Led by Irish singer, guitarist, and songwriter Darren Mulligan, We Are Messengers craft anthemic Christian music that blends a bright adult alternative sound with a penetrating message of hope. The band earned recognition through the hit Christian singles “Come What May” and “Maybe It’s OK,” reaching the Christian Top Ten in 2016 via their self-titled debut album and later returning to the charts with Power and Wholehearted, issued in 2020 and 2021. Additional collaborations followed, including country legend Vince Gill on “Image of God” and rapper KB on a 2023 remake of “Wholehearted.”
The group formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2015 once Darren and his wife, singer Heidi Mulligan, had moved from Monaghan, Ireland; its original roster included both Mulligans along with guitarist Caleb Clingan, bassist Matthew Montgomery, and drummer Alex McVey. Word Records, which signed Mulligan after hearing his earlier project the Remission Flow, released the debut album We Are Messengers in April 2016. Radio support for tracks such as “Everything Comes Alive” and “Magnify” helped the set open at number ten on the Billboard Top Christian Albums chart and secured a Dove Award nomination for New Artist of the Year.
In 2017 the song “I’ll Think About You” was composed for and included on the soundtrack to the film The Shack. While still charting material from their first album in 2018, the band scored a minor hit with “Needing You Now,” a collaboration with Meredith Andrews featured on the Word compilation My Utmost for His Highest. That November they unveiled “Maybe It’s OK,” the lead single from their second album, Power, which surfaced in early 2020 with a revised lineup of Mulligan, guitarist Kyle Williams, drummer Drew Kerxton, and bassist Drake Kennedy. The heartfelt single “Come What May” arrived in 2021, topping the Christian Airplay chart and reaching number two on Hot Christian Songs; it appeared on the band’s third album, Wholehearted, which matched Power’s chart performance by peaking at number 15 on the Christian albums chart. Vince Gill also contributed to a version of “Image of God,” and the seasonal EP Saviour closed out 2022, its title track earning another Top Three airplay placement. A 2023 iteration of “Wholehearted” featuring KB followed.
