Grace Baldridge, a singer and songwriter who goes by the stage name Semler, took to Twitter on Thursday (June 29) to celebrate the success of her single “Faith,” which briefly charted as the number one song in the iTune Store’s Christian category. In particular, she celebrated that “a queer artist” was charting in a Christian category during LGBTQ+ Pride Month.
“I really can’t believe it,” Semler tweeted. “We got a queer artist to chart at #1 in Christian music during Pride month. You did that. Faith forever. Thank you thank you.”
The popular song opens with a clip of a sermon delivered by famed evangelist Billy Graham, in which Graham says, “That’s the question: Jesus Christ, who are you?”
“Faith” goes on to explore Semler’s struggle to remain a part of the Christian community despite the fact that “my religion turned against me.”
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“But I still havе faith when you call my name / never been the same,” Semler sings in the song’s chorus. “I still have faith / how you comfort me when they come for me / call that mercy.”
In the past few years, Semler has garnered attention from both fans and critics for being as open about her sexuality as she is her faith. She has also vocally advocated for herself to be included in the conversation of mainstream Christian Contemporary Music.
In 2021, Semler went viral on TikTok after attending a Switchfoot concert at which she attempted to get Jon Foreman, the band’s frontman, to express affirmation toward the LGBTQ+ community. While Foreman did not hear Semler’s shouts from the crowd at the concert, he did see her video and issued a response via a video of his own.
“Yes, I support your rights to freedoms. I want you to feel loved and supported. I want you to feel treasured and valued and seen. I want all love and joy and beauty and truth for you,” Foreman said in the video.
Though Foreman’s words were somewhat vague, Semler took him to mean that he is LGBTQ+ affirming.
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Last year, Semler unsuccessfully petitioned to be considered for the Gospel Music Association’s “Best New Artist” award at the Dove Awards. Coming off of a tour in which she served as the opening act for longtime popular Christian band Relient K, Semler felt that her recent rise in popularity was worth considering.
