With more than 11-million albums sold worldwide, Hillsong LIVE returns with 12 new songs for its 19^th recording, A Beautiful Exchange, set to release June 29 on Sparrow Records.  Recorded live Nov. 8 along with thousands of worshippers gathered together in the Sydney Entertainment Centre and led by worship leaders Reuben Morgan, Joel Houston, Darlene Zschech and Jad Gillies, among others, the resulting collective expression of worship launches a series of firsts for Hillsong LIVE.  A Beautiful Exchange will be the first release of brand new songs in the alliance announced last month with EMI Christian Music Group, and it launches amidst the group’s first radio single from the album and first ever U.S. tour.

Each year Hillsong records songs from its worship community around the world that have resonated with the church throughout the year. Featuring these songs organically crafted in the creative environment at Hillsong Church, one of the world’s fastest-growing evangelical ministries, Hillsong LIVE’s A Beautiful Exchange includes “Forever Reign,” the first radio single to be released from the album.  Known for such worldwide worship anthems as “Shout To The Lord,” “Mighty To Save,” “My Hope,” “From the Inside Out,” “Hosanna” and many more, “Forever Reign” is a message of hope written by Hillsong LIVE’s Reuben Morgan along with Jason Ingram.

“So often I feel like I come to God, and I’ve got nothing,” says Morgan, “but when I feel like there is no good in me, no joy in me, no peace – He is peace, He is joy, He is our salvation. I love that confession.  I love singing the chorus of this song with both hands raised:  Running to Your arms, the riches of Your love will always be enough. It’s been humbling to see how the church has taken ahold of this song.”

In addition to the confession of “Forever Reign,” A Beautiful Exchange explores themes of sacrifice and redemption in the title track, extraordinary love in “Our God Is Love,” and features songs of hope, reconciliation and praise.

“The church didn’t want to stop singing, everyone was worshipping with all their hearts,” says Autumn Hardman, Hillsong LIVE Music Director, about the night A Beautiful Exchange was recorded.  “Every song carried a sense of freshness right from the start, and even in the studio sessions weeks out, we could feel the excitement about this year’s recording. Everyone brought their ideas, keyboard sounds, guitar lines, drum grooves, and stayed late into the night many nights working out the songs and arrangements.”

“This is Hillsong Church coming together from all over Sydney to celebrate, to pray, to seek God,” says Reuben Morgan. “We just press record.  This is not about an album.  This is really about a church, a family truly seeking God together…A Beautiful Exchange is a picture of that.”

Perfection took our place,

when only love could make a way,

you gave your life in a beautiful exchange…

The full A Beautiful Exchange CD track and songwriter list follows:

1. “Our God Is Love” (Joel Houston, Scott Ligertwood)
2. “Open My Eyes” (Reuben Morgan, Braden Lang)
3. “Forever Reign” (Reuben Morgan, Jason Ingram)
4. “The One Who Saves” (Ben Fielding)
5. “Like Incense/Sometimes By Step” (Brooke Ligertwood, Rich Mullins, David Strasser)
6. “Greatness Of Our God” (Reuben Morgan, Jason Ingram, Stu Garrard)
7. “The Father’s Heart” (Gio Galanti, Jorim Kelly)
8. “You” (Joel Houston)
9. “Love Like Fire” (Matt Crocker)
10. “Believe” (Reuben Morgan, Darlene Zschech)
11. “Beautiful Exchange” (Joel Houston)
12. “Thank You” (Ben Fielding, Reuben Morgan)
13. “Forever Reign (Radio Version)” (Reuben Morgan, Jason Ingram)

These same 12 songs are also featured on DVD and Blu-ray, along with a “Behind The Scenes” documentary and subtitles in 11 languages, reflecting the worldwide reach of Hillsong LIVE.  The Special Edition DVD/Blu-ray further features five bonus recordings from Hillsong London: “The Answer,” “God Our Salvation,” “For All You Are/You Are Good,” “All Things New” and “Glorious One/To Bring You Glory.”

In conjunction with the release of A Beautiful Exchange June 29, Hillsong LIVE will for the first time tour the U.S. into a dozen cities across the country.  Singing new songs from the album and congregational favorites spanning 19 recordings, the full tour itinerary follows:

About Hillsong LIVE:

Beginning in 1988, Hillsong LIVE released its first worship album, Spirit and Truth, and now has 19 recordings with distribution in almost 90 countries worldwide. The Hillsong Church Worship and Creative Arts team, led by Joel Houston and Reuben Morgan, is made up of hundreds of dedicated singers and musicians, as well as a highly trained production crew.  This team teaches new songs to Hillsong Church members almost every weekend.  The Hillsong LIVE albums reveal the best of these songs and are meant to be a resource to enable people to enter into new dimension and atmosphere of praise and worship to the Lord, and to share some of what God is doing at Hillsong Church with Christians around the world.

About Hillsong Church:

Based in Sydney, Australia, Hillsong Church is one of the world’s fastest-growing ministries, with a 25,000-plus strong congregation in Australia, as well as one of the largest evangelical churches in London, Cape Town and Kiev. Hillsong also has churches in Stockholm and Paris, and recently announced plans to establish a new church in New York City. Hillsong Music has sold over 11 million albums to date and has earned 30 Gold and Platinum awards around the world.

For more information, tour tickets, etc., please visit: http://live.hillsong.com/ and www.theiheartrevolution.com.

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Doug Van Pelt

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