Overview
"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. It was written by Queen, Dylan Thomas, John Michael Howell, and Zac Lawson, while Howell produced. The song topped the Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart, becoming Queen's first leader atop the chart.
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." 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." Queen explained the inspiration behind the song, saying: "Demons" is composed in the key of D minor, with a speed of 75 beats per minute and a key signature of . It demonstrates the styles of Contemporary Christian and AC/inspo.
Music video
Upon release, a lyric video for "Demons" was uploaded to YouTube. A music video, directed by Brady Pattee, was released on January 20, 2026. 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.
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."
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. It also hit No. 3 on the Christian Streaming Songs chart. The song debuted as biggest Christian chart debut of 2026. It also became Queen's first entry into a secular international chart as a solo musician, and the highest chart debut of his career.
Personnel
Credits adapted from Tidal Music. * Dylan Thomas – writer, guitar, vocals * John Michael Howell – producer, writer, guitar, mixer, vocals * Josh Groppel – immersive mixer * Josiah Queen – writer, vocals * Mike Cervantes – masterer * Zac Lawson – writer, vocals