NASHVILLE, TENN. (MARCH 12, 2021) Last year, Kari Jobe, Cody Carnes and Elevation Worship gathered and co-wrote the song, “The Blessing,” which quickly became a viral hit song around the world just days after recording and releasing it. Less than a year after the live video was released, it has more than 44.4 million views on YouTube, and the song has recently received RIAA Gold Digital Single certification. This global worship anthem of 2020 and most consumed song of the year is also nominated for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song at the 63rd annual GRAMMY® Awards taking place this Sunday.
“This song is very special,” shares Kari Jobe. “I think my favorite thing about the song is hearing my babies sing it around the house. It brings great peace knowing that the very words God said to pray as a blessing still have 100% power today. God is kind and good. I pray this song continues to break through the noise and give a tangible sense of His presence every time it’s played or sung.”
The 2020 GMA Dove Award “Worship Song of the Year” has also reached No. 1 at Worship Together, MultiTracks, Praise Charts, Song Select and Planning Center and No. 11 on the latest CCLI report. Digital platforms have also supported the worldwide momentum as it has been included on Spotify’s US Viral 50 (playlist) and Global Viral 50 playlists in 11 different countries. It was also one of Pandora’s Top 50 Most Thumbed-up songs of 2020.
Chris Brown of Elevation Worship notes about the unique growth of this song, “There was a whirlwind of momentum and emotion attached to this song from the day we wrote it to quickly releasing it a week later. And it’s been remarkable to see how God’s used ‘The Blessing’ to encourage people all over the world during such a strange and difficult year. I pray it continues to bring hope to families for generations to come.”
With more than 41 different versions and languages globally, “The Blessing” has topped the charts in 34 countries and Top 5 in 77 countries on Apple Christian and Gospel genre charts. The song has been sung in Spanish, Portuguese, Hebrew, German and French cumulatively producing more than 43.2 million YouTube streams as well as successful covers coming from Africa and Southeast Asia. “The Blessing” has been one of the most covered Christian songs on YouTube, with versions representing over 128 countries worldwide.
“It’s the honor of a lifetime to be a part of the journey of this song – from the moment it was written to seeing it impact almost every nation and language across the world in just a few short months,” explains Cody Carnes of the song’s global impact. “I’ve been so encouraged by it in this challenging season of life. Not only by the truth from the scriptures in this song, but also by watching what God can do to bring encouragement and comfort to His people in a season of overwhelming fear and tragedy.”
“The Blessing” was featured on both Kari Jobe’s latest record The Blessing (Live) and Elevation Worship’s record Graves Into Gardens. More than 500,000 copies of the Capitol CMG/Elevation Worship Records/Essential Worship song has truly been a testament of the power of the message during a global pandemic.
Story Behind The Song: The song was written at Elevation during a writing session with Jobe, Carnes and Elevation’s Steven Furtick and Chris Brown searching for the presence of God. It was written on a Thursday and that following Sunday they sang it for the first time at the Elevation Ballantyne campus and released the video five days later worldwide. Shortly after posting the live music video, it was clear this was a very special song as visible in the live taping.
