"Joyful" (stylized in lower case) is a song by American Christian and Gospel singer and songwriter Dante Bowe, which was released on March 12, 2021, as the lead single to his second studio album, Circles.[1] Bowe co-wrote the song with Ben Schofield.[2] Ben Schofield handled the production of the single.[3]

"Joyful"
Joyful Single Cover
Single by Dante Bowe
from the album Circles
ReleasedMarch 12, 2021 (2021-03-12)
Recorded2020
Genre
Length2:16
LabelBethel Music
Songwriter(s)
  • Dante Bowe
  • Ben Schofield
Producer(s)Ben Schofield
Dante Bowe singles chronology
"Voice of God"
(2020)
"Joyful"
(2021)
"Evidence (Live)"
(2021)
Music video
"joyful" on YouTube
"joyful" (Live) on YouTube

"Joyful" peaked at No. 14 on the US Hot Christian Songs chart,[4] and at No. 3 on the Hot Gospel Songs chart.[5] "Joyful" won the GMA Dove Award Contemporary Gospel Recorded Song of the Year at the 2021 GMA Dove Awards. It was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Gospel Performance/Song at the 2022 Grammy Awards.

Background

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"We felt like for the times that "Joyful" was a message that felt important, you know what I mean? Choosing joy just felt more relevant — no pun intended — than anything right now. I think we wanted to just start the album off with, "You know what, this has been one crazy year, but we're going to be joyful.""

– Dante Bowe, on the decision to release "Joyful" as the lead single from Circles.[6]

On March 12, 2021, Dante Bowe released "Joyful" as the lead single to his second studio album, Circles, along with its accompanying music video.[7] The single followed the announcement made earlier that month, stated that Circles will be slated for release on March 26, 2021.[8]

Dante Bowe spoke of the message behind the song,[9] saying: "Joy is so different than happiness. While happiness is that temporary feeling created by circumstance, joy isn’t based on anything other than truth. You can be in a bad place or sad situation and still have joy: the knowing that greater things are coming and the moment you are in is not the end."

Bowe opined that "Joyful" a "completely different" single, stating that he was pushing boundaries of what he was offering his audience sonically, by giving them "something that they’d have to grow into."[6]

Composition

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"Joyful" is a gospel and R&B song composed in the key of A♭ with a tempo of 92 beats per minute and a musical time signature of 4
4
.[10]

Accolades

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Awards
Year Organization Award Result Ref
2021 GMA Dove Awards Contemporary Gospel Recorded Song of the Year Won [11]
2022 Grammy Awards Best Gospel Performance/Song Nominated [12]

Commercial performance

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"Joyful" debuted at No. 39 on the US Hot Christian Songs chart,[13] and at No. 22 on the Hot Gospel Songs chart.[14] Following the album's release, "Joyful" debuted on Christian Airplay at No. 36.[15] "Joyful" peaked at No. 14 on Hot Christian Songs,[4] No. 3 on Hot Gospel Songs,[5] and No. 12 on the Christian Airplay chart.[16]

"Joyful" debuted at No. 23 on the Gospel Airplay chart dated July 31, 2021,[17] making Bowe the first artist to simultaneously rank on the Christian radio and Gospel radio charts.[18] "Joyful" went on to reach No. 1 on the Gospel Airplay chart dated February 26, 2022,[19] becoming Bowe's first chart-topping song on Gospel radio.[20]

Music videos

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Dante Bowe released the music video of "Joyful" via YouTube on March 12, 2021.[21] Creedlife directed the music video.[22] The video shows Bowe walking about in the neighborhood on a sunny day, interacting with the people in his community.[23]

On June 7, 2021, Bethel Music published the live performance video of "Joyful" by Dante Bowe on YouTube.[24]

Performances

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On January 14, 2022, Dante Bowe performed on "Joyful" on The Tamron Hall Show following his interview with Tamron Hall.[25]

Charts

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Release history

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Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various March 12, 2021 Bethel Music [3][32]

References

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  1. ^ Clarks, Jessie (March 12, 2021). "Dante Bowe Releases "Joyful" - TCB". The Christian Beat. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  2. ^ "joyful | Chords, Lyrics and Sheet Music | SongSelect®". SongSelect. CCLI. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  3. ^ a b "joyful - Single by Dante Bowe | Spotify". Spotify. March 12, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c "Hot Christian Songs – Billboard". Billboard. August 31, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c "Hot Gospel Songs – Billboard". Billboard. August 10, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  6. ^ a b Huckabee, Tyler (March 26, 2021). "Dante Bowe Knows Joyful Music Can Still Have Substance | RELEVANT". Relevant. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
  7. ^ Cluver, Ross (March 12, 2021). "Dante Bowe Shares New Single 'Joyful'". Vacancy Magazine. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
  8. ^ "JFH News: Dante Bowe Finds Joy in Everyday Life with New Music Video "Joyful"". Jesus Freak Hideout. March 12, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
  9. ^ Chavez, Lizet (March 13, 2021). "Dante Bowe Shares New Single 'Joyful'". Vacancy Magazine. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
  10. ^ "joyful by Dante Bowe". MultiTracks. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
  11. ^ "2021 Winners | The 52nd Annual GMA Dove Awards". GMA Dove Awards. Archived from the original on November 3, 2021. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  12. ^ Atkinson, Katie (April 3, 2022). "2022 Grammys Winners List (Complete) – Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  13. ^ "Hot Christian Songs Chart | Billboard". Billboard. March 23, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  14. ^ "Hot Gospel Songs Chart | Billboard". Billboard. April 6, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  15. ^ "Christian Airplay Chart | Billboard". Billboard. April 6, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  16. ^ a b "Christian Airplay – Billboard". Billboard. August 24, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  17. ^ "Gospel Airplay – Billboard". Billboard. July 27, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  18. ^ Yap, Timothy (July 28, 2021). "Dante Bowe Unites Gospel and CCM with "joyful" : News : JubileeCast". JubileeCast. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  19. ^ Asker, Jim (February 24, 2022). "Crowder, Dante Bowe Rule Religious Airplay Charts – Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  20. ^ Cluver, Ross (February 25, 2022). "Dante Bowe Song 'Joyful' Hits #1 on Billboard Gospel Chart | CCM Magazine". CCM Magazine. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  21. ^ "joyful - Dante Bowe (Official Music Video) - YouTube". YouTube. YouTube, LLC. March 12, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
  22. ^ "Dante Bowe Is Spreading Positivity with New Video "joyful" : News : JubileeCast". JubileeCast. March 14, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
  23. ^ Moss, Iain (March 16, 2021). "Dante Bowe Releases Joyful new Video - JesusWired.com". JesusWired.com. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
  24. ^ "joyful (Live) - Dante Bowe | circles - YouTube". YouTube. YouTube, LLC. June 7, 2021. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
  25. ^ Clarks, Jessie (January 14, 2022). "Dante Bowe Performs Hit Single "Joyful" On The Tamron Hall Show - TCB". The Christian Beat. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  26. ^ "Christian AC Airplay - Billboard". Billboard. August 17, 2021. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  27. ^ "Gospel Airplay – Billboard". Billboard. February 23, 2022. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  28. ^ "Hot Christian Songs – Billboard". Billboard. Year-End Chart. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  29. ^ "Christian Airplay Songs – Billboard". Billboard. Year-End Chart. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  30. ^ "Christian AC Songs – Billboard". Billboard. Year-End Chart. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  31. ^ "Hot Gospel Songs – Billboard". Billboard. Year-End Chart. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  32. ^ "joyful - Single by Dante Bowe on Apple Music". Apple Music. United States. Apple Inc. March 12, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
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