There’s something about Tauren Wells that makes it pretty hard to sit still when one of his songs comes on. He has the voice, the energy, and the musical instincts to make contemporary Christian music feel big and exciting, but underneath all of that is an artist who consistently points back to something much more important: who God is and who we are because of Him.
Wells first came to prominence as the lead singer of Royal Tailor before beginning his solo career in 2016. Since then, he has built an impressive catalog that moves comfortably between pop, gospel, R&B, worship, and contemporary Christian music. Songs like “Hills and Valleys,” “Known,” and “When We Pray” showcase different sides of his artistry, but they share a common thread of faith that feels both personal and encouraging.
And that’s probably one of the things we appreciate most about Tauren Wells here at FishWorship. His music doesn’t require choosing between a great song and a meaningful message. He can give us a huge chorus, a groove that gets stuck in our heads, and production that sounds right at home on modern Christian radio—and then remind us of something about God’s grace, our identity, or the hope we have in Christ.
Tauren Wells has become much more than a familiar voice on Christian radio. He has developed a distinctive musical identity and a growing body of work that can make you want to sing along one minute and stop and think the next. And around here, that’s a pretty good combination.
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🎬Featured Music Video
“Take It All Back”
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“Take It All Back” is Tauren Wells at his most energetic and unapologetically bold. Built around a driving contemporary Christian sound, the song turns a familiar spiritual struggle—fear, shame, discouragement, and the lies that can keep us trapped—into a declaration that those things don’t get the final word. Wells sings about taking back the peace, joy, and freedom that the enemy has tried to steal, with the name of Jesus at the center of it all.
The official music video brings that same sense of determination to life. Released in April 2024, the video is officially featured on Wells’ own website and YouTube channel, making it a natural introduction to this particular side of his music.
What we especially like about “Take It All Back” is that it doesn’t approach faith from a place of defeat. There’s a real sense of spiritual confidence running through the song. Wells acknowledges the battles—“I’m bruised but I’m not destroyed”—but the emphasis is on getting back up, remembering whose we are, and refusing to surrender the joy and freedom Christ gives us.
It’s loud, energetic, and a little bit defiant—and sometimes that’s exactly what a worship song needs to be. “Take It All Back” reminds us that Christian music doesn’t always have to sound contemplative to be worshipful. Sometimes you need to turn it up, sing along, and remind yourself that fear doesn’t own you, shame doesn’t define you, and the enemy doesn’t get the last word.
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🎵Essential Songs
“Known”
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“Known” is one of those songs that feels like a simple idea until you really sit with it: God knows everything about us—and loves us anyway. Released as a single from Tauren Wells’ 2017 debut solo album Hills and Valleys, the song became one of his signature recordings, reaching No. 1 on the Christian Airplay chart and earning Grammy and Billboard Music Award nominations.
What makes “Known” so powerful is the tension at the heart of its message. We tend to think that being completely exposed means being rejected, but Wells turns that expectation upside down. God sees the mess, the mistakes, the wandering, and the things we would rather hide—and His response is not to walk away. It is to pursue us with truth, grace, and love. The song’s central idea of being fully known and fully loved makes it both deeply personal and remarkably universal.
There is also something wonderfully reassuring about the way Wells delivers the song. It isn’t presented as a complicated theological argument; it feels more like someone who has discovered an incredible truth and can’t quite believe it himself. That sense of wonder comes through in the music, particularly as the song builds toward its declaration of God’s enormous, unfathomable love.
For us at FishWorship, “Known” is an easy choice for the Tauren Wells Essential Songs list. It represents one of the clearest expressions of what makes Wells such an effective Christian artist: great contemporary music carrying a message that can meet you right where you are. And sometimes the message we most need to hear is simply this: God already knows you completely—and He loves you completely.
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“Hills and Valleys”
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“Hills and Valleys” is one of Tauren Wells’ defining songs, and it provides a pretty good description of the Christian life itself. There are mountaintop moments when everything seems to be going right, and there are valleys when the road gets difficult and the future isn’t quite so clear. Wells’ message is that God is present in both places. The circumstances may change dramatically, but God does not.
