It is interesting how Christians of different ages can worship God the same way using different styles. Music, for instance, has evolved but the same God is worshipped through music. Christians view Cityalight as one of the best worshippers spreading authentic Christian music. For the past few years, I have been listening to Cityalight. From what I see and how I feel, I can tell that Cityalight’s music has Jesus in it. I have listened to their music and followed up with them to learn where they come from and how they do it. Here is a minibiography of the Christian group.
Cityalight Biography
Cityalight is a music ministry started by St. Paul’s Castle Hill, which is part of the Anglican Diocese of Sydney. The mission of the group is to evangelize the word of God and to demonstrate the authority of Scripture. In the 2019 GMA Dove Awards, the group won the inspiration album of the Year for Firm Foundation and Inspiration Recorded Song of their Year for Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me.
When did Cityalight Start?
The group started writing songs in early 2013 with 15 writers. After formation, Cityalight created a vision to create music rich in scripture and simple melodies. They are also an open group free for anyone willing to join them.
Cityalight is unique from other modern music groups since it follows the Anglicanism model. The group simplifies its music and commits to sharing Jesus Christ and encouraging people to have a relationship with him.
Cityalight chooses to be a simple group because it believes there is great beauty in the traditional style of music. Although the appearance of the group may be modern, the Sydney Diocese is careful to protect the truth of the gospel from the deception that comes with worldliness. The first principle of the group is to avoid compromising at all costs despite the need to incorporate technology.
Cityalight Music Style
Cityalight focuses on writing songs that are singable by the congregation. They believe that complicated melodies can distract people from the pursuit of God. The easier the melody is, the more people will engage in it.
The music group also takes time to write their songs. The group believes that the truth about the gospel is too deep to dive into and come out immediately.
Songwriters have the responsibility of taking time to soak in the gospel and feed the church with music that will strengthen their theology. Songs need more care because they have the potential to stay in people’s minds more than sermons.
The hymn Yet Not I but Through Christ in Me took 3 months to write but its impact was profound. In 2019, the songwriter, Selah, received the “Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year” award.
Cityalight Members
Some members of the Cityalight Music group are Rich Thompson, Jonny Robinson, Selah, Michael Farren, Dustin Smith
and James Ferguson.
City Alight’s female lead singer is particularly famous in the group because of her angelic voice. Her voice and the participation of other members of the group have been behind powerful songs that have helped people rise from depression, anxiety, hopelessness, and suicidal thoughts. We went to their Instagram and YouTube to feature some testimonies of those who have been blessed by City Alight music
Cityalight has managed to attract a large following from modern Christians. Their YouTube Channel has 208k subscribers and a total of 60,920,874 views, 4,486 followers on Twitter, and 45.2k on Instagram. Other gospel musicians, we can recommend are Cristabel Clack and her sister Isabel Davis.
Cityalight songs
- Gracious King
- Yet Not I But Through Christ
- Christ is Mine forever
- What Love, My God
- Ancient of Days
