Evolving out of
Hillsong Church, a Sydney, Australia Pentecostal
Ministry founded in 1983,
Hillsong United has emerged as one of the most popular bands on the international
Christian rock scene. Hillsong United began as Hillsong Church's youth ministry band. Originally called United Live, the group was first led by singers/songwriters Reuben Morgan and Marty Sampson. Their 1999 debut, Everyday, established their creative blueprint: each album was recorded live at the church’s annual October youth conference Encounterfest , which invited a variety of church members,
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friends and supporters to contribute their musical gifts.-- and released on CD and DVD early the following year. When Morgan left United Live in 2002 to mount a solo career, the Hillsong Church founder’s son, Joel, took his place, prompting the name change to Hillsong United, and recruited Brooke
Gabrielle Fraser, a popular New Zealand-based singer songwriter to contribute to their albums.
Geared for teens and Twentysomethings, Hillsong United’s first release was 2003’s To the Ends of the Earth, which was soon after followed by an equally successful album, 2004’s More Than Life. Of 2005’s Look To You, which contained such hit Hillsong United songs as “Tell the World” and “What the World Will Never Take,” one critic said: “…whereas most worship bands today seem to rely on the same base-level rock setup, United now colors their sound with a variety of sounds, effects, and hooks.” This fresh sound was built upon in subsequent albums, including United We Stand (2006) and All of the Above (2007). In all of their albums and songs, it is apparent that Hillsong United excels with youth-oriented worship lyrics and even stronger melodies that make you want to join in with the audience of worshipers after just one or two listens. Seldom do you find a worship band that is this addicting and adept at spreading God’s message.
