Skillet’s ‘Monster’ becomes only Christian song with 1 billion Spotify streams as band announces tour
Christian rock band Skillet, fronted by John Cooper, is launching a new chapter of music while celebrating one of the most successful songs in Christian music history.
The 23-times platinum rock group announced this week that its new single, "Scream," will be released July 10, coinciding with the launch of its upcoming Comatose: 20 Years, Still Screaming Tour, a fall headlining run produced by Live Nation.
The announcement comes as the band's signature hit, "Monster” recently surpassed 4 billion global streams and joined Spotify's Billions Club. The six-times platinum track is the only song by a Christian artist to surpass 1 billion streams on Spotify, making it one of the most-streamed rock songs of all time.
The milestone follows a banner year for the Memphis-based band, which recently completed a sold-out European headlining tour that drew more than 90,000 fans across 23 cities, the largest international audiences of Skillet's career.
"We went back to Memphis and worked with a producer who knew the band before we'd made our first record," Cooper said. "Life has taken some great turns, but it's also taken some painful turns. Now we're here, and we still have more of a story to tell. The music kept getting heavier, and I said, 'We've got to go all-in.'"
"Scream" serves as the first release from what the band called a “new era,” with additional music expected later this year.
The song pairs heavy guitars and electronic elements with lyrics exploring frustration, self-worth and the desire to be heard in an increasingly chaotic world. At one point, Cooper sings, "I wanna scream. I wanna break something beautiful," before questioning, "Will I ever be enough?"
"I don't think I'm the only one who's noticing the volatility of the world and how social media is a cesspool where people are constantly yelling at each other," Cooper said. "It's not helping anyone's mental health. In this landscape, it's easy to feel like nothing matters. 'Scream' is about wanting your life to matter when the world feels chaotic and overwhelming."
The single's release also coincides with the announcement of the Comatose: 20 Years, Still Screaming Tour, which commemorates the 20th anniversary of the band's 2006 breakthrough album, Comatose.
According to the 50-year-old Grammy-nominated artist, the anniversary tour will feature a substantial portion of songs from the album, including tracks the band has rarely, or never, performed live. Formed in 1996, Skillet has long been known for its hard-rock anthems that unapologetically place Christian belief front and center.
"When we released our 2006 album, Comatose, we all had a feeling that we were making something special," Cooper said. "What we didn't know is that the album would change the trajectory of the band's career. It defined our sound, our message, and propelled the band into a much bigger level of notoriety."
"That is why we wanted to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Comatose by doing something we have never done — commemorating the album by dedicating a large portion of the show to these songs that are so meaningful to the band and so many others," he said. "Some of them we have played a thousand times. Others we have never played. We are excited to perform them alongside our catalog on this once in a lifetime tour."
Cooper’s willingness to confront difficult cultural and theological subjects extends beyond Skillet’s music. On his “Cooper Stuff” podcast and in books like Awake and Alive to Truth, he takes on hot-button topics like critical race theory, Marxism and LGBT ideology.
In a December interview with The Christian Post, Cooper reflected on why he continues to engage a ground so often fraught with resistance, explaining he sees it as a calling. He learned long ago, he said, that discipleship means pleasing God rather than people, even when it invites criticism.
“Following Jesus, in my very limited way, is picking up your cross and following Him daily,” he said. “This is a sort of ‘die every day’ kind of mantra. And if you are going to pick up your cross, then you say, ‘Alright, I'm going to obey Christ.’ And if that means you get made fun of, then you get made fun of. That’s what we signed up for. If people are going to hate you for what you do, that's what you signed up for. That's discipleship.”
Leah M. Klett is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: leah.klett@christianpost.com
