprisingly seamless blend of their styles—soft soul meets stadium worship.
9. For King & Country x Echosmith x Timbaland — “God Only Knows (Remix)”
Technically this dropped in 2019, but it really took off the following year. Likely because 2020 was full of unexpected surprises, and “Timbaland produces a remix for an Australian Christian pop duo” seemed like the perfect soundtrack to sum it up. The original “God Only Knows” was already a radio-friendly anthem, but the remix—with production by Timbaland and vocals from Echosmith’s Sydney Sierota—gave it a glossy pop makeover. It’s somehow moody, hopeful and club-ready all at once.
8. Brandon Lake x Jelly Roll — “Hard Fought Hallelujah”
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few months, you’ve likely heard about Brandon Lake, the modern worship wild child, and Jelly Roll, the country-rock-rap-reformed-outlaw hybrid, joining forces on a gritty, emotional ballad about grace, scars and salvation. Both artists have talked openly about their pasts and their faith, and “Hard Fought Hallelujah” is proof that testimony doesn’t always sound squeaky clean. Sometimes it growls. The pairing is less surprising once you know their stories—but hearing them on the same track still made us do a double-take.
7. Griff x Aodhan King — “Yesterday, Today & Forever”
British pop rising star Griff (who’s toured with the likes of Coldplay and Dua Lipa) surprised fans with a full-on worship song in 2024—and even more surprising, she co-wrote and performed it with Hillsong Worship’s Aodhan King for his debut solo album, Beyond Us. The song feels like a modern hymn wrapped in dreamy, synthy pop production, and Griff has said it came from a personal place of reconnecting with her faith. It’s beautiful, bold and quietly radical.
6. TobyMac x Sheryl Crow – “Promised Land”
Christian pop icon meets roots-rock royalty. When TobyMac remixed his soulful single “Promised Land,” he brought in none other than Sheryl Crow — the nine-time Grammy winner known more for coffeehouse anthems than altar calls.
The result? A bluesy, rootsy reimagining that gave the track new weight. Crow’s voice added grit and gravity to a song about searching for hope in the hard places — and showed just how well faith and mainstream authenticity can blend when it’s done right.
5. Maverick City Music x Quavo — “Without You” (Live Grammy Tribute)
@billygoatoftiktok #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #takeoff #migos #riptakeoff🕊🔥 #grammys
This one wasn’t a recorded track but a live performance that stunned the audience at the 2023 Grammy Awards. After Takeoff’s death, Quavo performed “Without You” with Maverick City Music backing him. The emotional tribute merged gospel vocals with raw grief in a way that transcended genre. It wasn’t about Christian radio or hip-hop streams—it was about healing, which is kind of the whole point anyway.
4. Nicki Minaj x Tasha Cobbs Leonard — “Blessings”
Tasha Cobbs Leonard is gospel royalty. Nicki Minaj is… not. So seven years ago, when the two teamed up for Leonard’s track “I’m Getting Ready,” it sparked immediate controversy—and curiosity. But it wasn’t enough to deter the dup from coming together for another collab on Minaj’s 2023 album Pink Friday 2. Minaj doesn’t water herself down, rapping about enemies and breakthroughs while Cobbs Leonard brings the spiritual heat. It’s a wild pairing, but surprisingly, it works. Whether you were inspired or confused, you probably played it twice just to make sure you heard it right.
3. Kirk Franklin x Lil Baby — “We Win”
You’ve heard this one whether you know it or not—it was the theme for Space Jam: A New Legacy. Kirk Franklin has always been the guy who makes gospel cool (this is also one of his many hits we could have included on this list), and Lil Baby is one of the biggest rappers of the moment. Together, they crafted a high-energy, uplifting anthem that somehow worked for both NBA highlights and church playlists. The shock here isn’t just the pairing—it’s how well it worked.
2. Justin Bieber x Chandler Moore x Brandon Love — Freedom.
Sure, we know Bieber is a believer, but dropping a full six-song worship EP on Easter Sunday with Chandler Moore? No promo? No warning? This wasn’t “Holy” or “Purpose.” This was raw, worshipful and deeply personal. The fact that it exists at all still feels like a fever dream.
1. GloRilla x Maverick City Music x Kirk Franklin — “Rain Down”
File under: collaborations no one saw coming, but everyone’s still talking about. GloRilla—known for her hard-hitting Memphis rap style—teamed up with gospel giant Kirk Franklin and Maverick City Music for a track that blends trap beats, choir harmonies, and raw testimony. Part of what made this collaboration so surprising was that it was featured on an album that included songs with Megan thee Stallion and Sexxy Red. But the collab was enough for the BET Awards to give it the award for Best Gospel/Inspiration Song. Congrats to… GloRilla?
We’re living in a genre-bending, boundary-breaking era of music—and Christian artists are right in the thick of it. These collaborations show that faith, like music, doesn’t always fit neatly into boxes. Sometimes the best moments come when you least expect them—like hearing Nicki Minaj shout out God on a gospel track, or watching Jelly Roll cry through a worship song.
Will there be more wild collabs before the decade is up? Almost definitely. And we’ll be here for every unexpected, holy-messy, genre-defying moment.
Now if you’ll excuse us, we’ll be manifesting a Tyler Childers x Tasha Cobbs Leonard duet.
