Holy Week is here, Easter Songs is how we set the mood, and the Christian music world has delivered some of the most powerful worship songs in years to carry believers through every day of it. From Grammy-winning crossover anthems to quiet acoustic prayers, here is your complete guide to the gospel and Christian music that matters most this Easter 2026.
1. Brandon Lake & Jelly Roll — “Hard Fought Hallelujah”
Start here. This is the song of the season.
If there is one song that defines Christian music in 2026, it is this one. Hard Fought Hallelujah won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards on February 1, 2026. It spent an extraordinary 34 consecutive weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Christian Songs chart and crossed into the mainstream top 40 — a rare achievement for a worship song.
Brandon Lake said from the Grammy stage: “I’ve gotten countless messages of how this song has literally saved people’s lives and pointed them to Jesus.” Jelly Roll — country-rap’s most unlikely worship collaborator — brought the song to millions who had never engaged with Christian music before. His Grammy testimony, holding a pocket Bible and declaring “Jesus is for everybody,” became one of the most talked-about moments in awards show history.
For Easter specifically, the song’s central message — that a hallelujah born through suffering is worth more than one that costs nothing — makes it essential Holy Week listening. This is worship for people who have been through something.
🎵 Stream: Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music
📸 @brandonlakemusic | @jellyroll615
2. Tommee Profitt & Phil Wickham — Resurrection Anthem
Made for exactly this moment.
Tommee Profitt brings cinematic, sweeping production — the kind that sounds like a film score written for an empty tomb. Phil Wickham brings the vocal weight and worship DNA that has made him one of the most trusted voices in contemporary Christian music. Together, the result is a song that feels purpose-built for Easter Sunday morning — grand, emotional, and rooted in the reality of the resurrection.
This is the song to play as the sun rises on April 5.
📸 @philwickham | @tommeeprofitt
3. Elevation Worship — New Anthemic Release
Already spreading across church setlists worldwide.
Elevation Worship rarely misses — and their 2026 release is no exception. One of the most anthemic worship builds of the year, featuring Tiffany Hudson’s soaring vocals carrying the chorus in a way that makes it almost impossible to stand still. Within weeks of release it was already appearing in church services across America, the UK, Nigeria, and South Africa. This is the kind of song that becomes a Sunday morning standard — and Easter 2026 is its moment.
📸 @elevationworship | 🎵 Stream on Spotify
4. Chris Tomlin — “Lord I Believe; Help My Unbelief” (Acoustic)
The most vulnerable song on this list.
Chris Tomlin has built his legacy on anthems — massive, congregation-filling declarations of faith. This Easter, he has done something different: stripped everything back to the raw prayer of Mark 9:24, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.” The acoustic version is more vulnerable than the full production and arguably more powerful. A song for the honest moments, the 3am doubts, the faith that is real but shaking.
For a Holy Week that begins with a Palm Sunday crowd and ends with disciples who scattered — this song lands exactly right.
5. Forrest Frank — Joyful New Release
The breakout artist of 2026 you need to know.
One of the fastest-rising names in contemporary Christian music right now. Forrest Frank’s music is joyful, punchy, and unapologetically faith-forward without being heavy. In a genre that can sometimes take itself too seriously, he brings a genuine lightness — the kind that reflects the joy of the resurrection rather than only its weight. Perfect for Easter Sunday playlists. Watch this name closely.
6. Leanna Crawford — Story-Driven Easter Track
One of the most underrated voices in Christian music right now.
A quieter, more story-driven track that has been steadily climbing playlists since its release. Leanna Crawford’s Easter offering does not hit you immediately — it rewards patience, sitting with you long after the song ends. A beautiful fit for the reflective, contemplative side of Holy Week — the Good Friday silence before the Easter Sunday shout.
7. CeCe Winans — Way Maker
The song that refuses to leave.
Originally written and recorded by Nigeria’s own Sinach, Way Maker has been in rotation across the global Church for a decade — and the CeCe Winans version has introduced it to a Gospel audience that hadn’t fully encountered it yet. In 2026 it continues to find new listeners and new testimonies. If one song summarises what contemporary Christian worship sounds like right now, this is it. A Gospelbuzz favourite and a worthy cornerstone of any Easter playlist.
📸 @cecewinans | @sinach
Your Day-by-Day Holy Week Listening Guide
- 🌿 Palm Sunday, March 29 — Hard Fought Hallelujah + Elevation Worship. Celebrate the King who rode in.
- 🙏 Monday–Wednesday — Leanna Crawford + Chris Tomlin acoustic. Quiet, reflective, honest.
- ✝️ Good Friday, April 3 — Tommee Profitt & Phil Wickham. Let it feel like what it is.
- 🌅 Easter Sunday, April 5 — Forrest Frank + CeCe Winans. He is risen. Turn it up.
🎵 Full 2026 Gospel playlist on Spotify: New Gospel 2026 — curated by NewReleaseToday
