The Afters

A Christian rock band from Dallas, Texas, The Afters formed in 1999 under the original name "Blisse." Co-founders Joshua Havens and Matt Fuqua worked together at the same coffee shop, and they expanded the band's initial lineup to include other employees of the same store. After releasing independent records like 2001's When the World Is Wonderful under the group's original name, they adopted their new moniker shortly before signing to Epic Records. The Afters' debut album, I Wish We All Could Win, was released in 2005 and featured the Dove-nominated single "Beautiful Love," which hit Number 29 on the US Adult Top 40. The album itself reached Number 24 on Billboard's Top Christian Albums, and The Afters climbed to Number 1 on the same chart with the band's follow-up release, Never Going Back to OK, in 2008. Two years later, The Afters earned their first Number 1 single on the Hot Christian Songs chart with the title track to their third album, Light Up the Sky. Another song from that album, "Lift Me Up," reached Number 3 on the same chart, with "Every Good Thing" hitting Number 2 in 2013. Albums like 2013's Life is Beautiful and 2016's Live on Forever maintained the band's place in the Top 10 on Billboard's Top Christian Albums chart, while 2019's Fear No More earned the group two additional radio hits with "I Will Fear No More" and "Lightning." The success continued into the 2020s, with The Afters releasing "Say Goodbye (Say Hello)" in early 2022.