One of the most meaningful ideas in the song is that our response should be different depending on where we find ourselves. On the mountaintop, Wells reminds us to remain humble and recognize that we didn’t get there entirely on our own. In the valley, we’re encouraged to lift our eyes and remember that God sees us there, too. It’s a simple picture, but an important one: the mountain isn’t proof that we’ve arrived, and the valley isn’t proof that God has left.
Wells has explained that the song was inspired by the idea that on life’s mountaintops we should “bow low,” while in the valleys we should “stand tall.” He wanted to address not only the highs and lows themselves, but the posture we take toward God in each of those seasons.
Musically, “Hills and Valleys” carries that message with a sweeping, contemporary sound that helped establish Wells as a solo artist. Released in 2017 as the title track of his debut album, the song became one of his signature recordings and earned a Grammy nomination.
Perhaps the most comforting thing about “Hills and Valleys” is its refusal to pretend that faith eliminates the valleys. Life will still have heartbreak, disappointment, broken dreams, and uncertainty. But those things don’t get to define the story. Whether we’re standing on the highest mountain or walking through the lowest valley, we are not alone. And that’s a pretty good reminder to carry with us wherever the road happens to be today.
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“God’s Not Done With You”
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“God’s Not Done With You” may be one of Tauren Wells’ most comforting songs. It speaks directly to those moments when life feels like it has fallen apart and we are tempted to believe that our failures, disappointments, or past mistakes have somehow disqualified us from having a future. Wells turns that feeling completely around with a simple message of hope: the story isn’t over.
Wells has described the song as being for people who feel disqualified by guilt and shame. He uses the image of someone standing among the ruins of what used to be, but sees those ruins differently—as material God can use to build something new. That is what makes the song especially powerful. It doesn’t pretend that the broken places aren’t real. Instead, it reminds us that brokenness isn’t necessarily the end of the story.
There is something wonderfully encouraging about the way Wells delivers that message. “God’s Not Done With You” doesn’t tell us that everything will suddenly become easy. It tells us that God is still working even when we can’t see what He’s doing. The song moves from the darkness of feeling lost and defeated toward the confidence that God has a plan and will finish what He has started.
Released as a single from Wells’ 2017 debut album Hills and Valleys, the song became one of his signature recordings, reaching the Top 10 on Billboard’s Hot Christian Songs chart. But its lasting appeal isn’t really about chart position. It’s about that person who needs to hear, perhaps at exactly the right moment, that their worst day doesn’t get to define their entire life.
Sometimes we need a song that celebrates. Sometimes we need a song that helps us worship through the valley. And sometimes we simply need someone to remind us that God hasn’t given up on us. “God’s Not Done With You” is that reminder.
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“When We Pray”
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“When We Pray” takes a simple idea and gives it a big, celebratory sound: prayer isn’t merely something Christians do; it is one of the ways God invites His people to participate in bringing change to a hurting world. Released in 2017 on Tauren Wells’ debut solo album Hills and Valleys, the song looks directly at people who are hurting, broken, and feeling hopeless, then asks what might happen if the church responded by coming together in prayer.
What makes the song especially interesting is that Wells isn’t talking primarily about private prayer. His vision is of the church becoming “a people on our knees” together—united before God and trusting Him to move. Wells has explained that he wrote the song because he believes a broken world needs a praying church, and that genuine change doesn’t ultimately come from our ability to influence culture, but from the power of God accessed through prayer.
Musically, “When We Pray” sounds almost like a rallying cry. The song begins by acknowledging the brokenness around us, but quickly turns toward hope, revival, and faith. That progression is important: Wells doesn’t minimize the problems; he responds to them with confidence in what God can do. The result is a song that feels less like a quiet prayer and more like an invitation for the entire church to stand together and pray.
