ADVERTISEMENT
It doesn't take a Katycat to know that Katy Perry's first foray in the music scene was under a Christian label. A Katycat will, however, likely own one of the 100-200 copies of her first and only Christian album ever sold. Copies of Katy Hudson would never have gone for the eBay asking price of $80 ($800 for the signed copy) had Perry not traded the religious tunes for dark horses and kissing girls.
Many other acts have left their sectarian niche for secular success. It's not that they lost their religion. But, some acts, like hardcore band Underøath, have been able to reach wider audiences by keeping their religious backbone less front and center. "I look at us as just another band in the secular market," Underøath's lead vocalist Spencer Chamberlain once said, "like with all these other hardcore bands, and we just happen to be a Christian band that has different beliefs."
The fact is that while the Christian music market has managed to maintain some of the loft it reached in the '90s, secular music, even if made by a Christian artist, simply sells better. Look at Katy Perry now: She could burp on a track and sell a billion records. Here are nine more artists who can say the same.
ADVERTISEMENT