Hillsong Worship is introducing new music, but Jad Gillies's explanation of the project raises a question that reaches beyond playlists and Sunday services: What difference should worship make to the way Christians live? As the collective prepares Holy Is the Name, the longtime worship leader is discussing identity, responsibility and what it means to serve a church through seasons of change.
Three live songs-"Praise the Lord, Hallelujah, Amen," "As You Are" and "Flood"-are scheduled for release October 23, offering an early introduction to the full album arriving in February 2027. According to the release announcement, the selections emerged from songs already receiving enthusiastic responses in local Hillsong congregations.
Gillies's starting point is the congregation's relationship with God. He says biblical accuracy matters, but songs must also direct worshippers toward the One they are addressing. The purpose is to give people language through which they can approach God, placing a pastoral responsibility on those who choose what a church sings.
That emphasis invites worship leaders to examine more than a song's musical effectiveness. A memorable chorus can bring a room together, but the words also shape what people confess, remember and carry into the week. The project's stated vision makes that connection between singing and living central.
Hillsong's official introduction anchors Holy Is the Name in 1 Peter 1:16 and describes a response to God's holiness expressed through surrendered lives. Its presentation asks listeners to consider how the truths they sing should influence their conduct beyond a gathered service.
Gillies's recent interview with DeWayne Hamby adds a personal dimension to that vision. Discussing Hillsong's next season, he described a process of reconsidering the community's identity and allowing its behavior to follow from those convictions. He also explained why he understands the collective primarily through its connection to church life.
"We're not paid touring musicians," Gillies said. "We're church people."
His account places the musicians within a community whose responsibilities continue throughout the week. He said he and others remained through difficult transitions because they believed they were still called to serve there, while acknowledging the importance of approaching the next season in a healthy way.
Those comments give the new music a more searching context. If worship expresses who a church believes God is, the credibility of that confession also involves how its people treat others, exercise responsibility and respond when change is needed. An album can articulate those commitments; practicing them requires continuing attention.
The songs themselves offer different musical approaches. In the interview, Gillies described a range of energy across the release, identifying "Praise the Lord, Hallelujah, Amen" as hymn-like and noting that "Flood" had already connected with worshippers in services. The variety provides an early cross-section of the forthcoming project.
For listeners, the invitation is to bring the same attentiveness to the message as to the melody. For worship teams, it is to consider whether the language they lead on Sunday receives practical expression during the week. Gillies's comments make Holy Is the Name an occasion to ask what a congregation's worship is forming its people to become.
Watch the official project trailer and visit the Hillsong Worship project page for release information.
