Hope Darst

Hope Darst's debut single, "Peace Be Still," became a Top 10 hit on Billboard's Christian charts in 2020, making Darst one of the year's biggest CCM newcomers. Born in Nashville, Tennessee, on December 3, 1980, she initially made her mark as a church leader, leading worship at a local parish during the early 2000s. In 2013, she helped launch The Belonging Co., a church whose weekly services included plenty of contemporary Christian music. Darst honed her compositional skills as a member of the church's songwriting team and contributed to All the Earth, a live album released in 2017 by The Belonging Co.'s associated praise and worship band. All the Earth reached Number 2 on Billboard's US Top Christian Albums chart and featured an early version of "Peace Be Still," a song written by Darst and initially performed by vocalist Lauren Daigle. The Belonging Co.'s next album, Awe + Wonder, was the first record to feature Darst not only as a songwriter, but as a singer, too. Released in 2019, the record helped set the stage for Hope Darst's emergence as a solo artist, which occurred in early 2020 with the release of her updated recording of "Peace Be Still." The song reached Number 6 on Billboard's Top Christian Songs chart and was followed by "Promise Keeper," which charted at Number 26. Both tracks also appeared on her debut album, Peace Be Still, which was released in August 2020 and charted at Number 23 on Billboard's Top Christian Albums. The following year, Darst received three nominations at the 2021 GMA Awards. She returned to the Christian charts in 2022 with "If the Lord Builds the House," which became her third Top 40 entry on the Christian Airplay chart.