And that’s what makes “When We Pray” such a strong Tauren Wells song. It reminds us that prayer isn’t supposed to be our last response when we’ve run out of other ideas. It can be our first response because we believe God is actually listening. Sometimes the most powerful thing the church can do is also one of the simplest: get on its knees, seek God together, and trust Him to do what only He can do.
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“Famous For (I Believe)”
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“Famous For (I Believe)” is Tauren Wells at his most worshipful, turning the song into a declaration of confidence in what God has done—and what He is still capable of doing. Featuring Jenn Johnson, the song appeared on Wells’ 2020 album Citizen of Heaven and quickly became one of the standout worship songs in his catalog. It reached No. 3 on Billboard’s Hot Christian Songs chart and eventually topped the Christian Airplay chart.
At the heart of the song is a simple but powerful question: What is God famous for? Wells answers by looking back at the extraordinary things God has done throughout Scripture—making a way through the waters, walking His people through the fire, shutting the mouths of lions, and bringing dry bones back to life. These aren’t presented merely as stories from the past; they become reminders of God’s character and His ability to do what seems impossible.
Jenn Johnson’s presence is particularly effective here. Her worship background gives the song an unmistakable congregational quality, while Wells brings the soaring contemporary Christian vocal style that has become his trademark. The result feels less like listening to someone else worship and more like being invited to join in. That seems fitting for a song whose central message is not simply God can do great things, but I believe He can do them again.
And that is what makes “Famous For (I Believe)” such a strong Tauren Wells song. Faith isn’t presented as pretending that difficult circumstances don’t exist. Instead, it is choosing to remember God’s faithfulness when circumstances give us plenty of reasons to be afraid or doubtful. The song looks backward at what God has already done in order to build confidence for whatever comes next.
For us at FishWorship, this is one of those songs that works especially well when you need a reminder that God’s track record matters. We may not know how He will answer the prayer in front of us, and we may not know what the next chapter holds. But we know the God we are asking—and “Famous For (I Believe)” is a joyful declaration that He is still the God who makes a way where there doesn’t seem to be one.
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“Citizen of Heaven”
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“Citizen of Heaven” is more than the title track of Tauren Wells’ second solo album; it is a declaration of identity. Released in 2020, the song looks at the noise, pressure, and temporary concerns of life on earth and reminds us that our ultimate identity isn’t found in the world around us. Wells describes the believer as someone who belongs to a greater Kingdom—and that changes the way we see everything else.
The song’s message is especially powerful because it doesn’t suggest that we should ignore the world or pretend its problems don’t matter. Instead, Wells encourages us to keep those things in their proper perspective. Political arguments, cultural divisions, uncertainty, and personal struggles can easily consume our attention. But if our deepest sense of belonging comes from Christ, then none of those temporary things gets to define who we are. Wells has said that the album was intended to remind listeners that we are part of a Kingdom that the systems of this world did not create.
Musically, “Citizen of Heaven” is anything but quiet or restrained. Built around a rhythmic, R&B-influenced sound and Wells’ energetic vocals, it sounds more like a celebration than a theological lecture. That feels intentional. The message is about freedom, belonging, and looking forward to eternity, and the music gives those ideas plenty of room to breathe. Worship Leader described the song as a high-energy celebration of the Christian’s citizenship in heaven.
There is also something wonderfully freeing about the song’s perspective. We don’t have to find our ultimate security in temporary things because our future is secure in Christ. We don’t have to be completely at home in this world because, in a very real sense, this isn’t our final home. That doesn’t make life here meaningless—it gives our life here a different perspective.
For FishWorship, “Citizen of Heaven” is an especially good example of what makes Tauren Wells interesting. He takes a deeply Christian idea and wraps it in music that feels thoroughly contemporary, joyful, and even a little bit funky. It isn’t simply a song about where we’re going someday. It’s a reminder of who we are right now.
