In 2009, John Cooper and his band, Skillet, unleashed the song “Monster.” Seventeen years later, that same track became the first by a Christian rock artist to crack Spotify’s Billions Club, surpassing 1 billion streams on the platform.
RELATED: Learn more about John Cooper and Skillet.
The milestone reportedly caught the band off guard, even though Skillet has already moved more than 23 million albums and averages roughly 12 million monthly Spotify listeners. And while “Monster” only recently crossed the 1-billion mark stateside, it has racked up more than 4 billion streams worldwide.
Faith and rock: an unlikely pair?
Cooper’s path through rock music has always run alongside questions of faith and culture. He grew up in a conservative Christian home where rock — and sometimes even Christian rock — was eyed with suspicion. He’s spoken of how his own mother wondered if it might be outright demonic. At age 5, he accepted Christ, and his life of faith — and rock music — had only just begun.
After his mother died of cancer when he was 15, Cooper found himself learning about God’s faithfulness through Christian music. “It got me through my hard times,” he previously explained, “and I always thought, “If I had a chance to write songs for other people out there hurting — in whatever various ways they’re hurting — then I would love to do that for God. I would love to make art that could bring glory to God.”
Cooper sensed a clear calling to do just that. “As a believer,” he emphasized, “in reality no matter what you do for your job … whether you’re a plumber or a school teacher or a songwriter, we are supposed to do what we do unto the glory of God.”
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Sarah Holliday and originally published by Decision Magazine.
