‘The Salvos are back!’
- deansimpson7
- Sep 16
- 3 min read
Updated: Sep 17
BY ANTHONY CASTLE
Revolution Worship, a platform for new music within The Salvation Army, has been awarded by the Christian Media and Arts Australia (CMMA) for its emerging contribution to Christian music.
Revolution Worship was nominated for the Emerging Artist Award following the release of two new songs, Our God is Great and Move Again.
Winners were announced at the CONNECT25 conference on the Gold Coast on 2 September.
“I was in shock, to be honest,” said Daniel Casey, Salvation Army Worship Arts Coordinator. “I have so much respect for the others nominated. I sat down at the awards show and thought, ‘Just being here is a win’. Next minute, they announced us!
“I didn’t have a thank-you speech ready, I didn’t expect to win,” he laughed. “I got up, took the award, and said, ‘The Salvos are back!’ I truly believe the win reflects that the Salvos have a place in the Christian music industry of Australia. We really want to thank everyone who voted and all those who reached out and supported us.”
With songs written by Daniel Casey, Luke O’Dea, and Paris Briggs, Revolution Worship has been releasing songs from an upcoming EP titled King Jesus.
“The nomination came from our songs being on Christian radio,” Daniel says. “Our tracks, Our Redeemer and We Walk with Hope, have been getting good radio play, which is where nominations come. We would have been shortlisted from that radio reach, but I’m blown away that people rallied around the music and actually voted.”
Revolution Worship won the award for Emerging Artist, hosted by CMMA. The nominations are part of the People’s Choice Awards component, with winners decided by the public.
“This is a voting award,” Dan says. “You win if people vote, and you can’t force it.
“Revolution Worship is essentially an initiative funded by our Worship Arts department, and its focus is to resource our Salvation Army faith communities across the territory. While we’ve been around for a couple of years, we’re still figuring out how to best serve communities. The nomination and win is hard evidence that people are behind new music that shows the heart of the movement.”
READ MORE: The revolution now begins
Revolution Worship produces music from within Salvo communities, and for Salvo communities. Dan Casey is based at Salisbury City Salvos (Adelaide), Paris Briggs at Shire Salvos (Sydney), and Luke O’Dea at Northlakes Salvos (Newcastle), where much of the songwriting takes place.
“Winning this award was only possible because the Salvos community came together and voted for Revolution Worship,” explains Paris.
“Seeing this unity within our community is incredibly encouraging to me.”
Revolution Worship is also producing tutorials on YouTube to make the music accessible for people of differing skill levels. Revolution Worship makes music that is useful for faith communities. As demonstrated by the award win, these resources are now reaching communities outside of the Salvos.
“God is doing a new thing (Isaiah 43:19)!” says Paris. “Through Revolution Worship, the Holy Spirit is bringing unity to our movement, building on our rich musical heritage and carrying it forward in fresh ways. I can’t wait to see what God does next.”
Revolution Worship’s EP King Jesus will be available towards the end of the year, with new resources accompanying the songs. More on Revolution Worship’s releases can be found here, on Spotify, iTunes, and on YouTube.