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“Joy in the Morning”
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“Joy in the Morning” is one of Tauren Wells’ most hopeful songs, but its hope doesn’t come from pretending that difficult seasons aren’t real. Instead, it acknowledges the darkness and reminds us that the darkness isn’t the end of the story. Released in 2022 as the title track of Wells’ third studio album, the song grew out of a desire to encourage people who were carrying pain, uncertainty, and disappointment. Wells has described its central idea as the reminder that our problems have an expiration date—“now is not forever.”
The song draws its inspiration from the familiar biblical promise that weeping may last through the night, but joy comes in the morning. Wells takes that promise a step further by recognizing that sometimes the morning doesn’t bring an immediate solution. We can go to bed hurting and wake up to the same problem—or even a worse one. But that doesn’t mean God has stopped working. The promise is ultimately bigger than one particular morning: there is a day coming when the night will finally be over.
That perspective gives the song a depth that goes beyond the usual “everything is going to be okay” message. Wells isn’t promising that every painful circumstance will resolve exactly as we hope in this life. His hope reaches beyond the immediate situation and toward eternity. As he has explained, his faith gives him confidence that there is a reality beyond the here and now—a “forever morning” where suffering and sorrow will finally come to an end.
Musically, “Joy in the Morning” builds from a more subdued beginning into an expansive, uplifting anthem. That progression mirrors the message beautifully: the song starts in the night and gradually moves toward the light. Wells wrote the song with Steven Furtick and Chris Brown, and it ultimately became the foundation for the album’s entire theme of hope, honesty, and joy.
For FishWorship, “Joy in the Morning” is a particularly meaningful Tauren Wells song because it doesn’t ask us to deny what we’re going through. It simply asks us to keep believing while we’re going through it. Sometimes we can’t see the ending, and sometimes we don’t understand the story we’re living. But if the story isn’t good yet, Wells reminds us, God isn’t finished writing it.
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“Fake It”
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“Fake It” is Tauren Wells having a little fun with a pretty serious subject: the exhausting business of pretending to be something we’re not. Released in 2022 as the lead single from Joy in the Morning, the song features Christian hip-hop artist Aaron Cole and pairs a funky, danceable groove with a message about discovering something real in God’s love.
The title is almost a little misleading at first. “Fake It” isn’t encouraging us to fake our faith or put on a good Christian face. It’s actually about realizing that we don’t have to fake it anymore. Wells describes the song as a reaction to the pressure of keeping up appearances and the freedom that comes when we understand that God already knows us completely. There is no impressive version of ourselves we need to manufacture for Him.
That idea fits particularly well with the circumstances surrounding the song’s creation. Wells wrote “Fake It” with Emily Weisband and Chris Stevens during one of his first writing sessions with other people after the pandemic shutdowns. He said that when Stevens played the beginnings of the track, the mood in the room immediately lifted. What started with the weight of what everyone had experienced turned into something joyful—and that joy became part of the song itself.
Musically, “Fake It” is a terrific example of Wells’ willingness to let Christian music have some fun. The upbeat pop and R&B-influenced production, Wells’ smooth vocals, and Aaron Cole’s contribution give it an infectious energy. But beneath all those good vibes is a meaningful reminder: God isn’t asking us to pretend that everything is fine. He wants us to be honest with Him.
And maybe that’s why “Fake It” works so well. Sometimes authenticity doesn’t mean having everything figured out; it simply means dropping the mask. We don’t have to impress God, perform for Him, or pretend we’re stronger than we are. We can come as we are, trust His love, and let Him do the changing. As Wells puts it through the song’s central idea, when what we’ve found is real, there’s no reason to fake it.
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“Take It All Back”
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“Take It All Back” is Tauren Wells turning spiritual warfare into a full-volume battle cry. Released in 2024 as the title track of his Take It All Back EP, the song tackles fear, shame, discouragement, and the lies that can leave us feeling trapped. But Wells refuses to let those things have the final word. Instead, he declares that through Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit, we can stand up and reclaim the joy, peace, freedom, and hope that the enemy has tried to steal.
