On the heels of the success of Desperado, Evan Craft’s double album released in 2020 in English and Spanish with a deluxe bilingual album as well, the singer/songwriter released his next full-length worship album Holy Ground (English) and Tierra Santa (Spanish) simultaneously today, Friday, October 1.
This will also be the artist’s first release as a married man! He and his new wife Rachel were married outside Nashville, Tennessee, on September 17.
Craft’s most recent single Be Alright, landed in the #1 spot on Christian radio Mediabase audience, at #3 on Billboard’s Christian/Gospel songs chart, #5 on the Billboard Christian songs chart and cracked the top 20 at radio in three weeks. The album, Desperado, debuted at #42 on the Billboard Top 100 Christian chart.
The success of Be Alright has garnered Craft nearly 1 billion online streams and millions of subscribers and followers across social media channels including YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Spotify.
The release of Holy Ground/Tierra Santa takes Craft back to his worship roots.
“Holy Ground is a very special album because it goes back to my roots as a worship leader,” Craft says of the record. “I get to incorporate Spanish language and experiences embedded in the lyrics from my travels throughout Latin America. We started out the year releasing pop music but I also want to lead people to a place of worship and to experience God in a very real way.”
Collaborations on this double release include Christine D’Clario on the feature track Healer, Pat Barrett (Same Spirit), Miel San Marcos (Looks Like Heaven) and Ke’Erron (Fix My Eyes/You Keep Hope Alive).
While not Hispanic, Craft has become a welcomed artist in the Latino community not only for his authentic music, but his actions behind the words. To date he has raised more than $250k for the homeless mission in Los Angeles he co-founded called Mi Casa LA.
In 2018 he rode his bicycle 1,200 miles across South America in a fundraising effort for various causes. A book and documentary of this trek are currently in the works.
Early in his career, Craft developed a deep love for the Latino community in and around his Thousand Oaks, California, community. He began learning Spanish in high school to help his father who was running a homeless shelter in Los Angeles.
In an effort to fully immerse himself in the Latin culture, Craft traveled to Mexico and other Latin American countries, which would spawn his first Spanish album.
He recorded Yo Soy Segundo in 2012 and much to Craft’s surprise, it became the No. 1 Latin Christian album. More mission trips would follow to South America and Craft’s online Spanish interpretations of popular worship songs have generated millions of views and earned him a devoted following.
“I have felt an incredible reception in Latin America,” Craft said. “I’ve been to Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile and 99% of the people have honestly embraced me. It’s overwhelming and humbling.”
