Newsboys

• Genre: Alternative Christian Contemporary
• Newsboys Website

About

Originally known as the News, Newsboys started out in 1987 as "danceable" Christian band from Mooloolaba, Australia. For a handful of Christian rockers from a place that's hard to pronounce without smiling, they seemed unlikely candidates to become some of the most influential performers, producers and ministries ever to hit Nashville's contemporary Christian music scene. During the nearly 20 years that followed, Newsboys' releases defined the direction of Christian contemporary music as the new millennium approached, beginning with 1994's Going Public, which exploded with the hit "Shine," and continuing on with 1998's Step! Up to the Microphone, which marked their first release for Virgin Records. Despite having just placed six No. 1 singles on the charts, the band went through a stylistic makeover which found them embracing the secular alternative music scene. More recently, they added their hefty alt rock influence to the modern praise and worship movement, contributing some of Christian radio's most recognizable anthems such as "He Reigns" and "You Are My King." With no signs of slowing down, having released a "best of" in late 2005, it's to be expected that they will remain a musical and spiritual influence in the coming years.

- Amy Bartlett