Demons (Josiah Queen song)

"Demons"
Single by Josiah Queen
ReleasedJanuary 16, 2026 (2026-01-16)
Genre
Length3:10:00
Label
Songwriters
ProducerHowell
Josiah Queen singles chronology
"Jesus Is Coming Back Soon"
(2025) 		"Demons"
(2026) 		"Judas"
(2026)
Music video
"Demons" on YouTube

"Demons" (stylized in all lowercase) is a song recorded by the American Christian musician Josiah Queen. The song was released as a single on January 16, 2026, via Capitol Christian Music Group and F&L Music Group.[1][2][3] It was written by Queen, Dylan Thomas, John Michael Howell, and Zac Lawson, while Howell produced.

Writing and development

Timothy Yap of Jubilee Cast observed of "Demons" that it "confronts fear with victory and invites listeners to stand firm in their faith," with lyrics "facing spiritual battles and inner fear."[4] Good Christian Music described it as "a bold anthem for anyone who’s ever felt haunted by fear, shame, or spiritual heaviness" which contained "cinematic production and poetic grit."[5] Queen explained the inspiration behind the song, saying:[6]

This song came from a real battle in my mind and the reminder that I don’t fight alone. When I prayed, God didn’t just hear me – He answered. It’s a declaration that fear and darkness don’t get the final word when your trust and hope is in Jesus.

"Demons" is composed in the key of D minor, with a speed of 75 beats per minute and a key signature of 4
4.[7] It demonstrates the styles of Contemporary Christian and AC/inspo.[1]

Music video

Upon release, a lyric video for "Demons" was uploaded to YouTube.[8] A music video, directed by Brady Pattee, was released on January 20, 2026.[9][10] The music video depicts Queen driving a pick-up truck. The vehicle breaks down, leaving Queen stranded. He builds a fire and performs the song on an acoustic guitar.[6]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
New Release Today

Critical

In a 5-out-of-5 star review for New Release Today, Josiah Scott praised the song's gradual build, noting that it "start[s] slow and gradually pick[s] up pace before being hit with a loud, richly textured chorus." He highlighted its quiet acoustic opening and later shift into a "wall of sound" production style that "explodes at the chorus." Scott also mentioned one moment he felt was "poorly structured," but described it as "only a minor error in the grand scheme of this song." He added that the track has "hit potential."[11]

Commercial

Before the song's commercial release, teasers for the song were released to social media. They had achieved more than 11 million views by the time of the release.[6] Within its first charting week, "Demons" peaked at No. 29 on the Recorded Music NZ's Hot Singles chart.[12] In the United States, the song debuted at No. 16 on the Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, No. 4 on the Hot Christian Songs chart, and No. 7 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.[13][14][15] Supportively, the song appeared at No. 2 on the Christian Digital Song Sales and Rock Digital Song Sales charts, and No. 14 on the overall Digital Song Sales chart.[16][17][18] It also hit No. 3 on the Christian Streaming Songs chart.[19] The song debuted as biggest Christian chart debut of 2026.[20] It also became Queen's first entry into a secular international chart as a solo musician, and the highest chart debut of his career.[21]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Dylan Thomas, John Michael Howell, Josiah Queen, and Zac Lawson.

Demons (Extended Single)[22]
No.TitleLength
1."Demons"3:10
2."Demons" (featuring Julia Poe)3:10
3."Demons" (featuring John Michael Howell)3:10
4."Demons" (featuring Reagan James Broome)3:10
5."Demons" (featuring Zac Lawson)3:10
Total length:15:50

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal Music.[23]

Charts

Chart performance for "Demons"
Chart (2026) Peak
position
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[12] 29
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 (Billboard)[15] 5
US Christian Airplay (Billboard)[24] 39
US Hot Christian Songs (Billboard)[14] 2
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[13] 16

Release history

Release history and formats for "Demons"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
Various January 16, 2026
[25]
January 19, 2026 Christian radio [26]

References

  1. ^ a b c "New Christian Music Releases for January 16, 2026". New Release Tuesday. January 16, 2026. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
  2. ^ "Looking For New Music?". UMG. Capitol CMG. January 20, 2026. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
  3. ^ "Josiah Returns With 'demons' Video And Single". AntiMusic. January 21, 2026. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  4. ^ Yap, Timothy (January 19, 2026). "Josiah Queen Drops New Single "Demons"". Jubilee Cast. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
  5. ^ "Josiah Queen "Demons" New Song Alert". Good Christian Music. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
  6. ^ a b c "Josiah Queen Drops New Single, "Demons"". Jesus Freak Hideout. Capitol Christian Music Group. January 20, 2026. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  7. ^ "DEMONS - Josiah Queen Chords". Chordify. January 16, 2026. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
  8. ^ Josiah Queen - demons (Official Lyric Video) (video). Capitol CMG, F&L Music Group. January 16, 2026. Retrieved January 19, 2026 – via YouTube.
  9. ^ Josiah Queen - demons (Official Music Video) (video). Capitol CMG, F&L Music Group. January 20, 2026. Retrieved January 19, 2026 – via YouTube.
  10. ^ "Josiah Queen Releases New Single, 'demons'". The Z. January 20, 2026. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  11. ^ Scott, Josiah (January 21, 2026). "Demons (single) by Josiah Queen". New Release Today. Retrieved January 22, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  12. ^ a b "Hot 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. January 23, 2026. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  13. ^ a b "Hot Rock & Alternative Songs: Week of January 31, 2026". Hot Rock & Alternative Songs. Billboard. January 31, 2026. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
  14. ^ a b "Hot Christian Songs: Week of March 7, 2026". Hot Christian Songs. Billboard. March 7, 2026. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
  15. ^ a b "Bubbling Under Hot 100: Week of March 14, 2026". Bubbling Under Hot 100. Billboard. March 14, 2026. Retrieved March 11, 2026.
  16. ^ "Christian Digital Song Sales: Week of January 31, 2026". Christian Digital Song Sales. Billboard. January 31, 2026. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
  17. ^ "Rock Digital Song Sales: Week of January 31, 2026". Rock Digital Song Sales. Billboard. January 31, 2026. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
  18. ^ "Digital Song Sales: Week of January 31, 2026". Digital Song Sales. Billboard. January 31, 2026. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
  19. ^ "Christian Streaming Songs: Week of January 31, 2026". Christian Streaming Songs. Billboard. January 31, 2026. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
  20. ^ Bajalan, Clara (January 31, 2026). "Josiah Queen's Demons Breaks Streaming and Sales Charts". Jubilee Cast. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  21. ^ Scott, Josiah (January 27, 2026). "Josiah Queen's "Demons" Makes Biggest Christian Chart Debut of 2026". CM Addict. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
  22. ^ Demons / Josiah Queen. Capitol CMG and F&L Music Group. January 16, 2026. Retrieved January 16, 2026 – via Tidal Music.
  23. ^ "Demons / Josiah Queen / Credits". Capitol CMG and F&L Music Group. January 16, 2026. Retrieved January 16, 2026 – via Tidal Music.
  24. ^ "Christian Airplay: Week of March 21, 2026". Bubbling Under Hot 100. Billboard. March 21, 2026. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  25. ^ "Demons (Single) by Josiah Queen". New Release Tuesday. Capitol CMG and F&L Music Group. January 16, 2026. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
  26. ^ "New Music Mondays January 19, 2026". Radio Update. January 19, 2026. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
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