Joel Houston is no stranger to trying new things.
As the creative leader behind worship powerhouse Hillsong United, he’s spent many years helping define what worship music looks like, sounds like and feels like. But now, Houston’s gaze is set on the future. With his experimental new project amxnradio (pronounced “amen radio”), he’s looking to push the boundaries of what Christian music can be.
He’s actually been working on the idea for years; he was just waiting on the right time to pull the trigger.
“I always had other kinds of songs and music that didn’t fit into the boxes that were already there for me,” he said. “During COVID, I was sitting there knowing I want to make music, I need to do something new and I’ve got this time. So I just started messing around and exploring with beats and just different ways to write songs.”
After years of touring and collaborating with his bandmates on United, the modern worship group was forced to spend time apart during the pandemic. Houston found himself alone in the studio for the first time in years. No collaborators, no sound engineers, no producers — just him, his instruments and his imagination.
His time in the studio allowed him to get back to the heart of why he started making music in the first place.
“Music became really therapeutic during that time; just making music again for the love of it, and there was no pressure on it,” Houston said. “I’ve always loved making music, but there’s a part of it where the pressure amounts and there’s expectations. And I realized I lost some of that joy, which was hard to deal with because making music has been such a refuge for me, a secret place. And this whole process felt like coming home again.”
After a few years of experimenting solo, Houston began to bring in trusted friends and advisors to help complete his vision. Then, earlier this year, he announced he would be releasing music under the moniker amxnradio, a project Houston describes as an “experiment in worship.”
It’s no stretch to say that Christian music—and especially worship music—has a certain sound. Houston, however, wants to challenge those conventions.
“Music is such an incredible gift that God’s given the world, and for us to kind of limit that to just what works in a church service or just what works on radio, it’s like we’re missing out on the breadth of what music can do to help serve us and serve individuals,” he said. “I want to create a soundtrack for all those other moments in life — when you go to work, to school or wherever you find yourself.”
But, what does that mean for United?
“United is not going anywhere,” Houston clarifies. “It’s something I’m still very much passionate about.”
In the meantime, Houston wants to keep pushing Christian music forward. His time away has allowed him to think outside of the box, and begin to ask what kind of music the Church needs to hear, not just what it wants to hear.
“The Christian music industry makes up about 2% of the general market,” he continued. “There’s a lot more Christians in the world, and they all listen to music, too. So that 2% needs to grow, and for it to grow, Christians need to be more adventurous with the music we’re making.”
Houston isn’t alone in this thinking, as he points to indie Christian artists like Josiah Queen and Forrest Frank as champions of a new wave of Christian artists.
“These guys are turning the whole thing on its head, and that’s always been the way.” he said. “Now God’s going to breathe something new in the next generation. They’re going to break the rules, not know they’re breaking them. And then everybody’s going to come around and try and figure out how to pull that in. My hope is that that continues to grow.”
That’s where amxnradio comes in. Houston knows one of the best ways to steer a movement is to join in as a fellow voice. He shared that he wants to help give other creators permission to step outside the box of Christian music and try new things, even if it seems inconceivable to others.
“There’s lots more opportunities for the artists in the kingdom to use this gift to communicate,” he said. “As Christians, we should be championing those people because I do believe that it’s a mission field. The creative spaces are a mission field. It has the ability to enter our soul without our permission and draw people into the presence of God even if they don’t know what that is.”
While Houston continues to pursue new artistry, he’s also embracing a new mindset that he’ll carry with him in whatever creative projects he takes on next. Creating amxnradio has given him a newfound sense of freedom when it comes to creating music, and after all, isn’t pursuing freedom part of what being a Christian is all about?
“It’s like building a boat: You set the sails, you put it in the right direction, you push it off the shore and the wind either blows or it doesn’t,” he said. “And sometimes God will take that thing and it’ll go somewhere, and other times it doesn’t and it’s OK. You just build another boat and you set sail and you push it out there and you see where that one goes. It takes a lot of pressure off, and I think it’s out of that place that, you we find ourselves sustained in our gifts and our callings. And it’s just nice.”
To hear more of our conversation with Houston, check out the latest episode of The RELEVANT Podcast.
