After more than 12 years of appearing on Billboard's Gospel Airplay chart, singer-songwriter Deitrick Haddon reigns at last in his 15th visit, as "A Billion People" featuring choir Hill City Worship Camp, rises 2-1 (on the chart dated Sept. 16).
Hill City Worship Camp consists of Hill City Church's praise and worship team, the church that Haddon pastors in Los Angeles.
"People" is the first single from Deitrick Haddon & Hill City Worship Camp: Live, which debuted and peaked at No. 3 on the Top Gospel Albums chart dated Aug. 26.
"When I wrote 'A Billion People,' I didn't write it to try to hit any chart or fit any format," Haddon tells Billboard. "I was just singing from my heart. I wanted people to hear what I heard and feel what I felt when I recorded it. I have declared it and I mean it: I won't stop until I've got a billion people saying Jesus."
The 44-year-old Haddon, who is also a cast member on Oxygen TV's reality show Preachers of L.A., which follows the lives of six Los Angeles-based pastors, has collected nine Gospel Airplay top 10s. On the gospel music scene since 1995, he appeared on the first Gospel Airplay chart (dated March 19, 2005), with the No. 4-peaking "God Is Good." Prior to "A Billion People," he'd reached a No. 2 high with "Heaven Knows" in 2007.
Haddon has also collected six Top Gospel Albums No. 1s, among 14 top 10s. He most recently led the list with Masterpiece in 2015.
