Hillsong UNITED

When members of Hillsong Church’s youth ministry formed a house worship band in 1998, little did they know their decision would lead to a global phenomenon. Praise & worship composed specifically for young Christians had been around in one form or another since the ’50s. But in the hands of Australia’s Hillsong UNITED, the genre swelled into a uniquely 21st-century music that speaks to the experiences of Christian youth nurturing their faith in the age of social media, streaming video, and smartphones. Massive hits like the Taya Smith-led “Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)” and “So Will I (100 Billion X)” are as immersive as the dreamiest indie rock thanks to the way the band meticulously builds layers of synthesizers and chiming guitars that feel cosmic in scale. But it isn’t just Hillsong UNITED’s impactful music that youth ministries around the world have used as a template to refashion themselves—their innovative live shows are full-blown multimedia experiences that strive to reflect God’s divine essence. Guided by creative director, worship leader, and songwriter Joel Houston, who has been with Hillsong UNITED from the start, the band were one of the first to immerse followers in the kind of gorgeously celestial lighting and effects that are now central to modern youth worship gatherings. It's another element of the soul-and-senses experience Hillsong UNITED delivers with conviction.