There is a refreshing boldness to the song. Wells isn’t singing about quietly enduring the battle; he’s singing about fighting back. The song’s imagery is intentionally dramatic—armies rising, banners being raised, and the gates of hell being stormed—but underneath all of that is a very personal message. The enemy may try to convince us that fear owns us, shame defines us, or our circumstances have permanently robbed us of joy. Wells answers with the name of Jesus.
The collaborations help make the song even more distinctive. Wells is joined by We The Kingdom and Davies, bringing together contemporary Christian music, gospel-influenced vocals, and hip-hop energy. The result is an explosive track that sounds less like a quiet devotional and more like the soundtrack to someone finally deciding that they’ve had enough. The official release and music video feature Wells and Davies, while the lyric version also includes We The Kingdom.
What makes “Take It All Back” particularly effective is that its message isn’t really about getting revenge on the enemy. It’s about refusing to surrender what God has given us. Wells has described the song as an encouragement to believers to have the faith and courage to reclaim what has been stolen from their lives rather than simply accepting defeat.
For FishWorship, this is Tauren Wells in full-on celebration-and-fight mode. Sometimes worship is quiet and reflective. Sometimes it’s a prayer whispered through tears. And sometimes, apparently, it’s standing up, turning the volume up, and declaring, “You can’t have my peace. You can’t have my joy. You don’t own me.” “Take It All Back” is that kind of song.
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“Let the Church Sing”
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“Let the Church Sing” feels like Tauren Wells opening the doors and inviting everybody in. Released in 2025 as the title track of his Let the Church Sing EP, the song is a joyful declaration of the things that unite Christians: one faith, one gospel, one King, one cross, and one resurrection. Rather than focusing on the differences that can divide the church, Wells points our attention toward the One we all have in common.
There is something particularly fitting about Wells being the person to deliver this message. After years of making energetic Christian pop, he entered a new season of ministry when he and his wife helped launch Church of Whitestone in Austin, Texas. Wells has said that the songs on the EP grew out of the process of planting the church and his desire to rediscover the wonder and beauty of Christian community.
Musically, the song sounds exactly like its title suggests. It is upbeat, celebratory, and designed to be sung together. Wells moves from the historic foundations of the Christian faith to the picture of believers everywhere—from cathedrals to forgotten towns, from stained glass to places where worship happens far outside traditional church buildings. The message is wonderfully inclusive: wherever God’s people gather, there is a reason to sing.
And perhaps that’s what makes “Let the Church Sing” such a refreshing song. It isn’t asking us to agree on everything. It isn’t asking us to look alike, sound alike, or worship in exactly the same way. It reminds us that beneath all those differences is something much bigger: we belong to the same Lord and share the same gospel. When the redeemed remember that, the church has something worth singing about.
For FishWorship, “Let the Church Sing” represents a wonderful evolution in Tauren Wells’ music. The artist who has given us songs about being known, finding joy in the morning, and taking back what the enemy has stolen now gives us a song about us—the church, together, lifting our voices to the same God. And sometimes, that’s exactly what the church needs to hear.
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“Making Room”
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“Making Room” is Tauren Wells slowing things down long enough to ask a pretty important question: What might we need to move out of the way to make more room for God? Released in 2024, the song is a worshipful invitation to clear away the distractions, expectations, and things we try to control so that we can become more attentive to God’s presence. Wells describes it not as having all the answers or getting everything right, but simply being open and available for whatever God wants to do.
The idea behind the song became especially personal for Wells while he and his wife, Lorna, were preparing to plant Church of Whitestone in the Austin area. Wells described “Making Room” as the first song to emerge from the prayers he was praying as he prepared for that new season of ministry. The lesson was surprisingly simple: if we make room for God and for what only He can do, we leave space for something we couldn’t have accomplished on our own.
That message gives the song a different kind of worshipful power. “Making Room” isn’t primarily about asking God to give us more things. It is about giving God more of us. The song encourages us to listen before we speak, to worship while we wait, and to surrender the things that may be standing between us and the work God wants to do. Its repeated invitation for the Holy Spirit to move gives the song an atmosphere of expectation rather than demand.
