Yolanda Adams Opens the ‘Church Doors’ With First Solo Single in 10 Years

Kyle Denis
·2 min read

One of the gospel genre’s most iconic voices is back — and she’s bringing along her first album in 13 years. On Friday (Aug. 39), four-time Grammy-winning gospel music icon Yolanda Adams unleashed “Church Doors,” her first solo single in a decade.

Across a soundscape punctuated by spirited handclaps and crisp choir harmonies, Adams’ robust voice soars with a perfect mixture of reverence and joy. “When you let me make it to the church doors, I’ll tell them what you’ve done for me,” she promises in the poignant hook.

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The new single hit DSPs alongside a remix featuring Terry Hunter, Sir The Baptist and Donald Lawrence & Co., as well as an extended remix featuring Grammy-winner J. Ivy in addition to all of the aforementioned artists.

“I am so excited about the release of the single ‘Church Doors’ because we have been working on it with some amazing people including Donald Lawrence, Sir The Baptist and Terry Hunter,” Adams tells Billboard. “A group of fantastic people wrote an amazing song that voices the sentiments of testimony. The world has been through so much so to have some good news about what God has done is what we need right now. That’s the theme of church doors.”

Power Book II: Ghost and The New Edition Story actor Woody McClain leads the track’s artful music video, which features direction and choreography from Fatima Robinson, who recently worked on 2023’s Color Purple movie musical and Beyoncé‘s blockbuster Renaissance World Tour.

“Church Doors” is the lead single to Sunny Days, Adams’ new 15-track LP, which is currently slated for a Sept. 13 release. To support the album — her first full-length release with Epic Records — Adams is set to launch a North American arena tour that kicks off on Sept. 6 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, and concludes on Nov. 3 at Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif. Billed the Reunion Tour, the trek will also visit major cities such as Boston, Brooklyn and Atlanta.

Adams has landed six top 10 titles on Top Christian Albums, including 1999’s chart-busting Mountain High… Valley Low, which spent 16 weeks atop the ranking and charted for 100 weeks. Her sole Billboard Hot 100 charting song, 2000’s “Open My Heart” (No. 57), is also one of the biggest crossover gospel tracks of the 21st century, appearing on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (No. 10), Dance Club Songs (No. 29), Adult R&B Airplay (No. 1, 16 weeks) and the all-genre Radio Songs chart (No. 53).

Watch the video for the “Church Doors” remix below:

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