Whenever I hear an actor or music artist from Canada, I proudly say, "They belong to us." Musically speaking, we have many quality artists. (Yes, Celine Dion is one of our biggest stars, but she isn't the only one.) Some of Christian music's most popular artists are from Canada. I have a list of chart-toppers whom you won't believe are from the Great White North. Here you go.
Matt Maher
Yes, the music maestro Matt Maher is from Canada. He was born and raised in the Province of Newfoundland. Matt lived in the City of St. John's in his early years, playing piano in masses at his Catholic church. Once Matt turned 19, he moved with his mother—an American citizen—to Arizona following a divorce. Matt, already a music major, continued to pursue music as a career, playing in concert and jazz ensembles, and singing in a choir.
Matt Maher's career in music blossomed while attending church, obtaining his music degree from Arizona State University, and working odd jobs as a musician. Over his illustrious career, the Christian contemporary megastar has hits such as "Christ is Risen" and "Lord, I Need You," sung in churches across North America. His recent song, “Leaning,” featuring Christian contemporary artist Lizzie Morgan, is currently climbing the charts.
Love & The Outcome
Popular husband-and-wife duo Love & The Outcome are also proudly Canadian. Chris Rademaker and his wife Jodi King formed Love & the Outcome in the City of Winnipeg, Manitoba. The duo sold their condo and began touring extensively across Canada and in other countries, such as China and Liberia. In Nashville, the duo's rise to stardom continued after signing with Word Records in 2012. Love & The Outcome has released hits, such as “Moving On,” “You Got This,” and "The God I Know." The duo recently released their new single, “I’ll Find You,” from their latest album, Only Ever Always.
Amanda Cook
Bethel Music singer Amanda Cook grew up on a farm in Niverville, Manitoba, Canada—a small town located near Winnipeg. She began performing with a local worship team at age 16. Subsequently, Amanda released three solo albums, using her maiden name, Amanda Falk.
In 2010, Amanda connected with Bethel Church and became a member of its music ministry. Shortly thereafter, in 2011, Amanda married her husband Jacob Cook. She is currently serving as a songwriter and worship leader for Bethel Church. Cook released her latest solo album, State of the Union, featuring the single, “While We Wait.”
Dan Bremnes
Contemporary Christian singer Dan Bremnes emerged in 2015 with his first studio album, Where the Light Is, featuring the hit single with the same name. Dan is not a new artist. He started his career independently in 2010. He released the album Your Strength, followed by the EP Light My Way in 2012. Dan collected accolades for Light My Way, winning Covenant Awards in 2013. Listen to his recently released album, Into The Wild, featuring the single, “Hold You Tight,” and you'll see why Dan Bremnes is a big deal.
Manafest
Canadian Christian singers are a tight-knit community. Trevor McNevan, lead singer of Christian rock band Thousand Foot Krutch—gave Christian rapper Manafest his big break. Manafest, also known as Chris Greenwood, was raised in Pickering, Ontario, a city located east of Toronto, Ontario.
Manafest's story is riddled with tragedy and heartbreak. When he was five, his father committed suicide. Originally, Manafest wanted to be a professional skateboarder, but a severe skateboarding accident ended that dream. At a bible camp, he discovered Christ, and, after recovering from his skateboarding accident, decided to pursue a career in music.
Trevor McNevan's intervention led to Chris's signing with the record label BEC Recordings. Before his signing, Manafest recorded two independent albums: Misled Youth and My Own Thing. Epiphany was Manafest's first album under the BEC Recordings banner. Over the next few years, his popularity in the Christian music industry grew exponentially. In the mid-2010s, Manafest once again became an independent artist. He recently released I Run With Wolves, an album that features “Gravity Falls,” a collaborative song with his long-time friend, Trevor McNevan.
Marc Martel
Contemporary singer Marc Martel was the lead singer of the Canadian Christian band Downhere. They emerged in the late '90s and concluded their over-a-decade-long run in 2013. In 2012, Marc auditioned for Queen Extravaganza, Queen's official tribute band. His audition video of Queen's hit "Somebody to Love" quickly went viral, and Queen's Brian May and Roger Taylor selected Marc Martel for the group.
Marc has spent the years since working on both Queen tribute tours and his own solo material. "Say the Word" is the opening track on Marc's 2016 solo album Impersonator. Marc has also become known for his two Christmas releases, Silent Night (2016) and the Hark! EP (2021). Marc’s recent works include an acoustic cover EP, My Way, Vol. 2.
Jordan St. Cyr
Worship leader Jordan St. Cyr’s hit single, “Weary Traveler,” is making waves on Christian radio. The Manitoba-based songwriter has been creating music (lyrics and melodies) for many years. When he was younger, Jordan served with YWAM (Youth With A Mission). Once that season ended, Jordan created his debut, self-titled EP. Now, he works with a myriad of different songwriters, producers, and artists to create music. And he works closely with Compassion Canada to share that message of releasing children from poverty.
Bryan and Katie Torwalt
Jesus Culture husband-and-wife worship leaders Bryan and Katie Torwalt write music for the church. Both reside in Sacramento, California. Katie is from California, while Bryan is a native of Red Deer, Alberta. The duo recently released their live worship album, I've Got Good News, in earlier 2022. Their latest single “Miracle In The Works” reached number one on Air 1 radio.
Manic Drive
Brothers Shawn and Michael Cavallo—collectively known as Manic Drive—released their debut album in 2005. The Cavallo brothers began writing, performing, and recording music at the ages of 9. The two brothers even started a little family band with their musically inclined father. Both brothers, from Toronto, Ontario, wanted to communicate God's love to His people through music.
"The main focus for Manic Drive from an artistic perspective is to challenge ourselves creatively pushing beyond our previous limitations, trying new ideas, and ultimately landing on something that will be fun to experience life as well as on an iPod," says Shawn Cavallo. "We hope every Manic Drive release will be refreshing to our fans as we continue to grow artistically as a band and we definitely hope our lyrics resonate with people, challenging them to take a stand in faith to impact the world around them."
Since their humble beginnings, Manic Drive has released several studio albums, with the highly infectious hit, "VIP," topping Billboard's Christian Rock chart. The band recently released their single, “Love You to Death.”
Trevor McNevan, Thousand Foot Krutch
I’m very proud to say that Trevor McNevan, lead singer and founder of the rock band Thousand Foot Krutch (TFK), is from Canada. Trevor grew up and launched TFK in my old stomping grounds of Peterborough, a city located northeast of Toronto, Ontario.
In his younger years, Trevor worked at McDonald’s to help fund his music recording endeavors. On weekends, Trevor and then guitarist Dave Smith played gigs at a local theater, all the while setting the foundations of what would be one of Canada's biggest Christian bands. They haven’t released any new material since 2016. But Trevor continues to collaborate with other artists and bands, including The Letter Black, From Ashes to New, and Manafest.
Paul Phillips is a Canadian journalist with 20 years of experience writing and editing digital and print content. He specializes in health, fitness, nutrition, and travel. He loves music, Marvel movies, and, of course, living for Jesus.
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