There’s also a wonderfully practical side to the idea. We can easily fill our lives so completely with work, responsibilities, entertainment, worries, plans, and even good things that there isn’t much room left for simply being present with God. “Making Room” asks us to consider what might need to go—not because those things are necessarily bad, but because something has to move if we want to make space for something new.
For FishWorship, “Making Room” is an especially interesting Tauren Wells song because it feels like an artist who has moved into a deeper season of worship and ministry. It’s less about putting on a great performance and more about creating an environment where God can move. Sometimes the most important thing we can bring into worship isn’t another request or another song. Sometimes it’s simply an open heart and the willingness to say, “God, this space is Yours.”
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“Breathe On It”
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“Breathe On It” is Tauren Wells turning a song into a prayer. Released in January 2026 as the title track for his fourth studio album, the song begins with a deeply personal confession: Wells is tired of stagnant faith and recognizes that there are things he simply cannot bring back to life through his own effort. His answer is to ask God to breathe on them—to bring fresh life, fresh fire, and fresh movement through the power of the Holy Spirit.
The prayer quickly becomes bigger than Wells himself. What begins with his own faith expands to his church, his city, his neighbors, his children, and his family. That’s an important part of the song’s appeal. “Breathe On It” isn’t simply asking God to make me feel better or give me something I want. It’s asking Him to bring life wherever things have become stagnant, broken, or seemingly beyond repair. Wells has described the song as a prayer for the new year, asking God to accomplish what human striving and strength cannot.
Biblical imagery gives the song even more weight. Wells draws on the rushing wind of Pentecost, the dry bones coming to life, and the resurrection of Lazarus to paint a picture of God’s ability to bring life where there appears to be none. The message isn’t that every difficult circumstance will instantly disappear. It’s that nothing is too dead, too broken, or too far gone for God to touch. The Holy Spirit can bring life where we have run out of our own ability to create it.
Musically, “Breathe On It” carries that message with the kind of energy we’ve come to expect from Wells. A driving rhythm, soulful vocals, and a growing choir give the song the feeling of a worship gathering that is building toward something. It starts as an individual’s desperate prayer and gradually feels like a whole church joining in. That makes perfect sense for an artist whose recent music has increasingly centered on congregational worship and his experience as a pastor.
For FishWorship, “Breathe On It” is a particularly fitting addition to Tauren Wells’ Essential Songs because it shows where his music has taken him. “Known” reminded us that God knows us and loves us. “Hills and Valleys” reminded us that He is with us in every season. “Making Room” asked us to create space for Him. Now “Breathe On It” gives us the next prayer: “God, whatever is here that needs life, breathe on it.” Sometimes we don’t need more strength of our own. We need the Holy Spirit to breathe.
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💿Essential Albums
Hills and Valleys
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When Tauren Wells released Hills and Valleys in 2017, he was stepping out on his own after serving as the frontman for Royal Tailor. The result was an impressive solo debut that immediately established Wells as an artist with a sound all his own. Released June 23, 2017, the album’s 11-song standard edition blends contemporary Christian music with pop, R&B, funk, and gospel influences, while the deluxe edition expands the project to 15 tracks.
The album’s title provides the perfect framework for its message. Life contains spectacular mountaintop experiences and painful valleys, and Wells’ songs repeatedly return to the idea that God is present in both. The title track isn’t simply a reminder that God can be found in the good times and the bad; it asks us to consider how we respond in each. On the mountain, we remain humble and recognize that God brought us there. In the valley, we stand tall because God is still with us and still working. Wells has described that distinction as one of the central ideas behind both the song and the album.
And there is plenty of variety here. “When We Pray” opens the album with an energetic call to prayer, while “Known” moves in a much more intimate direction, reminding us that we can be completely known and completely loved by God. “God’s Not Done With You” offers encouragement to anyone who feels disqualified by failure or disappointment, while “Love Is Action” brings the album’s faith into motion with a much more upbeat, danceable sound. The project even makes room for Wells’ wonderfully unexpected R&B-flavored cover of Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September.”
