Kanye West is taking us to church again.
The influential rap musician’s new gospel-themed album, "Jesus Is Born," was released on Christmas Day on all major digital streaming platforms, including Spotify, which declared the album a “Christmas miracle” on Twitter.
But you won't find the 21-time Grammy winner’s name on the new album, which was released under the name Sunday Service, a reference to the popup series of gospel choir performances across the country.
West said he recommitted himself to Christianity in 2019, and the artist has been speaking publicly about his faith as he travels across the country with the newly minted choir.
One of the first choir events came on Easter Sunday, when West performed with the Sunday Service choir at the Coachella music festival.
»FROM APRIL: Kanye West gets emotional at Easter Sunday Service at Coachella
Next was a trip to Dayton, Ohio, in support of the victims and survivors of the mass shooting there in August.
»FROM AUGUST: Kanye West's Sunday Service to honor Dayton shooting draws large crowd
In September, he and the choir performed at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta and transformed R&B favorites into new gospel tunes.
»FROM SEPTEMBER: Kanye West brings 'Sunday Service' to Atlanta
One of the more memorable of the songs changed Ginuwine's "So Anxious" into a gospel rendition.
West also held one of the events in November at Joel Osteen's megachurch in Houston. There, he told a packed Lakewood Church congregation that he is now "in service to God" and no longer dictated by fame and money.
At the performances, West mostly shies away from a typical lead role, instead playing piano and directing the choir, which has as many as 100 members.
Now comes “Jesus Is Born” with 19 tracks, which include titles such as "Count Your Blessings," "That's How the Good Lord Works" and "Satan, We're Gonna Tear Your Kingdom Down."
West announced the new album during an October interview.
The album marks his second gospel music release with the choir.
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His first foray into gospel, "Jesus Is King," came out under his own name in October and reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and became West’s ninth consecutive chart-topping debut, tying the record held by rapper Eminem.
Unlike “Jesus Is King,” which used the choir sparingly, the new “Jesus Is Born” album is the first full-length recording to feature the Sunday Service choir.
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