Jonathan McReynolds is no stranger to musical success. The Grammy-winning Gospel artist burst onto the scene on September 25, 2012, with his debut album ‘Life Music’ and has never slowed his roll since. It may be no small feat, but it is not surprising that ‘Grace’, his latest hit single, has copped him to his fourth consecutive Billboard Number 1. In the tracking week ending Aug. 1, the song increased by 10% in plays, according to MRC Data. ‘Grace,’ which McReynolds penned by himself, surpasses Kirk Franklin, who is on an active run of three straight Gospel Airplay number ones and has many chart appearances. The 31-year-old who hails from the windy city of Chicago gained his first Number #1 in September 2018 when ‘Not Lucky, I’m Loved’ led the chart for a week, followed by‘Make Room,’ also a one-week leader, in December 2019 and ‘Movin’ On,’ a collaboration featuring Mali Music that topped the chart for a week, last October.
“This has been an amazing journey,” shared McReynolds with Billboard. “I am so grateful for the love and support. I hope that we continue to infuse excitement into the world about gospel music. Thank God for His grace.” His four studio albums – ‘Life Music,’ ‘Life Music: Stage Two,’ ‘Make Room,’ and ‘People’ – have all received critical and commercial successes. In 2021, he received the Grammy award for Best Gospel Performance/Song for his hit song ‘Movin On,’ which features Mali Music. In 2016, and more recently in 2020, he won the GMA Dove Award for Contemporary Gospel/Urban Recorded Song of the Year. Born Jonathan Caleb McReynolds, he was raised by a single mother and attended the New Original Church of God in Christ. Known as a brilliant child, he learned to play the drums at five years old, played the piano at eight, and showcased his talents weekly as a church musician. While attending Whitney Young Magnet High School, he began to break out of his shell; he became known for his musical talents and learned how to record and produce music as a member of the school’s podcast initiative.
Those skills would prove significant when he started attending Columbia College Chicago as he recorded his first songs, including his first viral hit, ‘No Gray,’ in his dorm room. McReynolds has garnered fans from within the musical fraternity with the likes of Justin Bieber and Kandi Burruss-Tucker hailing his musical prowess for ‘Make Room,’ his most significant success to date. He has also been given the stamp of approval by the legendary Kirk Franklin, who dubbed him “The future of Gospel Music.” Not to be outdone, the gospel crooner has not limited his talents to music. In the fall of 2018, he released the best-selling book Make Room: Finding Where Faith Fits. In that same year, he broke significant ground for gospel music when his one-hour TV special “Make Room” aired multiple times on TV One. He was also the first in his genre to ink a substantial partnership with music streaming service Tidal.