Musically, Hills and Valleys is a great introduction to what makes Tauren Wells distinctive. He isn’t trying to fit Christian music into one particular sound. The album moves comfortably between pop, R&B, funk, gospel, worship, and contemporary Christian radio, while Wells’ powerful and highly flexible voice ties everything together. Contemporary Christian Music Magazine noted the album’s groove-heavy, R&B-infused sound and its ability to combine faith-filled themes with music that is simply fun to listen to.
For FishWorship, Hills and Valleys is an essential Tauren Wells album because so much of what we appreciate about him is already here. It’s joyful without being shallow, worshipful without being predictable, and honest about life’s valleys without losing sight of the mountaintops. More importantly, it introduced an artist who would spend the next several years expanding that musical and spiritual vocabulary. If you want to understand where Tauren Wells began as a solo artist, this is the place to start.
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Citizen of Heaven
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With Citizen of Heaven, Tauren Wells took the foundation he established on Hills and Valleys and built something considerably bigger. Released in January 2020, his second studio album contains 13 songs and brings together contemporary Christian pop, R&B, gospel, worship, and even touches of country. The album also features an unusually diverse collection of guests, including Steven Furtick, Jenn Johnson, Kirk Franklin, and Rascal Flatts.
The title track gives us the key to the entire project. Wells wrote Citizen of Heaven during a period of intense political, social, and cultural division, and he wanted the album to remind listeners that their deepest identity isn’t determined by the world around them. We may live here, but our ultimate citizenship is somewhere else. That perspective gives the album a sense of unity that runs underneath even its most stylistically diverse songs.
And stylistically, Wells clearly wasn’t interested in putting himself into a box. “Like You Love Me” brings infectious pop and R&B energy, “Famous For (I Believe)” with Jenn Johnson moves into contemporary worship, “Millionaire (Good Like That)” brings Kirk Franklin and a strong gospel influence, and “Until Grace” finds Wells collaborating with country group Rascal Flatts. Even with all those different musical directions, the album still sounds unmistakably like Tauren Wells.
There is plenty of substance beneath the musical variety, too. “Perfect Peace” explores finding calm in God’s presence, “Done” celebrates freedom from the past, “Miracle” looks toward God’s ability to do the impossible, and “Trenches” reminds us that God remains present in the middle of the battle. The album doesn’t simply tell us that we belong to heaven; it explores what that identity means for the way we live here on earth.
Citizen of Heaven was also an important career milestone for Wells. It debuted at No. 3 on Billboard’s Top Christian Albums chart, received a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album, and won the 2020 GMA Dove Award for Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year.
For FishWorship, Citizen of Heaven is essential Tauren Wells because it captures an artist who had clearly figured out that his musical identity didn’t have to fit neatly into one category. It’s joyful, funky, worshipful, thoughtful, and occasionally downright fun. More importantly, beneath all of those sounds is one consistent message: we may be living in this world, but our identity, our hope, and our ultimate home are found in Christ.
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Joy in the Morning
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With Joy in the Morning, Tauren Wells takes the musical and spiritual foundation of his first two albums and pushes it in some surprisingly honest directions. Released June 10, 2022, the album is Wells’ third studio album and his first for Capitol Records/CCMG. Its ten songs move between pop, R&B, gospel, worship, and soul, giving Wells plenty of room to be both energetic and deeply reflective.
The album was written and recorded during the darker days of the COVID-19 pandemic, which helps explain its unusual combination of celebration and vulnerability. Wells wasn’t interested in making music that simply allowed listeners to escape from difficult circumstances. Instead, he described his music as an “entrance”—something that helps us step into our lives, consider the pain and disappointment we’re experiencing, and find a way forward through faith.
