Hillsong United

Biography

Hillsong United (stylised as Hillsong UNITED or UNITED) was a contemporary worship collective originating from Hillsong Church. Since forming in 1998 out of the church's youth ministry, the group has released fifteen live albums and six studio albums.
Band members are involved in Hillsong Church services and also play for the church. The band has toured in a number of countries, leading worship in various places and has an international influence.

History

Originally called United Live, Hillsong United was formed in 1998, originating from the youth ministry of Hillsong Church called Powerhouse Youth. The band released their first live album Everyday×EverydayNovember 1999 · Album · LiveSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Everyday3:432Jesus I Long2:443On the Lord’s Day5:404More4:435Heaven4:456Seeking You4:357You Take Me Higher4:048Hear Our Prayer6:099Prayer to the King6:1310God Is Moving7:15 after Darlene Zschech—the worship pastor of the church—suggested for them to record their own CDs. Mentored by Zschech in their early years, the band was first led by Reuben Morgan. Joel Houston and Marty Sampson took over the leadership in 2002. The official UNITED logo was designed by drummer Luke Munns in 2002 for To the Ends of the Earth.
After several live albums in the 2000s, Hillsong United released their first full studio album All of the Above×All of the Above19 March 2007 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Point of Difference4:222Break Free4:073Desperate People5:294Devotion5:595Draw Me Closer1:266Lead Me to the Cross4:187Found6:028Hosanna5:309For All Who Are to Come3:3710Solution4:3711My Future Decided4:1812Never Let Me Go6:0113You5:0314Saviour King12:16 in 2007.

The band released their third studio album Zion in February 2013. The album debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and topped Billboard's Top Christian Albums. The album features "Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)", which has been certified 4× Platinum in the U.S. and was awarded Top Christian Song at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards.
In 2014, Hillsong United was nominated for and won five GMA Dove Awards, including Song of the Year for "Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)". The band also received its first ever American Music Awards nomination that year, for Favorite Artist – Contemporary Inspirational, but did not win. 2015 saw the band nominated for a second consecutive year in the same category at the 43rd edition of the show. It was also nominated for the first time at that year's Billboard Music Awards in the Top Christian Artist and Top Christian Song categories; it won the former. The band was nominated again at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards, and garnered four nods across all three Christian categories, winning its second consecutive Top Christian Artist award, and its first for Top Christian Song with "Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)". The band won two Dove Awards, including Worship Album of the Year, for its fourth studio album Empires×Empires26 May 2015 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Here Now (Madness)7:222Say the Word4:243Heart Like Heaven6:304Touch the Sky4:225Street Called Mercy4:226When I Lost My Heart to You (Hallelujah)4:457Even When It Hurts (Praise Song)6:188Prince of Peace5:579Empires8:1410Rule4:1211Captain5:3112Closer Than You Know9:31, at the 47th Gospel Music Awards held that October. In 2018, the band received four nominations at the 49th GMA Dove Awards including one for Artist of the Year—it won Recorded Worship Song of the Year for its single "So Will I (100 Billion X)×So Will I (100 Billion X)23 March 2018 · EPSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 6 tracks1So Will I (100 Billion X) (Radio Edit)4:372So Will I (100 Billion X) (Live At Hillsong Conference)7:193So Will I (100 Billion X) (Baxter House III)6:544So Will I (100 Billion X) (Bodytalkr Remix)4:125So Will I (100 Billion X) (Orchestral Version)6:576So Will I (100 Billion X) (Alternate Radio Edit)5:00".

Final lineup

Joel Houston – worship leader, guitars, keyboards, percussion, bass
Jonathon "JD" Douglass – worship leader, percussion, keyboards
Jad Gillies – worship leader, guitars, percussion
Matt Crocker – worship leader, guitars, percussion
Michael Guy Chislett – guitars, keyboards, music director, producer
Dylan Thomas – guitars, keyboards, music director
Benjamin "Ben" Tennikoff – keyboard, programming, sampler
Jihea Oh – bass guitar
Dan McMurray – drums, percussion
Jeriana Baptiste – worship leader
Tahisha Hunt – worship leader
Former members of the band are:

Reuben Morgan – worship leader, guitars
Marty Sampson – worship leader, guitars
Brooke Fraser – worship leader, guitars
Taya Gaukrodger – worship leader
Benjamin William Hastings – worship leader, guitars, keyboards
Raymond Badham – guitars
Marcus Beaumont – guitars
Nigel Hendroff – guitars
Nathan Taylor – guitars
Timon Klein – guitars
Matt Tennikoff – bass guitar
Adam Crosariol – bass guitar
Simon Kobler – drums, percussion
Brandon Gillies – drums, percussion
Gabriel Kelly – drums, percussion
Rolf Wam Fjell – drums, percussion
Luke Munns – drums, percussion
David George – piano, keyboards, synthesizer
Peter James – piano, keyboards, synthesizer
Kevin Lee – piano, keyboards, synthesizer
Peter King – piano, keyboards, synthesizer
Dave Ware – worship leader
Tulele Faletolu – worship leader
Annie Garratt – worship leader
Sam Knock – worship leader
Holly Dawson – worship leader
Jill McCloghry – guitar, vocals
Michelle Fragar – worship leader
Timeline