That honesty comes through in songs like “Empty,” which confronts the feeling of having everything the world says should make us happy and still feeling unfulfilled. “Come Home” approaches the story of the prodigal son from a contemporary perspective, while “Afraid With You” offers the comfort of knowing that we don’t have to face frightening circumstances alone. Even “Fake It,” featuring Aaron Cole, addresses the pressure to maintain appearances and the freedom that comes from being authentic before God.
Of course, the title track remains the album’s emotional center. “Joy in the Morning” doesn’t promise that every problem will disappear overnight. Instead, it points toward the biblical hope that sorrow is temporary and that God is still writing the story. Wells’ own description of the song is particularly fitting: “now is not forever.” That perspective gives the album’s joy a little more depth because it isn’t manufactured optimism; it is hope that exists even in the middle of pain.
And then there’s “Has to Be God,” the album’s beautiful closing statement of gratitude. Wells looks at the good things in his life and recognizes that some blessings are difficult to explain without acknowledging something greater than himself. It provides a fitting conclusion to an album that spends so much time examining both the struggles and the blessings of life.
For FishWorship, Joy in the Morning is essential Tauren Wells because it shows an artist willing to celebrate without pretending, worship without becoming predictable, and talk honestly about the things that hurt. There are songs here that will make you want to dance, songs that might make you stop and think, and songs that simply feel like someone sitting beside you when life gets difficult. And ultimately, that’s what the album’s title promises: not that there will never be a night, but that the night doesn’t get the final word.
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Breathe On It
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With Breathe On It, Tauren Wells enters what feels like a new chapter of his musical and spiritual journey. Released May 1, 2026, the 16-song album is his fourth studio album and his most explicitly centered on congregational worship, the local church, and the work of the Holy Spirit. The project brings together contemporary Christian music, gospel, worship, and pop while featuring an impressive collection of collaborators, including Phil Wickham, Hulvey, Elevation Worship, Pastor Mike Jr., ECCOS, Samu Robles, and Robert Angel.
The title track gives us the heart of the album. “Breathe On It” is essentially a prayer asking God to bring life to the places where our own strength and effort have reached their limits. Wells has described the song as “a prayer before it’s a song,” and that idea seems to reach throughout the entire album. Rather than asking God simply to bless what we’re already doing, the songs repeatedly invite Him to change things, revive things, and breathe new life into things that have become stagnant.
That focus on the church is unmistakable. “The Church Is On Fire,” “Here Comes the Church,” “Let the Church Sing,” and “Serve the Lord” all move the conversation away from the individual and toward God’s people worshiping and serving together. Even the album’s collaborations reinforce that idea. The result feels less like a collection of songs designed primarily for radio and more like an invitation to a much larger worship gathering—one that crosses musical, cultural, and denominational boundaries.
There is still plenty of musical variety. “How Great,” featuring Phil Wickham and Hulvey, brings together three very different voices. “Sunday Morning,” featuring Pastor Mike Jr., brings a gospel-infused celebration, while “Cantaremos (Que Cante La Iglesia)” introduces a Spanish-language dimension. “The Room Is Yours” turns toward a more intimate worship experience, while “Bless Your Name” and “Thank You For the Cross” provide more traditional expressions of praise. Wells manages to make all of those different sounds feel like pieces of the same larger picture.
For FishWorship, Breathe On It is an essential Tauren Wells album because it feels like the place where several themes from his earlier work finally converge. Hills and Valleys taught us that God is with us in every season. Citizen of Heaven reminded us where our ultimate identity lies. Joy in the Morning taught us to hold on to hope through the night. “Making Room” asked us to create space for God. And now Breathe On It offers the next prayer: God, bring life to what we cannot revive ourselves.
There is something fitting about that being the message of Wells’ fourth album. He has spent years making music about faith in the middle of real life. Now, as an artist and pastor increasingly focused on the church, he seems to be asking a bigger question—not simply What can I do? but What can God do if we get out of His way and let Him breathe on it? That makes Breathe On It not only an essential album in the Tauren Wells catalog, but perhaps the clearest expression yet of where his music is headed.
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